It’s widely accepted that traditional colleges and universities are ripe for some kind of disruption.

Their expense is out of control, and the nation’s outstanding student debt is now more than $1 trillion. About half of students arriving on campuses need to take remedial courses, and entirely too many of them drop out. Employers increasingly prize post-secondary credentials other than standard four-year degrees. Because of technological advancements and other changes in the economy, older adults are looking to acquire new skills, and the traditional college experience doesn’t fit their needs. And many campuses’ brazen hostility toward dissenting opinions demonstrates that it’s a conceit for much of higher education to promote itself the home for the free exchange of ideas.