Not too long ago, Blockbuster Video was an integral part of American culture. Its aisles were packed with customers perusing the boxes of movie rentals. But disruption came in the form of online streaming and the company was unable to pivot, leading to business irrelevance and its current status as pop-culture punch line. That same irrelevance is the fate could meet higher education institutions who don’t recognize and embrace the forces of disruption all around us.
The education market is changing right in front of our eyes, but too many colleges and universities remain rooted in the same practices and business model they’ve kept in place for literally centuries. Leaders in higher education must innovate and adapt now —or perish. In other words, higher ed institutions must become more like Netflix and less like Blockbuster. Read more in “It’s Time to Transform Higher Education,” a white paper authored by Gies College of Business Dean Jeffrey R. Brown.