Conference Theme and Purpose

The new technological, economic and social realities of college administration and education demand dramatic change for the new millennium. What's at stake? The survival of many institutions and the continuing quality of higher education as we know it.

The technology is galloping ahead of all of us, higher education included. Welfare reform demands that we pay attention to retraining as a society. The population of high school graduates prepared (both academically and financially) to pursue a four-year degree continues to be demographically unstable while the costs of administration and faculty continue to rise. Corporate and individual adult students are increasingly interested in convenience, preferring courses delivered by various means to them at their location rather than to travel to campus. Demands from short term fixes will not create the kind of future our institutions want and deserve. Colleges and universities must rethink their mission, and build new systems to efficiently deliver quality education to a changing marketplace. This conference focuses on the fundamental changes being implemented at pioneer colleges and universities and explores how creative adaptation, private sector business strategies such as distance delivery and reengineering can be adapted to higher education. Moreover, the overarching issues and core values are reexamined. This conference aims at those who want to become the leaders of the future.

More than just theory, this conference is based on the real life experiences and successes of educators from around the country. Many of them take advantage of this unique opportunity to learn from and exchange ideas with higher education leaders who have "reinvented" their institutions. In the following pages you will find the papers and workshops presented at past conferences. If you are interested in what you read, you can comment in a discussion forum, or perhaps join our listserv.



RHE 1996 | RHE 1997 | RHE 1998