"As a former small college president, I am drawn to Bogart's title and urgency. Small colleges, and larger ones with limited resources, are facing a perfect storm of economics, demographics, and politics. They need leaders who are informed, strategic, and ready to act. Bogart provides these leaders with both a compelling analysis and a toolkit for action. He is also the rare former president and practicing economist who can write a readable book."

"This book is a must-read for anyone in a leadership role at a small college. With clarity, candor, and the analytical rigor of an economist, Bogart illuminates the unique challenges and opportunities facing enrollment-driven institutions. By blending real-world presidential experience with powerful yet digestible economic concepts, the book challenges presidents, trustees, and aspiring leaders to ask the hard (and right) questions--and to view their institution through a rare, but important framework."

"Small colleges are a vital but often overlooked segment of the U.S. higher education ecosystem. Bogart combines leadership experience with economic insight to illuminate the unique challenges these institutions face and offers a distinctive and valuable perspective on how to lead them effectively."

"At a time when innovative frameworks are needed to change the trajectory of higher education, Bogart's One Semester Away from a Crisis is an indispensable guide for leaders of small colleges navigating an industry in need of change. Using a unique, clear, disciplined lens of economics, the book unpacks complex leadership challenges--balancing constituent interests, managing scarce resources, leveraging cooperation with competitors, and sustaining mission in the face of financial constraints. Each chapter offers self-contained, real-world applications of core economic concepts, from constrained optimization and portfolio diversification to regulatory capture and the logic of collective action, all tailored to the unique realities of small, teaching-focused institutions. Rather than offering abstract theory, Bogart provides an accessible and practical framework that clarifies why certain decisions--whether in pricing, program design, governance, or partnerships--are made, and how leaders can make them more effectively. For presidents, trustees, senior administrators, and emerging leaders committed to stewarding their institutions through uncertainty, this book is both a reality check and a roadmap for resilient, mission-driven leadership."

"There are few people better qualified to write about leadership at small colleges than Tom Bogart. Not only does he bring to bear his experience from multiple presidencies and other leadership roles, but he uses the lens of economics (honed through years of teaching economics classes) to set forth with remarkable clarity the challenges and opportunities these colleges face. Anyone concerned about higher education in America should read this book."