When I decided to enter the blogosphere with my own commentary on the state of higher education, I did so with the intent of sharing with my colleagues across the campus some of the writings on innovation and reform of higher education. Although a staunch advocate of higher education, I must admit that I have grown increasingly restive over the years of my presidency at Boise State with the inability, and in some cases unwillingness, of administration, faculty and staff across most of the higher education landscape to view our mission and role through the lens of the change and innovation required in these new and different times.
For that reason, I am always on the lookout for leaders in the academy who can capture the essence of the reform message and do so from a position of authority and responsibility that faculty can respect, in this case from a peer and colleague who speaks the language and embodies the values of the academy while at the same time recognizing the need for change and innovation.
The University Dean of the William E. Macaulay Honors College at the City University of New York, Ann Kirschner, has done just that in a recent article she wrote for The Chronicle of Higher Education. I implore anyone who managed to get this far on the blog to click on Dean Kirschner’s article below and read it to the very end. No matter where your responsibilities are on the campus, I am confident there are messages relevant to your work and to our collective goal of improving the quality of higher education in changing times. Enjoy and please feel free to weigh in by email if you have a comment on the subject.
Click here to read article: Innovations in Higher Ed? Hah!