I recently had the opportunity to participate in a thought-provoking panel discussion at the Milken Institute’s Global Conference 2009 on the role of universities in energizing economies.  My co-panelists included leaders from the Regents of the University of California, MIT, the University of Montreal, and the Council on Competitiveness.  Magnified the economic challenges that currently exist locally, nationally and globally, there was agreement that universities have many important contributions to make in terms of driving economic competitiveness through innovation, adaptation, and the development of intellectual capital.  It was also acknowledged that university design is an integral component in realizing institutional potential, but opinions about the strategies and benefits of advancing them in terms of access and quality simultaneously were varied.

ASU believes that the way to successfully meet the productivity challenges that lie ahead for higher education, and the key to supporting robust economies, is to evolve a differentiated public university model. One that possesses the flexibility to change and grow to meet the specific needs of the community it serves, to compete across a broad landscape, and to excel on all fronts while making education accessible to the widest possible demographic.   If you're interested in the panel’s full conversation, I invite you to watch it here.  Many of the Conference’s sessions can be seen on the same site and are worth examining.

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