In April 2017, Mitch Daniels stunned academe with the announcement that Purdue University, where he is president, planned to acquire for-profit Kaplan University. With one stroke, the former Republican governor of Indiana drew market forces close to the heart of a public research university and, overnight, positioned Purdue to compete with established online “mega-universities” like Southern New Hampshire University.

Fast forward two and a half years later—is the audacious deal going as planned?

Denise Whittaker calls herself a "comebacker." Whittaker went back to college in her 50s. Today, as an advisor at the Graduate! Network in Philadelphia, she helps other adult learners find their way back to college to complete a degree or certificate.

Some 36 million individuals in the United States have some college credit but no degree. Many left school because of their challenges in balancing the demands of school, employment, and family responsibilities. Now, they want a second chance to finish what they started.