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In an interview with Frank Moss, director of MIT’s Media Lab, BusinessWeek uncovers a vision for the future driven by disruptive change. This thinking is behind a new breed of entrepreneurs who, says Moss:

Resist the current temptation to make incremental changes to attract funding. It might get you off the ground, but I don’t think it will get you very far. Today, the funding climate has changed. The successful (entrepreneurs) will look for fundamental disruptive change. I encourage them to take risks, rather than just polish the faucets. There will always be an appetite for game-changing technology.

And, what does Moss think of the future of education?

We will undergo another revolution when we give 100 million kids a smart cell phone or a low-cost laptop, and bootstrap the way they learn outside of school. We think of games as a way to kill time, but in the future I think it will be a major vehicle for learning.

Link to the BusinessWeek Online article.

FYI– I’m visiting the East-West Center for the next two weeks, and, as long as the weather is nice, I will be slow responding to email, etc.

Aloha
jm

To:                  All Participants

From:             Arthur Harkins and John Moravec

Subject:        Building a “Leapfrog” University (Version 2.0)

Our Basic Concerns

The University of Minnesota is at a crossroads in its path for success in the 21^st century.  With a goal to become one of the top three public research universities in the world within a decade, the University is engaged in an ambitious strategic repositioning process.  We can still do better.

We are concerned that the majority of recommendations from the strategic repositioning taskforces are leading us in a direction of reactive followership and potential stagnation.  Rather than putting forth ambitious goals for the future of the University, the reports back conventional catch-up models over a call for “leapfrogging” to preferred future leadership.  If the University ultimately engages in a plan to “catch-up” to other institutions, we are concerned that the likelihood of the University falling further behind in effectiveness and global competitiveness rankings will significantly increase.

Progress since Version 1.0

To date, we have received over thirty responses to the original release version of this document – all positive.  Respondents include University leadership, a department chair, senior faculty, students, a state leader, and the vice president of a major Minnesota company.  This updated version incorporates their comments and insights toward supporting the University’s strategic vision.

The previous release version of this memo is available online at http://www.educationfutures.com/2006/02/20/minnesota-vision-v1/

(Read more …)

The US Congres recently opened the flow of student financial aid to online universities. Since 1992, the government required that, to be eligible for financial aid, higher education institutions must provide at least half of their classes in person. This change brings new competitive challenges to “traditional” universities.

The influence of for-profit institutions is growing. The NY Times reports:

Nonprofit universities and colleges opposed such a broad change, with some academics saying there was no proof that online education was effective. But for-profit colleges sought the rollback avidly.

“The power of the for-profits has grown tremendously,” said Rep. Michael Castle, a Delaware Republican and a member of the House Education and Workforce Committee who has expressed concerns about continuing reports of fraud. “They have a full-blown lobbying effort and give lots of money to campaigns. In 10 years, the power of this interest group has spiked as much as any you’ll find.”

The days of the non-entrepreneurial university appear numbered.