Welcome to the Office of the President’s blog. As President of Northcentral University, I look forward to a robust and stimulating dialogue on the future of higher education, and how best to advance the Mission of NCU.
I recently read that the impending disruption of higher education from outside sources will require universities to continually innovate. In many of these discussions, there seems to be an assumption that innovation comes from only the top of organizations. My experience is the opposite ̶ more often than not, genuine innovation comes directly from faculty and staff. I suspect to confront the challenges of emerging models of higher education, innovation will need to be led by both university administration and by faculty and staff.
The discussion tends to focus on the need to improve the student experience, largely through technology. I completely support the use of educational technology when it facilities learning. I oppose technology for the sake of technology. There will never be a substitution for a gifted, engaged faculty member interacting with a student, especially in our model.
Completely absent from this dialogue is a discussion of transparency. When change occurs, especially at the pace in which changes in higher education are coming, transparency and robust communication are vital to the success of the institution.
That is the purpose of this blog ̶ to ensure communication is systematic, robust and transparent. You are the experts on higher education, not the investors or business leaders of education technology companies. We will open a conversation on the future of higher education, and more specifically, NCU. As a part of this discussion, we will feature accomplishments of the faculty, staff and students of NCU to celebrate our success, validate our quality and promote innovation. We will provide a transparent picture of where we are today, where it is, and where we are going.
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