Certainly such characteristics as integrity, vision, and candor will remain important. I suspect, something quite different will be required in an environment where information is readily accessible, post-tenure reviews or no tenure gain favor, and no geographic location is required to educate. Leaders, in this era, must be more strategic, more agile, more attuned to the power of influence, and less in command and control. These characteristics are dramatically different criteria than what many organizations currently envision. I am reminded that in the 21st century competition for what we do will emerge from institutions that we now see as partners.
Today there are more than a thousand corporate universities.
More money is spent on education by American corporations than is spent in all of higher education in this country. Those are questions that are specifically addressed to professional schools, but they should be addressed by all of education, including programs in K-12. There is a part of my work day, when considering these prospects, I feel as if I am a throwback to another era. During those times, I lament my personal loss. Education I remember was characterized by oil on the hardwood floor, pine disinfectant in the lavatories, and dusty lockers.