Building the university of the future today.(The Future of the Future)

As you may have observed from previous columns, nobody is safe from the ravages of the global knowledge economy--not even librarians. This month, we take a look at another traditional institution that needs to be dragged kicking and screaming into the knowledge age--the citadels that have been the custodians of human knowledge for centuries--our colleges and universities.

The industrial-age university

Our current educational system is like an assembly line, hence the term "diploma mill."Many students we talk with openly admit their main purpose is to obtain the credentials they need to advance their careers. As a result of that mindset, most of their real learning experiences take place outside the classroom, such as working in the field or in everyday life.

There are several reasons for that condition. Hiring organizations pressure universities to produce a steady stream of credentialed technicians to meet specific job needs. Losses in the financial markets and a soft economy have reduced the availability of capital. Budgets are tightly controlled and planning horizons shortened, dictated by the anticipated size of the next incoming class. Instructors are viewed as frontline workers amidst a larger body of administrative staff and myriad other personnel.

What has been lost is the university as a center for the generation of ideas that are refined and developed into knowledge. Rather than turning out technicians, universities should cultivate successive generations of thinkers, innovators and entrepreneurs. Take a look at most university mission statements and you'll see references to achieving that ideal. But as is often the case, theory is far from practice, due to many longstanding barriers.

It's time to break down those barriers. Academic institutions have no choice but to become modern, agile, knowledge-based enterprises.

Transforming the traditional university into a "knowledge universe"