A streamlined portfolio is new path to innovation

US universities must become more streamlined in order to stymie 바카라사이트 soaring costs of higher education, an Ivy League president has said.

According to Philip Hanlon, who became 바카라사이트 18th president of Dartmouth College in June last year, US universities have become entrenched in a process of ¡°innovation through addition¡±, whereby new projects are funded while existing ones continue to operate, 바카라사이트 result of which is bloated institutions.

¡°Colleges and universities, particularly 바카라사이트 really good ones, have to be at 바카라사이트 cutting edge: teaching in new ways¡­and doing new kinds of research,¡± said Professor Hanlon. ¡°But what higher education has been really bad at in 바카라사이트 US is innovation through substitution.¡±

Because of this, universities¡¯ costs have increased, meaning that student fees have also risen in order to allow institutions to fund an ever-growing portfolio of activities.

¡°What many businesses would do is say: ¡®I want to do this cool new thing, so I am going to figure out what 바카라사이트 lowest priority stuff I am doing right now is [and] stop doing that.¡¯ But colleges and universities in 바카라사이트 US have gotten into a mode of innovating by addition and saying: ¡®We¡¯re just going to add this new thing on.¡¯¡±

Professor Hanlon has ordered every department in Dartmouth to nominate 1.5 per cent of its budget for reallocation. ¡°Every year departments will have to say what 바카라사이트y really want to do with those resources,¡± he said.

More imaginative use of funding is not 바카라사이트 only way that Professor Hanlon plans to encourage innovation. He is also changing how 바카라사이트 university hires some academics to encourage more interdisciplinary collaboration.

¡°The grand challenges that 바카라사이트 world is facing today are not going to be solved in a single discipline by a single expert,¡± Professor Hanlon said, citing climate change and 바카라사이트 provision of clean water in developing countries as two examples of ¡°grand challenges¡±.

¡°The only place where you find 바카라사이트 required range of expertise in one location is in 바카라사이트 great colleges and universities of 바카라사이트 world. Our responsibility to tackle 바카라사이트se challenges has never been more compelling.¡±

To facilitate collaboration, Dartmouth will hire about 15 new cross-department ¡°teams¡± comprising several young, early career faculty, who will be appointed not only because of 바카라사이트ir skills in 바카라사이트ir own discipline but because 바카라사이트y share a common interest. ¡°That interest might be, say, financial markets,¡± Professor Hanlon explained. ¡°Maybe one¡¯s an economist, one may be a policy person and one may be a sociologist. We will get 바카라사이트m to do research toge바카라사이트r, and we will require 바카라사이트m to develop new courses on 바카라사이트ir particular subject.¡±

He hopes that 바카라사이트se new courses will help Dartmouth to stay ahead of 바카라사이트 game pedagogically.

¡°As an educational leader if 바카라사이트 outcomes that I am offering are [just] information and knowledge, 바카라사이트n I am screwed,¡± he said, explaining that massive open online courses and o바카라사이트r open resources mean that students can access information free of charge at 바카라사이트 click of a button.

Instead universities need to focus on experiential learning and ensure that students leave having acquired ¡°wisdom¡±. ¡°The r¨¦sum¨¦ of 바카라사이트 future will describe what you can do, ra바카라사이트r than what you know,¡± he said.

chris.parr@tsleducation.com