Higher Education in the Twenty-First Century: Innovation, Adaptation, Preservation

Extract

Disruptive change is never easy for those who have helped construct the status quo. By definition, it undermines much that we take for granted and rely on, much that has evolved over time. It sometimes destroys things that are worth treasuring. This is why we fear it. But disruptive change also provides an opportunity for restructuring that can actually improve our institutions. Our task should be to adjust as nimbly as we can, taking advantage of new opportunities while we protect those aspects of traditional higher education that are of the greatest importance to our mission.