ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the many outcomes of higher education that lead to the higher education conclusion and that have been revealed through our explorations. It explores a final accounting in answer to our original question of whether American higher education is worth what it costs. The primary purpose of higher education is to change people in desirable ways. These changes may, in turn, have profound effects on the economy and the society and even on the course of history. When well-educated, cultivated persons are received into society, their presence will almost inevitably modify the general social environment. One effect of higher education upon society is exerted through the change it produces in its students who eventually become members of society. Higher education greatly enhances the practical competence of its students as citizens, workers, family members, and consumers. It also influences their leisure activities, their health, and their general ability to cope with life's problems.
