It looks like the fate of many small colleges is closure, "merger" (meaning effectively being swallowed up by a stronger institution) or even-subject to regulatory complexities-acquisition. That is not good news for the colleges, their staff, students, alumni, surrounding communities-nor for the higher education sector as a whole. Small-sized colleges--many enrolling just a few-hundred up to a few-thousand students--really enrich the overall education ecosystem. In this article, Maurits van Rooijen proposes a solution he calls "cooperatives." He describes these "cooperatives" as a system whereby institutions start sharing--and hence substantially reducing--costs for administrative and academic operations, while sharing the bigger investments such as in promotion, international marketing and online delivery. Such cooperatives are not only more cost-effective; they also gain strength by size when it comes to contract negotiations with third parties. Moreover, these consortia can make themselves much more visible in the crowded market, nationally and even internationally.