Presents initial analyses from research currently being conducted under the Emerging Pathways to Access and Success project which demonstrates how entrepreneurial postsecondary institutions are creating and extending opportunities for nontraditional learners who are seeking postsecondary training, credentials, and degrees. The authors also address a number of challenges that nonprofit and for profit institutions face as they endeavor to fulfill their unique missions and public responsibilities. Research that increases understanding of entrepreneurial approaches to postsecondary education will be a key factor in shaping policy and practice going forward, and it forms the core of this volume.

While many for-profit institutions have been quick to respond to the emerging competitive environment for postsecondary education, it is not at all clear that they have a significant long-run comparative advantage over nonprofit institutions. Over the past decade, research on competition, innovative forms of delivery, and emerging finance mechanisms in higher education has turned attention to competitive adaptation and the potential comparative advantages for entrepreneurial ventures in nonprofit public and private postsecondary institutions.

This is the 129th issue of the Jossey-Bass quarterly report series New Directions for Higher Education.