College professors are reporting that students are increasingly unable—or unwilling—to finish entire books, pushing instructional time toward skimming strategies instead of close reading. The account cites survey evidence from the National Endowment for the Arts and data showing adults reading at least one book is down compared with a decade earlier. Instructors describe student behavior changes inside office hours and classrooms, with students asking how to shortcut reading rather than engaging the text directly. The piece argues the issue reflects deeper K–12 system changes that have reduced expectations for sustained reading volume and complexity. For colleges and universities, the development signals likely pressure on first-year curricula, placement practices, and literacy interventions—particularly in humanities and social-science sequences where reading stamina and comprehension remain core assessment targets.