I believe faculty in general are more change-oriented today than they have been at any time in the recent history of higher education. However, it is true that changes in society are happening even more quickly than they are at universities and that will put a great deal of pressure on our institutions and our faculties to adapt quickly to those changes. A key to this kind of change is to be very direct about the challenges the institution faces so that faculty can appreciate and participate in responding to those changes. The declining standards of public education in K-12 have been called the greatest threat to universities. In some ways our elementary and secondary schools are much more rigorous than in the past, and certainly schools are introducing students to potential new ways of learning at a very impressive rate.
Most schools introduce students to computers and information technology at a very early age.
In many respects schools are preparing students better than previously for college education. In some respects, however, educational standards appear to have declined. This may be especially true in language skills, mathematics and subjects that are based on math. So, that's where I put my emphasis in urging improvement in the elementary and secondary schools. One urgent concern is the growing gap between the quality of education in public schools in cities and many other school systems.