Harnessing America’s Wasted Talent presents a new frame of reference coupled with research and experience which support a dramatically different view of the causes and the consequences of college failure, as well as the changes needed to improve learning in the 21st century. This view recognizes that in far too many cases failure is a result of the way colleges operate, their tradition and history. Failure in the current system is, in many cases, not indicative of learners’ capacity to learn. Happily, however, there are solutions on the horizon. Our capacity to support, encourage, and recognize learning has not only grown dramatically in the last 20 years, it has also been transformed into a new ecology of learning.   

“Anyone who wants to understand where American higher education is headed should read Harnessing America’s Wasted Talent. Peter Smith’s vision about the future of higher education is based on several decades of experience—at the national, state, and international levels. He brings a rare perspective that will interest students, educators, politicians, and those American business leaders who are worried about the future of our workforce and the health of our democracy.” —Charles Kolb, president, The Committee for Economic Development

“Harnessing America’s Wasted Talent is a must-read for those of us concerned about the increasing economic and education gaps in our country. Peter Smith takes on an important American disconnect: the need for an educated workforce and the fact that most working Americans lack a college degree. Drawing upon his experience in higher education and politics, Smith dissects the problem and presents a contemporary, practical plan to enhance the learning capacity of our country.” —Joseph B. Moore, president, Lesley University

Peter Smith is Senior Vice President of Academic Strategies and Development for Kaplan Higher Education. He is the former Assistant Director General of Education at UNESCO and served as the founding president of California State University at Monterey Bay (CSUMB).

Smith led a successful effort to implement Vermont's community college system, which included the design of its operating, administrative, academic, and assessment systems, and served as its first president.

He served as Vermont’s Lieutenant Governor from 1982-1986 and in 1989 was elected as a representative from Vermont to the U.S. House of Representatives. Dr. Smith is the author of the critically acclaimed The Quiet Crisis: How Higher Education Is Failing America.