Do for-profit colleges and universities (FPCUs) pose a threat to traditional providers of higher education, or do they play a vital role at a time when the capacity of public and private non-profits to meet demand is constrained? This book offers an analysis of for-profit colleges and universities, reviewing their history and business strategies.

Guilbert C. Hentschke is the Richard T. Cooper and Mary Catherine Cooper Chair in Public School Administration at the University of Southern California's Rossier School of Education.

Vicente M. Lechuga is Assistant Professor of Higher Education Administration at Texas A&M University.

William G. Tierney is University Professor and Wilbur-Kieffer Professor of Higher Education and Director of the Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. He has conducted research on colleges and universities for twenty years, the results of which have appeared in numerous journal articles, book chapters and books. His most recent book is Trust and the Public Good: Examining the Cultural Conditions of Academic Work.

Marc Tucker is President & Chief Executive Officer, the National Center on Education and the Economy, and Co-Chairman, New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce

Foreword Marc Tucker 1. For-Profit Colleges and Universities in a Knowledge Economy-Guilbert C. Hentschke, Vicente M. Lechuga, & William G. Tierney 2. Evolving Markets of For-profit Higher Education-Guilbert C. Hentschke 3. Who are they? And what do they do?-Vicente M. Lechuga 4. Differences in Academic Work at Traditional and For-Profit Postsecondary Institutions. Policy Implications for Academic Freedom-William G. Tierney & Vicente M. Lechuga 5. Markets, Regulation, and Performance in Higher Education-Mark L. Pelesh 6. Accreditation and Accountability. The Role of For-Profit Education and National Accrediting Agencies-Elise Scanlon and Michale S. McComis 7. A Global Perspective on For-Profit Higher Education-Kevin Kinser 8. The Public Good in a Changing Economy-William G. Tierney Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C Contributors Index