Opening with a disturbing example of how outmoded university structures can jeopardize a vulnerable student’s future, Chapter 1 introduces the structural lag between an increasingly diverse student generation that grew up with the smartphone and its easy access to information and the fragmented practices of the university. This gap is deepened by societal crucibles in contemporary American life, including the pandemic, economic change, extremism, climate change, and structural racism. By forcing universities online, the pandemic highlighted how important campus life is to students, the learning process, and how much of the university experience takes place outside the classroom. As universities prepare for post-pandemic education, they must take long-discussed and long-delayed steps to critically examine their history, address the bifurcation between faculty and service staff, reform their semi-independent institutional structures, and coordinate the array of student services toward the goal of a student-centered and holistic university experience.