This is the story of an insurgency in higher education - an adventure in giving people of all backgrounds, especially those without many advantages, the chance to change their lives.

It's a history of Vermonters who refused to be told "no" - who developed a community college unlike any other, challenging the higher-ed establishment as they invited adults to learn and earn a degree at any stage in life, no matter their circumstances, supporting them all along the way.

Rich with personal stories, profiles, humor and humanity, this acount of the creation, growth and survival of the Community College of Vermont is an inspiring tribute, as veteran Vermont editor Emerson Lynn writes in his Introduction, to "the power of people who refused to give up."

And as today's colleges and universities struggle with pressures to somehow become more affordable, flexible and accessible at different stages of life, Kind of a Miracle offers ideas, examples and hard-earned lessons. Because, in the end, this just might be a story of creating the college of tomorrow.