Reflects on the declining quality of higher education today, the increasing inability of higher education to meet student needs, and the ways in which demographic influences will affect higher education in the next 16 years. Offers seven suggestions for leaders of higher education in dealing with these concerns. (IW)

Major demographic trends and consequences for higher education are examined. The Baby Boom sharply increased birth rates from 1946 to 1964 and was followed by a decline in births that lasted from 1964 to 1978. Currently there is an increased birth rate, but of much smaller size than the Baby Boom rates, due largely to the smaller size of the…

Demographic changes, especially changes in the birth cohort, will have a major impact on college enrollments. The passing of the Baby Boom generation may cause the closure of many colleges in the 1980's. The post-Baby Boom decline in births was almost completely a Caucasian phenomenon; the percentage of minorities is increasing dramatically,…

This report is a demographic study of the United States education system from kindergarten through post-graduate education. Part 1 provides a briefing on the major demographic trends that form the framework of the analysis in terms of: (1) number of births in different groups; (2) rate of age increase in various groups due to varying birth rates;…

Major demographic trends affecting the size and composition of the college population, and consequences for higher education are examined. Trends and implications include the following: the under-20 group will fall below 30 percent during the decade; total births and birth rates are up in the Sun Belt and holding even or declining in most of the…