I grew up in a small town that had many small diners -- including even the soda fountain at the local Rexall drug store. As transportation became more commonplace, the town was invaded by McDonalds, Pizza Hut, and the many other fast food chains. This invasion produced two visible impacts:

1. The small "mom and pop" diners were killed off because they were unable to compete with the chains for fast and inexpensive meals presented in a comfortable environment. The survivors were typically those that developed a strong loyal customer base, perhaps by linking to a particular subgroup or clientele.
   
   
2. Other diners migrated away from fast and cheap, turning themselves into full-service restaurants. Indeed, the presence of fast food chains pushed these places into becoming better restaurants in order to distinguish themselves from the competition.

In other words, I go to a fast food chain if I want a quick meal, but I go to a restaurant if I want fine dining. Both places do an effective job of filling one's stomach with calories. Nevertheless, many people are willing to pay considerably more for fine dining because of the many value-added features that accompany an evening spent in a high-quality restaurant. The successful restaurant clearly understands the importance of the fine dining ambiance and assures that all aspects of its operation enhance the quality of the experience.

Similarly, national chains have been far less successful at competing in the fine-dining market. Chains typically strive for uniformity of product in order to achieve efficiencies of scale, while fine dining is highly dependent on the creative skills of the chefs. Creativity is very difficult to replicate in a mass-production setting.

What then are the analogies to higher education?