Building the plane while flying. Welcome aboard Higher Ed Airlines.

It’s no secret that COVID-19 sent higher education in a tailspin. Institutions around the country point to the global pandemic as the sole source for budget woes, changes in student demands, and employee morale.

Is it really fair, though, to blame COVID-19 for our woes? Or is COVID-19 just fast tracking the inevitable dilemma colleges and universities face?

We knew this perfect storm was coming (OK, not the pandemic), but don’t plead ignorance. The platform was already burning!

In Jon McGee’s Breakpoint: The Changing Marketplace for Higher Education, its clear that institutions needed to revisit their brand, what and how they delivered education, and who they would realistically be able to serve. McGee notes that in the years following 2011, (the largest high school graduating class in US history), there was a decline in the high school student population — which ultimately translates to less college bound students.

Meanwhile, colleges and universities continued to engage in a high stakes arms race — investing millions in facilities, amenities, and merit aid. It was hard to…