University Business - September 2012 - (Page 79)

If you want a comprehensIve vIew of the world of hIgher educatIon, look no further than your local bookstore. Every month sees a wave of releases by administrators, scholars, analysts, and more focusing on the current state—good and bad—of higher education. We’ve chosen to highlight here some of the more interesting titles that have arrived at our offices. You’ll probably notice a common thread of thought among them. All the books below advocate dramatic changes to the very nature of higher education, and in many cases, they don’t just suggest change, they demand it. As one book notes, “Talk of change is not change.” These books are meant to provoke you and make you think. Some are recent releases, some are hot off the presses. We think that all of them deserve a space on your bookshelf. the sustainable university: green goals and new challenges for higher education leaders Edited by James Martin & James E. Samels; JHUP, 2012; 352 pp.; $45 the Innovative university: changing the dna of higher education from the Inside out By Clayton Christensen and Henry J. Eyring; Jossey-Bass, 2011; 513 pp.; $32.95 There’s little doubt that “sustainability” has become an overused term in recent years, one that has passed from movement to marketing. But the editors of this book suggest that its underlying philosophy and practicality is still important for colleges and universities. Based on more than 200 conversations and interviews, UB “Future Shock” columnists James Martin and James E. Samels suggest that there’s still a long way to go before “sustainability” truly becomes part of the fabric of higher education. Part of the problem, they write, is the wide disparity in access to “green” sources for food and energy. What may be successful for one may be impractical for another. While some institutions pride themselves on supporting local farmers, for example, others are situated far from any local food source. “Institutions’ abilities to source local food, generate clean, renewable energy on site, or get employees to commute using alternative methods are influenced significantly by their local contexts,” they write. “That said, institutions are also working collaboratively to overcome those local constraints by advocating for sustainability policies locally and nationally.” In a series of case studies and examples, the authors conclude there is, ultimately, no common path to sustainability success. However, administrators and community partners can work together to find the solutions that work best for them. When you’re the first at something—and remain successful—others invariably try to emulate your success. As the premier institution in the United States, Harvard University can be said to carry the DNA, or the fundamental organizational traits, of higher education that other universities try to copy. But it has taken Harvard nearly 400 years to evolve to this point. As a result, “the Harvard model, which was not fully understood by the many institutions that have copied it, is now unsustainable for all but a few,” the authors write. On the other side of the scale are institutions that are not so much imitative as they are innovative. For them, creating a university started with a blank slate. In between are institutions that successfully blend the two qualities—universities that embrace innovation while respecting historical strengths. Clayton Christensen, the father of the theory of disruptive innovation, and Henry J. Eyring, the advancement vice president at Brigham Young University-Idaho, examine the successful traits of each of a dozen institutions. These case studies demonstrate Christensen’s model of disruptive innovation applied to a higher education environment. They draw strategies that can be adopted elsewhere, all toward the goal of finding innovative, less costly ways to deliver on their education promises, and thus, changing the DNA. universitybusiness.com September 2012 | 79 http://www.universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - September 2012

University Business - September 2012
Contents
Editor’s Note
College Index
Ad Index
Behind the News
Viewpoint
Independent Outlook
Financial Aid
Virtual Viewbooks: Ready? Or Not?
Technology Changes Everything
Connecting Learners, On Campus and Off
The Changing Face of the CIO
Efficiency Greats
The Administrator's Bookshelf
Oceans of Data
Education Innovators
Internet Technology
End Note

University Business - September 2012