In a last-minute shift, the community colleges that were championing these bills came out to formally oppose them after the lawmakers substantially revised the measures.

What tends to go unexamined is how campuses themselves communicate day to day, and what that teaches students about how information is supposed to move.

Enrollment has skyrocketed at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, a small state school near the Canadian border, as word has spread that it offers fast, affordable degrees.

Even without the perch of a presidency, the 82-year-old remains heavily influential in conversations surrounding higher ed's future, especially seeking to stabilize college athletics.