We remember that on Nov. 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated while riding in a motorcade in Dallas.

Dear Commons Community.

Last Thursday I gave a talk entitled,  Higher Education’s Digital Future, at the Online Learning Consortium’s Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida.   In discussing the future of universities in the 2030s and beyond regarding technology development, I made a point that quantum computing if ever developed commercially and not just as experimental prototypical machines, would have enormous impact on all our societal activities much like the Internet of the 1990s.  Microsoft announced yesterday that it is preparing to make a substantial investment of time and money in quantum computing technology.  As reported in the New York Times:

“Microsoft is putting its considerable financial and engineering muscle into the experimental field of quantum computing as it works to build a machine that could tackle problems beyond the reach of today’s digital computers.

There is a growing optimism in the tech world that quantum computers, superpowerful devices that were once the stuff of science fiction, are possible — and may even be practical. If these machines work, they will have an impact on work in areas such as drug design and artificial intelligence, as well as offer a better understanding of the foundations of modern physics.

Microsoft’s decision to move from pure research to an expensive effort to build a working prototype underscores a global competition among technology companies, including Google and IBM, which are also making significant investments in search of breakthroughs. 

In the exotic world of quantum physics, Microsoft has set itself apart from its competitors by choosing a different path. The company’s approach is based on “braiding” particles known as anyons — which physicists describe as existing in just two dimensions — to form the building blocks of a supercomputer that would exploit the unusual physical properties of subatomic particles.

Leading researchers acknowledge that barriers still remain to building useful quantum machines, both at the level of basic physics and in developing new kinds of software to exploit certain qualities of devices known as qubits that hold out the possibility of computing in ways not possible for today’s digital systems.

Unlike conventional transistors, which can be only on or off at any one time, representing a digital 1 or 0, qubits can exist in superposition, or simultaneously in both states. If qubits are placed in an “entangled” state — physically separated but acting as though they are deeply intertwined — with many other qubits, they can represent a vast number of values simultaneously. A quantum computer would most likely consist of hundred or thousands of qubits. 

Microsoft began funding research in the field in 2005 when it quietly set up a laboratory known as Station Q under the leadership of the mathematician Michael Freedman.

Microsoft now believes that it is close enough to designing the basic qubit building block that the company is ready to begin engineering a complete computer, said Todd Holmdahl, a veteran engineering manager who will direct the Microsoft effort. Over the years, he has led various Microsoft projects, including its Xbox video game machine and the yet-to-be-released HoloLens augmented reality system.”

This is quite an interesting decision on the part of Microsoft.  The company has been studying quantum computing for more than fifteen years to determine its feasibility and have concluded that it has a viable future.  I could not find any mention in the news release of a time estimate for Microsoft to build a quantum machine.  It is my guess that it will take at least ten years.

Tony

Dear Commons Community,

Catholics will rejoice over the announcement that Pope Francis has given priests the power to forgive abortion.  This is the most significant change in Catholic teaching during his papacy.  As reported by Reuters:

“Pope Francis on Monday extended indefinitely to all Roman Catholic priests the power to forgive abortion, a right previously reserved for bishops or special confessors.

Francis, who has made a more inclusive and forgiving Roman Catholic Church a characteristic of his papacy, made the announcement in a document known as an “apostolic letter” after Sunday’s close of the Church’s “Holy Year of Mercy”.

He said he wanted to “restate as firmly as I can that abortion is a grave sin, since it puts an end to an innocent life” but “there is no sin that God’s mercy cannot reach and wipe away when it finds a repentant heart seeking to be reconciled with (God)”.

Francis had already temporarily granted the power to all priests to give what is known as “sacramental absolution” for abortion during the Holy Year, from Dec. 8 to Nov. 20, but the solemn tone of his words in Monday’s letter suggested that change would last for at least the rest of his papacy.

