When Does Platform Consolidation Go Too Far?
Why universities are reducing vendor sprawl and where leaders should be far more cautious.
Rasmussen University’s move from Blackboard to D2L looks like a routine LMS migration. It isn’t. We examine why institutions like Florida Polytechnic University and American University of Beirut are aggressively simplifying tech stacks and where that strategy can create new forms of institutional dependency.
This article covers:
Did Rasmussen simplify its tech stack or deepen platform dependency?
Why are universities suddenly rewarding platform consolidation?
Which capabilities should universities consolidate, and which ones should stay independent?
1. Did Rasmussen simplify its tech stack or deepen platform dependency?
Rasmussen University’s decision to replace Blackboard with D2L was framed as a modernization move. The reality is more consequential. Rasmussen consolidated tutoring, feedback, analytics, and content creation into one platform while aligning with parent company American Public Education, Inc. The efficiency gains are real, but so is the long-term concentration risk.
At first glance, Rasmussen’s announcement looked like routine LMS churn.
A university moved off a legacy platform and selected a more modern alternative. That happens regularly across higher education and rarely signals anything broader than product dissatisfaction, pricing negotiations, or user experience improvements.
That is not what happened here. Rasmussen University moved