A public conversation on the priorities of American higher education April 20 will include Duke alumnus Andrew Rosen '82, CEO of the education company Kaplan and author of "Change.edu: Rebooting for the New Talent Economy." Also on the panel will be Laurie Patton, Duke's dean of Arts and Sciences, and George Leef, J.D. '77, director of research at The John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy.
The event, "Higher Ed: Who Can Afford It and Who Benefits From It?", is part of Reunions Weekend and begins at 2 p.m. in Room 0016 Westbrook in Duke's Divinity School. The discussion is this year's Duke Magazine Forum, and will be webcast live as part of Duke's Office Hours series on the university's Ustream channel.
In "Change.edu," Rosen underscores the potential of emerging technologies, learning innovations and new types of colleges to improve the effectiveness of higher education and meet the needs of a changing workforce.
Patton has talked about the need for "big ideas," even in an era of intellectual specialization. In her inaugural address to Duke's Arts and Sciences Council this past September, she highlighted how learning and scholarship are enriched by combining innovation, adaptation and integration.
Leef's Pope Center focuses on improving higher education in North Carolina and beyond. Among other goals, it aims to "increase the diversity of ideas taught, debated and discussed on campus."
Andrew Rosen discusses his book "Change.edu"
The panel will be moderated by Donna Lisker, associate vice provost for undergraduate education at Duke. The panelists will take questions; those watching online may submit questions by email to live@duke.edu or via Twitter using the hashtag #dukelive.
"Duke Magazine and the Duke Alumni Association have a longstanding dedication to the idea of continuing learning, as do our alumni," says Duke Magazine editor Robert Bliwise, who will introduce the panelists. "Reunions Weekend is the perfect occasion for asking provocative questions about the learning model that Duke represents, including whether higher education in the future will be delivered in different ways, who it will be meant for and how it will be paid for."