Just because competing with the mega-universities might prove a huge challenge doesn’t mean no one should try it, says Michael B. Horn, the head of strategy for the Entangled Group, a company that consults colleges.

There is room for a handful of state universities to make a significant push into online education, he says. The need for adult education is so huge that even the mega-universities just scratch the surface. Public colleges have regional brand recognition that’s hard to match and can offer students access to local alumni networks that are impossible for job-hunting graduates to get from national players.