The history of American higher education has long been dominated by a battle of sustaining innovation. This paper highlights five diverse institutions that are tackling a broad range of problems in their efforts to innovate and sustain: (1) Arizona State University's open-access Global Freshman Academy creates a new pathway into the institution, and an innovative business model allows students to pay when they successfully complete courses; (2) Northeastern University draws on its expertise in experiential learning to establish a coding and analytics bootcamp that defines success by student outcomes in the workforce; (3) University of Wisconsin (UW) addresses workforce challenges in the state by deploying a competency-based degree program that draws on the academic resources of the UW System to develop new, accessible programs targeted to adult learners; (4) Simmons College, in partnership with a company called 2U, transformed its business model by developing high-quality, online graduate programs that expand its reach beyond geographical constraints; and (5) Southern New Hampshire University's radically affordable College for America creates opportunities for adult learners through a competency-based degree program in which the university partners with employers.