The Great Unbundling of the University

In Medium, Dave Lerner on the coming upheaval in higher education:

In this post, we’ll examine the phenomenon of an ancient and venerable institution, the university, which is in the initial phases of its own disruption.

The “too long, didn’t read version” of this post:

 

1. 4 of the 5 value propositions of the university *are* being and *will continue* to be disrupted/unbundled; 



2. we are in an immense bubble of ‘education debt’ that is unsustainable. Students will not, and cannot, afford to continue to burden themselves with crushing debt in the decades to come; 



3. universities have evolved over the centuries into siloed institutions where inter-school/inter-departmental cooperation neither comes naturally or easily; 



4. research and teaching (now coupled) will likely require unbundling over time; 



5. the unstoppable force of entrepreneurship, as it pertains to schools, faculty, students, alumni and the curriculum, will be one of the major “tips of the spear” or “bunker busters” in leading this transformation;and 



6. how universities acknowledge and adjust to the realities of #1 and #2 will determine their futures

More here