“I henceforth grant to all priests, in virtue of their ministry, the faculty to absolve those who have committed the sin of procured abortion. The provision I had made in this regard, limited to the duration of the Extraordinary Holy Year, is hereby extended …,” he said.

In Roman Catholic teaching, abortion is such a serious sin that those who procure or perform it incur an automatic excommunication, until it is absolved in confession.

In the past, only a bishop or a designated chief confessor of a diocese could grant absolution for an abortion.”

Vive Papa Francesco!

Tony

Dear Commons Community,

Earlier this month, the “Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities“ (a2ru) conference met in Denver, where representatives from over 30 member universities talked about the need to reinvent the college curriculum. As reported by John M. Eger, Van Deerlin Endowed Chair of Communications and Public Policy at San Diego State University:

“Our students need the new thinking skills for the new economy or they will fail to get a job.

[For example] Design Thinking, made famous by Stanford’s D School and Project-Based Learning are being discussed by educators as teaching methodologies to change the way teachers teach and students learn, but using the arts and arts integration, teaching through the arts, has the most potential to change the basic curriculum.

 
Taken together, these techniques will engage students; enhance their memory and retention. Importantly, it will give them the skills they need to compete in an economy that values not just knowledge but creativity that leads to innovation.

 
Yes, there are other ways to generate creativity but as Laurie Baefsky, an executive with skills in the arts, education and conference management, and Executive Director of a2ru put it: “arts integration is the bullet train” to acquiring creativity.

 
Fortunately, in the wake of basic changes in the world’s economy – revolutionized by the Internet and its progeny – the World Wide Web – many schools and particularly colleges and universities are rethinking the role of the arts and arts integration in the curricula. They hesitate at their peril, however, as never in the history of the world has reinventing education been so urgent and embracing arts integration so vital.

 
While the arts and arts integration, according to the College Board, have always enhanced and developed critical thinking in students, integrating the arts into the curriculum has taken on a new urgency because of the rapid advance of a global economy, and the worldwide spread of the Internet and digital media.”

This is an important discussion that highlights the importance of art integration in the college and university curricula.

Tony

Dear Commons Community,

Cal Newport, an associate professor of computer science at Georgetown University and the author of Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, has an op-ed piece in today’s New York Times, advising people that they should be spending less time on social media and more time on working “deeply”.  He establishes his argument as follows:

“I’m a millennial computer scientist who also writes books and runs a blog. Demographically speaking I should be a heavy social media user, but that is not the case. I’ve never had a social media account.

At the moment, this makes me an outlier, but I think many more people should follow my lead and quit these services. There are many issues with social media, from its corrosion of civic life to its cultural shallowness, but the argument I want to make here is more pragmatic: You should quit social media because it can hurt your career.

This claim, of course, runs counter to our current understanding of social media’s role in the professional sphere. We’ve been told that it’s important to tend to your so-called social media brand, as this provides you access to opportunities you might otherwise miss and supports the diverse contact network you need to get ahead. Many people in my generation fear that without a social media presence, they would be invisible to the job market.

In a recent New York magazine essay, Andrew Sullivan recalled when he started to feel obligated to update his blog every half-hour or so. It seemed as if everyone with a Facebook account and a smartphone now felt pressured to run their own high-stress, one-person media operation, and “the once-unimaginable pace of the professional blogger was now the default for everyone,” he wrote.

I think this behavior is misguided. In a capitalist economy, the market rewards things that are rare and valuable. Social media use is decidedly not rare or valuable. Any 16-year-old with a smartphone can invent a hashtag or repost a viral article. The idea that if you engage in enough of this low-value activity, it will somehow add up to something of high value in your career is the same dubious alchemy that forms the core of most snake oil and flimflam in business.”

His conclusion:

“Perhaps more important, however, than my specific objections to the idea that social media is a harmless lift to your career, is my general unease with the mind-set this belief fosters. A dedication to cultivating your social media brand is a fundamentally passive approach to professional advancement. It diverts your time and attention away from producing work that matters and toward convincing the world that you matter. The latter activity is seductive, especially for many members of my generation who were raised on this message, but it can be disastrously counterproductive.

