Breaking Down the Purdue-Kaplan Deal

Mitch Daniels shook up the world of higher education when he announced the merger/acquisition/alliance of Kaplan University—a for-profit provider of online education—with Purdue University, Indiana’s flagship land-grant school. The idea is that Kaplan’s curriculum and coursework can benefit from Purdue academic expertise while Kaplan’s online network capacity can give Purdue access to students not inclined to enroll in a residential campus. Many praised the move, while others, most notably Purdue’s own faculty, condemned it.