Burgum says ND has to 'recognize reality' in future of higher ed
FARGO—Change is coming, and rapidly so, in higher education. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum sees his role as "sounding the alarm bell" for the state's colleges and universities so they are best positioned to deal with the future.
That was one of the messages the governor stressed Friday, May 19, during an interview on my radio show on 970 WDAY. Burgum has talked often about higher education in recent weeks, sparking criticism from some (including me) as he minimized the importance of college campuses and referred to local campuses as state-subsidized job creation.
Burgum painted a much broader and deeper picture on the radio, saying that two unstoppable national forces ensure North Dakota's higher ed system will have to change or get left behind—the student loan bubble and technology. He believes the model of low-interest, easy-to-get student loans that has provided "artificial monetary stimulus" to higher ed will come to a screeching halt, in part because of the nearly $1.3 trillion in debt facing students. Combine that with rapidly advancing technology that is subverting the traditional university model of traveling to a location to learn, and Burgum sees inevitable changes.
"Those two things have nothing to do with my vision, nothing to do with my policies," he said. "It's just a reality of the marketplace. Those forces are so large they are going to affect every college in the country."
Read more: http://www.inforum.com/news/4270115-mcfeely-burgum-says-nd-has-recognize-reality-future-higher-ed