Most social media is best described as a collection of somewhat trivial entertainment services that are currently having a good run. These networks are fun, but you’re deluding yourself if you think that Twitter messages, posts and likes are a productive use of your time. 

If you’re serious about making an impact in the world, power down your smartphone, close your browser tabs, roll up your sleeves and get to work.”

Wow!

Tony

Dear Commons Community,

Donald Trump has agreed to a $25 million settlement in the Trump University cases being heard in New York and California.  As reported by the New York Times:

“Donald J. Trump has reversed course and agreed on Friday to pay $25 million to settle a series of lawsuits stemming from his defunct for-profit education venture, Trump University, finally putting to rest fraud allegations by former students, which have dogged him for years and hampered his presidential campaign.

The settlement was announced by the New York attorney general just 10 days before one of the cases, a federal class-action lawsuit in San Diego, was set to be heard by a jury. The deal averts a potentially embarrassing and highly unusual predicament: a president-elect on trial, and possibly even taking the stand in his own defense, while scrambling to build his incoming administration.

It was a remarkable concession from a real estate mogul who derides legal settlements and has mocked fellow businessmen who agree to them.

But the allegations in the case were highly unpleasant for Mr. Trump: Students paid up to $35,000 in tuition for a programs that, according to the testimony of former Trump University employees, used high-pressure sales tactics and employed unqualified instructors.

The agreement wraps together the outstanding Trump University litigation, including two federal class-action cases in San Diego, and a separate lawsuit by Eric T. Schneiderman, the New York attorney general. The complaints alleged that students were cheated out of thousands of dollars in tuition through deceptive claims about what they would learn and high-pressure sales tactics.

“I am pleased that under the terms of this settlement, every victim will receive restitution and that Donald Trump will pay up to $1 million in penalties to the State of New York for violating state education laws,” Mr. Schneiderman said in a statement. “The victims of Trump University have waited years for today’s result, and I am pleased that their patience — and persistence — will be rewarded by this $25 million settlement.”

The settlement is a significant reversal from Mr. Trump, who had steadfastly rejected the allegations and vowed to fight the lawsuits, asserting that students filled out evaluations showing they were mostly happy with what they had learned in seminars. When political opponents pressed him on the claims during the campaign, Mr. Trump doubled down, saying he would eventually reopen Trump University.

“It’s something I could have settled many times,” Mr. Trump said during a debate in February. “I could settle it right now for very little money, but I don’t want to do it out of principle.”

He added, “The people that took the course all signed — most — many — many signed report cards saying it was fantastic, it was wonderful, it was beautiful.”

But the position of Mr. Trump and his legal team appeared to soften soon after his election victory on Nov. 8. At a hearing last week, Daniel Petrocelli, a lawyer for Mr. Trump, expressed interest in moving toward a settlement. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump’s lawyers were seeking to delay the trial in one of the California cases until after his inauguration on Jan. 20, while also requesting that he be allowed to testify on video.

At a hearing on the case in San Diego on Friday, Mr. Petrocelli said Mr. Trump had settled the case “without an acknowledgment of fault or liability.”

The judge overseeing the two California cases, Gonzalo Curiel, was thrust into the limelight of the campaign in May when Mr. Trump spent several minutes at a rally denouncing the judge’s decisions in the case, calling him a “hater” and questioning his impartiality because of his Mexican heritage. After he faced days of criticism for his remarks on the judge, Mr. Trump released a statement saying his words had been “misconstrued as a categorical attack against people of Mexican heritage.” He also asserted that he was justified in questioning the fairness of his trial, given various rulings in the case that went against him. Still, he concluded, “we will win this case!”

Judge Curiel said in court Friday that he hoped that the settlement agreement — and the end of the presidential campaign — would begin “a healing process that this country very sorely needs.”

