Higher ed challenged to focus on economic development

Editor’s Note: This is the first of two articles exploring the challenges faced by higher education in coming to grips with the role of four-year colleges and universities in serving the economic development needs of their regions and states.)

As institutions of higher education come to terms with the expectation that they should adopt a mission to serve the economic development needs of their regions, some in academia may recall wistfully Thomas Jefferson’s view that "education, as a lifelong encounter with the delights of the mind, is an end in itself." But a growing number of leaders in higher education might view a different Jeffersonian observation as more appropriate today: "Education is a highly legitimate claimant on public treasuries."

by Mike Flynn

Full Story: http://www.emikeflynn.com/blog/229/higher-ed-challenged-to-focus-on-economic-developm/