OpinionAmerica Is Going Through a Reading Revolution
Found in Opinion
Mar. 2012
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Gene Budig |
Alan Heaps |
By Gene A. Budig and Alan Heaps
America is going through a reading revolution and none of us knows exactly where it will lead. But it bears watching because its impact will be felt by us all.
Here’s a great example of the kind of change we are experiencing: The Encyclopedia Britannica announced that it would no longer produce a print version. It is going exclusively online. First published in 1768 as a part of the Scottish enlightenment, for many generations this set of books — all 32 volumes and 33,000 pages — was the tangible embodiment of human learning. Its very name reflects this: in ancient Greek, “encyclopedia” means “complete knowledge.”
While not everyone has strong feelings about the demise of the printed version of the once mighty Britannica, many do have deep attachments to traditional books. In homes throughout the country, printed and bound sheets of paper are treasured possessions, placed on shelves in public view to be seen and admired by visitors. They are awarded these exalted positions for a simple reason: They played important parts in our lives. Books helped us understand the world; provided comfort in times of need; created paths to academic and professional success.
The impact of books extends well beyond our personal histories. Their role in shaping society cannot be overstated. For centuries, the printed word has been the primary way we store and spread the knowledge that underpins our arts, culture, government and sciences. It is also the way we create a common cultural currency.
But the world is changing. Traditional books are on the decline. Use of iPads, Kindles and Nooks is shooting through the roof. Last December, 18 percent of Americans owned a digital reading device. After the 2011 holiday season, this number jumped to 29 percent — and there is no indication that sales will slow down. Add to that the fact that half of Americans have smart phones and three-quarters have home computers, and you have a potential reading revolution. And while electronic books only represented about 9 percent of book sales in the U.S. as of mid-2010, this is triple the rate in 2009.
So why is moving from paper to pixels such a big deal? Here are just a few of the issues being raised:
· It used to be that once a book was printed, the text would remain unchanged for extended periods. Not so any more. Authors can update their works and almost instantaneously create a new version. Electronic books are far less bound by time and space.
· Print books rely on written words and pictures. Electronic books can expand to include music and other sounds, animation and movies. The possible outcome is less traditional reading.
· New technologies make it simpler and cheaper to produce and distribute books, both electronic and hard copy. Control of the editing and publication process is now more diffuse. The result may be far more publications.
· With so many new kinds of reading sites such as blogs and wikis, demand for traditional-length books may decline. On the other hand, the convenience of electronic readers may encourage people to read more.
· Some say that increased technology has made information more accessible; others say that technology has benefited those with more resources. The equity question has yet to be resolved.
· We simply do not know whether electronic reading has the same cognitive impact as reading from paper.
And what about America’s 122,000 libraries? What will happen to these? Just look at the traffic at one major university library, the University of Kansas: seven locations, more than 1.5 million annual visits (equivalent to 58 visits per student), 300,000 items checked out, 3 million online articles accessed, 4 million volumes housed, and home to irreplaceable book collections, including comprehensive first edition collections of James Joyce and William Butler Yeats.
Current sales show that we have a ways to go before paper books and traditional libraries become obsolete, but we know that the future of books, as with so many other parts of our modern world, is in a state of rapid transition. And while we must embrace the future, until we are sure of the alternatives and their consequences, the old kind of reading may be one of those areas that need to be preserved.
Gene A. Budig was president/chancellor of three major state universities (Illinois State University, West Virginia University and the University of Kansas) and past president of Major League Baseball’s American League. Alan Heaps is a vice president of the College Board in New York City.
Kudos for 21st-Century Education
Found in Opinion
Sept. 2011
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As the founding president of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, I was focused on advocating federal and state policies to advance “21st-century education.” Last summer, I went around the country and met with 30 local superintendents and asked them the following question: “What could I do to support your efforts to advance 21st-century education in your district?”
We came up with the idea of putting together a professional learning community (PLC) of superintendents and district leaders who are committed to building critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity skills into their student outcomes, pedagogy and leadership strategies. A few of us loved this idea and decided to launch EdLeader21, a “community of practice” for district leaders who are implementing 21st-century education initiatives. As of today, 65 districts from 24 states have joined the community. About 10 years ago, the National Academy of Sciences began to strongly criticize AP® Biology, claiming that both the course and exam were not preparing young people for the real challenges of science. In response, the College Board began a long process of redesigning the course curriculum and exam.
Modern-Day College Athletic Programs
Found in Opinion
Oct. 2010
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By Gene A. Budig
In recent weeks, I have reached out to a dozen college presidents and chancellors to get their take on the state of college football, and all of them came from big-time academic-athletic institutions of higher learning. All but one believe that the current football climate has a financial grip on their campuses and that change is unlikely anytime soon. The one dissenter holds out some hope for a partial return to sanity.