Under the agreement, Mr. Trump will pay $21 million to settle the two California class-action suits and $4 million to settle with the New York attorney general. The lawyers for the plaintiffs waived their attorneys’ fees. The deal still has to be approved in court, which could take months.

About 7,000 students will share in the settlement, according to their lawyers. The customers will be eligible to recoup at least half of what they spent at Trump University, and some could receive a full refund, the lawyers said.”

Tony

Dear Commons Community,

Today I return home after a day of presentations at the OLC Annual Conference.  The keynote session given by Stephen Kosslyn, the Founding Dean and Chief Academic Officer of the Minerva Project, was very interesting.   Here is a quick summary of his address .

Minerva is a for-profit entity and has received private funding to build its programs and will forego any form of federal government financial aid or assistance.  Minerva raised an initial $25 million from investors such as the venture capital firm, Benchmark. Tuition, housing and student fees total approximately $22,000. per year. 

It uses a proprietary Active Learning Forum platform, designed especially for Minerva, that has a number of customized, built-in pedagogical features.  Professors conduct sessions via live video, and use interactive learning features such as collaborative breakout clusters, debates, quizzes, polls, dynamic document creation, and real-time simulations All courses are taught as intimate seminars with classes maximized at 19 students.

An important feature of the Minerva model is that there are no academic departments and its curriculum focuses on interdisciplinary study and global cultural experiences.  For the first two semesters, students meet as a group and take courses at its main campus in San Francisco.  Each of the succeeding six semesters are held in campuses at different cities such as Hong Kong, New York, Berlin, and Buenos Aires.  Online technology is the integral facilitator of its pedagogical approaches, its curriculum, and its global context.

I also attended three other sessions.  Two were on research issues in online learning:  one led by Tanya Joostens and the other a panel discussion with colleagues such as Peter Shea, Terry Anderson, Karen Swan, and Mark Brown.  The third session was led by Norm Vaughan and included panelists describing blended learning initiatives in universities located in Hong Kong, South Africa, Canada, Brazil, and Ireland.

The day concluded with my session on Higher Education’s Digital Future based on material from my latest book, Online Education Policy and Practice…  It was well-attended and there was good feedback.

I head back to New York this morning.

Tony

Dear Commons Community,

I attended several excellent presentations yesterday at the OLC Annual Conference as part of the Leaders Network Program organized by colleagues, Eric Fredericksen and Peter Shea.  Norm Vaughn (Mt. Royal University, Calgary)  gave a well-received talk on faculty development for online education.  Martha Kanter, former Under Secretary of Education, strayed from her prepared presentation and reviewed what the Trump presidency might mean for higher education. She indicated that although there have been few specifics from Trump, she thought there might be significant overlap with President Obama.  She also commented on the free public college proposals of the Democrats and indicated this would likely move to some states and localities. She commented that 150 communities were already in discussions for developing public-private funding for making at least the first two years of college free.

Today, I am looking forward to hearing what Stephen Kosslyn, Founding Dean and Chief Academic Officer,  has to say about Minerva Schools.  I am also giving a presentation on Higher Education’s Digital Future at 3:15 in the Asian 2 Room. Come by if you are at the conference.

Tony

Dear Commons Community,

The New York Times and other media are reporting that the New York Inspector General has issued  an interim report, which represents the first formal response to a request made last month by William C. Thompson Jr., the chairman of CUNY’s Board of Trustees for a systemwide investigation of “all of the CUNYcollege foundations, alumni associations or other affiliated entities.”  Mr. Thompson’s request was prompted by the unexpected resignation of Lisa S. Coico as president of the City College of New York, a day after the New York Times contacted officials with questions about her administration’s handling of more than $150,000 of her personal expenses, and evidence that a memo related to those expenses had been fabricated.

The interim report mentions a number of questionable practices and expenditures made by CUNY officials. Below is the Executive Summary.

