Sometimes it is easy to miss the most important point in an article, particularly if you are not looking for it. In a recent piece in the Chronicle of Higher Education Goldie Blumenstyke reports on an interview with Purdue University President Mitch Daniels. Although the headline of the piece highlights the slower than expected growth in Purdue’s online unit, Purdue Global, the most revealing information comes down in the seventh paragraph where Blumenstyke reports:
On the topic of colleges trying new things, Daniels, a former governor of Indiana and businessman, was more provocative. He described higher education as “the most reactionary culture I’ve seen.” The reason certain institutions get tagged as “innovative” is because many others don’t seem to change much. In higher education, he quipped, “you don’t have to do much to look like Thomas Edison.”
Agree or disagree with Daniels, we do get a view of our pond from the outside in his comments. Although we often view the higher education sector as leading change and innovation, the reality may be quite different. And for those of us who fancy ourselves among the most innovative in higher education, we may want to recalibrate against a broader backdrop.
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