by Patrick Svitek, Daily Northwestern
School of Continuing Studies Dean Thomas Gibbons wants his program — as well as hundreds of others across the country — to undergo what he calls “drastic change” as college costs skyrocket in a fragile economy. In an article published earlier this month, he urged similar colleges to reconsider their business models and place greater emphasis on technology and research capacity. At Northwestern’s School of Continuing Studies, part-time students can take night classes as part of bachelor’s, master’s and certificate programs taught by University faculty. The proposed reforms are part of a strategic plan for the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA), for which Gibbons is set to become president later this year. The membership group includes more than 300 institutions of continuing higher education that would be affected by Gibbons’ outline. “Today’s economic realities have forced higher education to begin rethinking its fundamental business model — a model that for the past 30 years or more has seen the cost of college far outpace the cost of living for ordinary families,” Gibbons wrote in the inaugural issue of The EvoLLLution, a new education journal.
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