Higher Education is 'Old School' Writes Kunkel
Joanna Holzhaeuser
Issue date: 2/8/10 Section: News
In his recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education entitled "Too 'Old School' for Our Own Good?", Thomas Kunkel, president of SNC, pointed out the similarities between the newspaper industry and higher education.
Kunkel, a former newspaper man himself, is in a unique position to make this comparison.
According to Kunkel, the digital revolution that left the newspaper industry "reeling" can be seen as a "cautionary tale" to higher education which shares many of the newspaper industry's characteristics.
Both the industries are "change adverse" and tend to have an "unreasonable sense that they are impervious to outside forces," said Kunkel.
"The newspaper industry perhaps literally didn't see it coming, but we [in higher education] can't make the same case."
"Everything I said pretty much applies to St. Norbert, in that we are old school, which in many ways is great, but we are not an institution that has been out in front," said Kunkel when discussing creativity within the context of a digital world.
Kunkel called for a break with the rigidity of conventional education, such as the semester schedule, the research paper and the classroom. All of these, Kunkel said, have its place, but within the digital world there needs to be more creativity in how higher education operates.
"We need to embrace the best of what the digital environment will allow us to do," while still taking "the best of what a residential college has to offer."
"I am just raising questions. I have no idea what the right answer is. I just do not want arrogance to flatten higher education the way it flattened the newspaper industry."
Kunkel cited plans to offer more distance learning courses through SNC, particularly for J-Term, May-mester and summer semester.
Kunkel hopes to plan a campus-wide open forum later in the semester to discuss the faculty and student reaction to the article.
Kunkel, a former newspaper man himself, is in a unique position to make this comparison.
According to Kunkel, the digital revolution that left the newspaper industry "reeling" can be seen as a "cautionary tale" to higher education which shares many of the newspaper industry's characteristics.
Both the industries are "change adverse" and tend to have an "unreasonable sense that they are impervious to outside forces," said Kunkel.
"The newspaper industry perhaps literally didn't see it coming, but we [in higher education] can't make the same case."
"Everything I said pretty much applies to St. Norbert, in that we are old school, which in many ways is great, but we are not an institution that has been out in front," said Kunkel when discussing creativity within the context of a digital world.
Kunkel called for a break with the rigidity of conventional education, such as the semester schedule, the research paper and the classroom. All of these, Kunkel said, have its place, but within the digital world there needs to be more creativity in how higher education operates.
"We need to embrace the best of what the digital environment will allow us to do," while still taking "the best of what a residential college has to offer."
"I am just raising questions. I have no idea what the right answer is. I just do not want arrogance to flatten higher education the way it flattened the newspaper industry."
Kunkel cited plans to offer more distance learning courses through SNC, particularly for J-Term, May-mester and summer semester.
Kunkel hopes to plan a campus-wide open forum later in the semester to discuss the faculty and student reaction to the article.
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