Ed Reform In the University Part 1
The Big Question
Daniel Little (philosopher of social science) compares the collapse of Kodak, and US steel companies to universities. These companies developed severe problems when they inexplicably ignored clear competitive risks and Daniel wonders, is higher education going the same way? He asks:
This is an interesting question in the abstract. But it is also a challenging question for people who care about the longterm viability of colleges and universities. Are there forces at work today that will bring about existential crisis for universities in twenty years (enrollments, tuition pressure, technology change)? Are there technological or organizational choices that should be made today that would help to avert those crises in the future? And are university leaders taking the right steps to prepare their institutions for the futures they will face in several decades?
What are the essential questions we should be asking? How about values? Are the values of the public reflected in university values? Education is oriented toward the future which can be a cause of anxiety. Does the university address this anxiety? Why do we need the univrsity? Is the university for knowledge, for research, for developing a clear path to the future?
I would not discount Daniel’s question as it is deserving of a close look. Change is happening, but like for Kodak and US Steel, change often happens slowly, until it doesn’t; until it cascades into an avalanche sweepping all before it.
Higher Ed reform is a topic with various angles and topics so I have choosen to publish in the form of a relate 5 part series. There is an overview here with the following individual posts:
