"Shulman brings a sociologist's lens, an entrepreneur's spirit, and a wealth of practical wisdom to the formidable task of transforming higher education. He shows how to create market-driven intermediaries that connect and support an otherwise fragmented landscape of mission-driven universities. Theoretically rich with fascinating case studies, The Synthetic University is essential reading for university leaders, educational entrepreneurs, and philanthropists." --Rob Reich, Stanford University, author of Just Giving: Why Philanthropy Is Failing Democracy and How It Can Do Better "Drawing on his leadership of some of the most innovative entrepreneurial institutions, James Shulman offers invaluable lessons in addressing the balance between the forces of the market and the traditional understanding of higher education as a public good." --Jack DeGioia, president of Georgetown University "Under attack, under pressure, and underappreciated, higher education is at an inflection point. A long-standing observer and steward of scholarly organizations, James Shulman posits a bold way forward that preserves the distinctiveness of universities' missions while heightening cooperation among them in order to scale collective impact and expand access to research and learning." --Alondra Nelson, Harold F. Linder Professor, Institute for Advanced Study "This book offers deep, original thinking about how universities can innovate and survive.

James Shulman has pragmatic, hard-won wisdom about how to build innovative organizations that can navigate past the complexities of educational institutions to drive meaningful change." --Matt Greenfield, managing partner at Rethink Education "James Shulman's book is a page-turning lesson in the history, psychology, and incentives that have created today's higher education system. It is also a road map for how the higher education system can drive up student success and drive down costs with the help of well-managed, well-designed, mission-driven businesses that find their way to capital from the growing impact investing sector. The road won't be easy, but with shared agreement on destination and a greater capacity for collective action, this book gives hope that we can get there." --Roy Swan, director of Mission Investments at the Ford Foundation.