PACU in the 21st Century

L I N K S

PACU in the 21st Century

The 21st century is dawning and pre-millennium hopes and anxieties are building. Like other sectors of society, the education community is gearing up for the new era.

The current challenges facing the education sector could be summed up in one word - "change." But much of the buzz about change in education concerns technology. In his book, The Road Ahead, Microsoft chairman and chief executive Bill Gates, shares his vision for how the tools of the information age will change the way we work learn and communicate. Writes Gates:

At Microsoft, we read, ask questions, explore, go to lectures, compare notes and findings, consult experts, daydream, brainstorm, formulate and test hypothesis, build models and simulations, communicate what we are learning, and practice new skills. At Microsoft, these learning activities get a boost from the latest computing and communications technologies.

We know firsthand how integral technology is to Microsoft's success - and how important it is for faculty, staff, and students to have broad access to these same information technology tools.

Not surprising, Gates is extremely enthusiastic about the technology revolution that is happening on campuses, and only want to see it happen faster. Relating the American experience, Gates observes:

xxx while campuses are connected from the library to the dorm and from faculty offices to labs, connection still do not reach into the classroom as much as they should. To fully integrate technology into learning, students and faculty need access to powerful desktop applications, robust messaging systems, and on-line resources in classroom, in dorms, off-campus, and wherever else learning takes place. To this end, colleges and universities must make sure their campuses have powerful infrastructures with sufficient network bandwidth to accommodate more students and faculty, high volume traffic, and powerful multimedia technologies.

Nobody will argue with Gates that information technology empowers people of all ages, both inside and outside the classroom, to learn more easily, enjoyably, and successfully that ever before. Still, most educators will be reassured by Gates' belief that technology will not and cannot replace human interaction, creativity, or expertise, but instead will expand their reach.

Anent things human, PACU has to address human resources issues on campus. After all, college and university presidents are highly involved in these issues. This raises interesting questions about the management of human resources issues and how much more they might feature in future institutional strategic planning efforts.

In preparing its member institutions to serve 21st century students, PACU has to explore other developments and concerns equally impacting. There are issues PACU has been wrestling with perennially: the affordability of private education side by side with the amount of government assistance to teachers and students in private education; the critical role of accreditation; new models for faculty careers; and the evolving concept of academic freedom and the inevitable clash of rights among the members of the academic community.

Response to voluntary accreditation is below expectations. This may be traceable to lack of information and non-participation of the public. The public must know voluntary accreditation: what it is, who does what, how they do it, and how effective they are.