by Doug Lederman, Inside Higher Ed
The meeting’s underlying thesis — that as state funds erode, public colleges and universities must use technology to create more innovative and sustainable business models — is oft stated, and many leaders of public higher education embrace it. But delivered by a messenger like Academic Partnerships, given its clear interest in promoting such a trend, the theme of the meeting produced skepticism on the part of many attendees — although most said they came in with eyes open. “A lot of us did” come to the meeting suspicious about the motivations of the sponsors, said Muriel Howard, president of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, who said she debated whether to come. She chose to, she said, because of the importance of the topic and the fact that public college leaders (to judge by, among other things, the views they expressed in Inside Higher Ed’s survey of college presidents last spring) seem to be recognizing the need to make better use of technology to deliver instruction.
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