Yet it did not stop there. Hopkins' faculty have found some amazing ways to link the telescope with educational programs everywhere. There are programs linked to the Baltimore Public Schools, undergraduate courses, museums, and historically black institutions. As a fringe benefit of the Cold War, the Internet provides another challenging opportunity for higher education. Now, as a true peace dividend, the Internet provides a fantastic medium for learning and communication.
Many universities still use the Internet largely as a tool for research.
They have yet to realize, or pursue, its vast, untapped capacity for outreach and service. We of course need an academic culture, and leadership, that allows and promotes these changes. But before we explore that challenge, I would like to question what I consider a myth of American higher education, one that has been espoused for too long. This myth surfaced again a few weeks ago, while we were discussing the Kellogg Commission. A Kellogg Foundation staff member commented to me that during the early 1980s, his university had a goal.