Think outside the box to protect colleges’ future
Quotes below from Richard Chesteen, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Tennessee Martin:
All of my adult life I have spent in higher education – first as a student, then as professor and administrator. Over four decades, I witnessed much to make me proud and some to disappoint and make me ashamed. The institutions of higher education are not just service institutions but they are survivors, and the tools and methods used to do so have not always best served the public interest or reflected well on the colleges’ image. One area of concern has been that while higher education should be on the cutting age of change and innovation, it has too often acted to defend the status quo when threatened.
…
Today, higher education administrators are suddenly finding that they and the American business community have something in common – survival.
…
Higher education may push back, but the question is how do you stop or control the forces of change. Like the roots of a tree pushing themselves up between the tiniest crack in the pavement, the future will not be stunted. Those in academia like to encourage their students to “thinking outside the box.” Perhaps the time has come for them to take a dose of their own elixir.