Higher Ed's Identity Crisis: Is It a Service or a Business?

"Benjamin Franklin championed education for public benefit, advocating for philanthropy and not-for-profit models while promoting practical skills to support individual and economic progress."

"The foundational conflict of education as a public service versus a business shaped the development of American higher education, influencing its structure and accessibility."

"For-profit education focused on practical skills and primarily served marginalized groups, leading to the establishment of various types of schools in the 1600s and 1700s."

"The late 18th and 19th centuries saw higher education institutions increasingly established by wealthy industrialists, sparking clashes between their commercial interests and educational ideals."

The evolution of education in America reflects a tension between serving the public good and operating as a business. Early advocates like Benjamin Franklin emphasized education for public benefit and practical skills. For-profit education emerged to serve marginalized groups, leading to various school types in the 1600s and 1700s. The establishment of institutions by wealthy industrialists in the 18th and 19th centuries further complicated this dynamic, highlighting conflicts between educational ideals and commercial interests.

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