Tony

—————————————

State of New York
Office of the Inspector General
Investigation of The City University of New York
Interim Report – November 2016
Catherine Leahy Scott
Inspector General

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

On October 9, 2016, William C. Thompson, Jr., Chairperson of the CUNY Board of Trustees, formally requested that the New York State Inspector General commence a comprehensive investigation into a number of matters, including the use of City University of New York (CUNY) foundation funds; the relationship between CUNY’s colleges and their affiliated foundations and potential conflicts of interest; CUNY procurement policies; the hiring, expenses, and retention of consultants at CUNY; conflicts of interest at CUNY; and “all of the administrative and financial oversight and controls and best practices . . . with respect to all of the college foundations, alumni associations or other affiliated entities.” Chairperson Thompson’s request surfaced in the wake of the publication of alleged misconduct and fiscal mismanagement by a past President of City College of New York (CCNY).

The Inspector General’s initial review identified a number of systemic concerns largely attributable to CUNY’s lack of oversight that have led to financial waste and abuse within the CUNY system. CUNY administration also has failed to institute effective centralized management policies. The impact of this decentralization and deficient oversight has been further exacerbated by the failure to effectively operate the CUNY system for the benefit of taxpayers and students by those who are charged with the daily operations of the CUNY system, including but not limited to the Chancellor and General Counsel, among others.

Specifically, the preliminary investigation revealed that CUNY has expended funds on questionable activities and that its colleges and affiliated not-for-profit foundations lack sufficient controls to ensure the integrity of their use of non-tax levy funds. In light of the fact that the not-for-profit foundations affiliated with CUNY as a whole maintain approximately $1 billion in funds, it is imperative that significant steps are immediately taken to strengthen the fiscal integrity and oversight of this system. In addition, CUNY is spending significant resources in a decentralized manner on outside contracts, including for lobbyists engaged in questionable and seemingly redundant tasks, despite also employing its own central and school-based government relations staff. This decentralization creates an environment in which CUNY institutions lack appropriate fiscal management, oversight and transparency. This preliminary investigation also revealed that CUNY has failed to fulfill its legal obligation to report misconduct to the Inspector General as required under New York Executive Law. At times, CUNY has instead hired outside counsel to conduct internal investigations at significant cost to the public. Consistent with New York State Executive Law 4-A, the Inspector General refers these interim findings to CUNY for whatever disciplinary action it deems appropriate.

CUNY’s executive staff including the Chancellor, the General Counsel, and all those employed in the CUNY system must adhere to the highest ethical standards, and conduct themselves as financial stewards, safeguarding this public university and ensuring confidence in the integrity of the CUNY system. Accordingly, the Inspector General has prepared this interim report to highlight certain areas of immediate concern and enable CUNY’s Board of Trustees to begin remedial action in consultation with the Inspector General.

As a result of this preliminary investigation, the Inspector General recommends that CUNY immediately implement centralized policies in order to reduce the potential for fiscal mismanagement and abuse. CUNY must also take steps such as instituting more stringent controls for the relationships between all CUNY-based foundations and their affiliate colleges to ensure proper fiscal oversight of funds managed by those institutions and mitigate improper or wasteful expenditures.

Dear Commons Community,

Today is my third day at the OLC Annual Conference. I will be attending the OLC Leadership Network:  A National Collaboration of Senior Online Learning Leaders.  The program was organized by my colleague, Eric Fredericksen from the University of Rochester. As described in the abstract:

This collaboration will feature presentations from higher education leaders including Martha Kanter, former Under Secretary of Education; Chris Bustamante, President of Rio Salado College; and Norm Vaughan, Educator and Researcher with Mount Royal University. The presentations will cover key topics and issues important to  higher education. The day ends with an interactive panel-discussion, led by Doug Lederman, Editor of Inside Higher Ed, to collectively address the shared insights, key trends and leadership direction unearthed during the full-day event.

Tony