No one referred to the once highly charged and publicized “arms race” in college athletics. No one. More than half of them believe that the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has been asked, for too long, to fend an unruly mob with a switch, and that this environment has been raging for more than a decade.
The truth is, only a handful of major football programs actually make money (NCAA reports that 22 made money in 2009-10). Meanwhile, the rest struggle to break even. Even with soaring television income from broadcast and cable networks, greatly increased ticket prices, and mounting contributions from alumni and other contributors, big-time collegiate athletics remains a challenging and risky business.
It is interesting that today students are lined up deep to purchase college football tickets, while 10 and 15 years ago athletic directors feared a possible decline in student interest. It has become “the thing to do” on weekends; some athletic programs even offer the purchase of beer to help offset mounting athletic department expenses.
And let us not forget, marquee football coaches are paid millions of dollars a year — many, many times over what is allotted to outstanding faculty members and administrators.
“Our faculty members are entering a season of discontent as they learn about the enhanced salaries and bonuses being given football coaches at our universities, while they admit to facing another lean year for faculty salaries,” one of them declared. The others chimed in to support their colleague.
The facts are undisputable, as reported from recent salary studies:
According to a report by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, in 2010-11, the average salary for a professor at a doctoral-grating institution was a little more than $107,000, and according to the Chronicle of Higher Education, there were three public university presidents in 2011 who made more than $1.9 million annually, one who cleared a million, one who made nearly a million, and one who made $845,105.
College football coaches continue to enjoy mounting compensation, with 42 of them making at least $2 million a season, a trend that shows no sign of slowing, according to SI.com. That is more than a 70 percent increase since 2006. The highest paid is Nick Saban, Alabama’s coach, at $5.5 million, and he is among the top eight in the powerful Southeastern Conference.
The Associated Press added kerosene to the fire when it reported that annual spending by public universities in the six big conferences, including the Southeastern Conference and Big 12, has passed $100,000 per athlete — about six to 12 times the amount that those institutions are spending per student on academics.
“University presidents are red faced,” one of the respondents said. Many critics believe that successful football coaches have more sway with governing boards than do college university presidents. Despite the perception, I disagree.
But I do believe that university presidents have the right to expect strong trustee backing when they set out to right apparent and egregious wrongs. The queried CEOs agreed. The truth is presidents and chancellors do have considerable power, but their lives are, on average, short — little more than eight years. And remember, virtually all of them, assumed their roles for academic reasons, not in order to preside over athletic programs, and they are often ill prepared to do so. At the same time, many board members who are fixated on football success have longer tenure than campus presidents.
Successful football programs do build substantial loyalty among many alumni, students and fans in general, and they do open doors to potential givers to the universities. Sometimes major gifts go for academic purposes.
But modern-day college athletic programs are complex and defy simplistic remedies; they are a combination of academics, entertainment, business, sports, societal values and sometimes-childlike pride. Exchanges with energetic fans and cerebral professors often turn ugly.
But much is amuck, according to the 12 respected presidents and chancellors, and on that, I wholeheartedly agree.
Gene A. Budig was president/chancellor at three major state universities (Illinois State University, West Virginia University and the University of Kansas).
What I Learned from MTV’s Quixotic Adventures in Education Reform
Found in Opinion
Oct. 2010
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Jason Rzepka |
By Jason Rzepka, VP of Public Affairs, MTV
I’m a very lucky man. My job description is five words: “Use MTV’s superpowers for good.” I spend my days working with many of the brightest minds in media, solely focused on how MTV can empower America’s youth to have an impact on the biggest challenges they face. However, 18 months ago, I faced a riddle unlike any I’d encountered before: How can we help more American kids get a quality education?
It’s a question many of our country’s greatest minds have grappled with, and have had difficulty answering, for a generation. How were we at MTV — progenitors of the music video, Beavis and Butt-head, and Jersey Shore — supposed to fare any better? Failure wasn’t an option. Our parent company, Viacom, had just launched a new five-year campaign with the Gates Foundation called “ Get Schooled,” which aims to increase high school graduation rates, improve college readiness and raise college completion rates. If the campaign was going to achieve these lofty goals, we knew MTV would have to make a meaningful contribution.
“When Is Enough Enough?”
Found in Opinion
Sept. 2010
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By Gene A. Budig
When is enough enough?
Some say now, and I wholeheartedly agree.
At a time when the Congress passes a bill providing $37 billion to continue financing two wars with limited discussion, the American masses need to pause, think, and consider the future and its daunting priorities. More than a few legislators were, by the way, in a rush to leave the Capitol and head home to campaign for their reelection.
Clearly, it is time to assess our dwindling intellectual seed corn and realize what made the United States of America an international power on most economic fronts, a country that showed the way in providing social progress and justice.
Our economic plight is precarious, to say the least. And generations of leaders, Democrats and Republicans, have credited our education system as the principal reason that we have prospered.
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