Clearly the new information and communications technology will change everything we do at the University of Georgia over the next decade, though no one knows exactly how. The digital revolution driving societal change is as significant as the invention of the printing press on the Industrial Revolution. Nicholas Negroponte of MIT's Media Lab describes it as the difference between atoms and bits.
Atoms are about physical things and bits are about intangible information.
As the emphasis shifts from one to the other, almost every aspect of society is altered. In manufacturing, business, and finance, such structural change has already transformed workplaces and marketplaces. Now universities, always grounded in information, stand at a digital crossroads, confronted with a rapidly changing environment and a growing realization that ignoring change is no longer an option. The challenge facing higher education is to prepare for an uncertain future and to provide a technology-rich environment where students can obtain the continuously changing knowledge and skills needed to shape that future. Over the next decade, many research universities will assess broadening their current student clientele to include degrees, courses, certifications, and training made more easily available and customized through information technology.