The schools that succeed are building flexible systems, supporting staff, and creating processes that can bend without breaking.

According to Neeli Bendapudi, the president of Penn State University, it is "important" that the federal government "continue that tradition of investing in our higher education system because it's a huge competitive advantage."

Elite colleges are enrolling record numbers of low-income students by widening recruitment and boosting aid. The shift is drawing scrutiny from the Trump administration, which questions whether targeting needier students is legal.

Pacific University and Willamette University, two of the oldest private institutions in Oregon, signaled plans to merge and become the University of the Northwest.