Choosing the Right Path
MAGAZINE SPRING 2015 The Choosing the right path BUTLER With every pedagogical and strategic decision we make at UNIVERSITY Butler University, we must ask ourselves a crucial question: What will the future of learning look like? Advances in technological quality and access; shifting A MESSAGE demographics; rising educational-delivery costs and student-debt loads; nationwide cuts in public-university from funding; a growing movement among bright young people PRESIDENT to skip the college experience; and the promise of micro- credentialing—among other factors—have forced American JAMES M. universities to recognize that undergraduate education is DANKO in the midst of a profound transformation from which there will be no return. Harvard Professor Clayton Christensen, an expert in disruptive innovation, has asserted that half of all American universities may be bankrupt by 2028. While I view this estimate as high, I do believe that 20 percent is a reasonable prediction. However, I also know that Butler is exceptionally well prepared for this sea change in higher education. As we continue to make thoughtful decisions as a collaborative community, we are ensuring that Butler not only survives for many generations to come, but thrives. In the approaching decades, there will be an ongoing demand among young people and their families for high-quality, traditional, residential undergraduate education. Although the number of schools that offer this campus experience may shrink, those who do it best—including Butler—will succeed. Accordingly, in our Butler 2020 Strategic Plan, we are protecting our University’s unique character by investing in the attributes that define it: outstanding academics within a caring campus community; faculty who are accessible to their students; a commitment to integrate the liberal arts with professional education; learning that emphasizes global perspectives, critical thinking, and meaningful volunteerism; and curricular and extra-curricular programs that prepare graduates for lives of purpose in an increasingly complex world.
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