The Transformation of Private Liberal Arts Colleges

In the early 1980s, private liberal arts colleges were headed for serious trouble. Financial distress and declining enrollments made many closures seem inevitable. Yet these gloomy forecasts failed to materialize. Enrollments did not decline and are projected to remain stable during the next decade. Why? One answer may be institutional transformation. This article examines five private liberal arts colleges that inaugurated fundamental changes in management and organization during the 1980s, thus averting anticipated crises and apparently ensuring a healthy future.