Interesting article in TechCrunch, “Will big brands disrupt higher education?” The general thesis is the threat and opportunity created by commercial brands that have expertise and credibility in specific domain areas (e.g., Amazon-cloud computing; The Four Seasons-hospitality management; GlaxoSmithKline; bench chemists) and the potential for universities to collaborate with them.
I believe that this trend is still in the early stages but could quickly accelerate. Many higher education institutions are partnering with commercial entities but, to date, it has mostly been at the entry skill level. The question is, do we fight this trend or leverage it?
-Jim