A 
Dr. Joshua Travis Brown
What sounds like plots ripped from Hollywood scripts are the actual founding stories of three tuition-driven universities. In fact most such schools boast similarly fraught origins. But what is equally striking is that regardless of their particular focus, these institutions also share a drive to sustain their mission in innovative ways amid the pressures of remaining competitive in a tightening enrollment market. I argue in my book Capitalizing on College that the way forward for these “value entrepreneurs” must include recognizing they are not alone and that their similarities are greater than their differences.
A shared vision among differences
The tuition-driven sector is as diverse as the American population it serves. From historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and predominantly Black institutions (PBIs) that engender Black identity and women’s colleges that promote empowerment to Tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) that pass on Native American cultures and religious schools that develop faith, tuition-driven institutions strive to provide educational access to often unseen students. These are students who matriculate at Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs) committed to expanding opportunities and reducing barriers and who graduate from regional colleges and universities (RCUs)—known as “people’s universities”—renowned for their commitment to teaching.
The diversity across the tuition-driven sector might suggest a lack of common ground, but in reality, these institutions have far more in common with one another than with the Ivy League. Indeed, for the many different schools in this sector, their dedication to the common good has led them to embrace what I describe as value entrepreneurialism—a common valuing of relationships and a commitment to innovation that is inseparable from their mission.
