Social Entrepreneurship: 1 Approach to Higher Ed Bubble Bust
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Economists are not alone in their worry of an impending higher education bubble bust. Given the drastic increase in cost and decrease in relevance of a college degree over the past decades,Ashoka U Exchange participants – faculty and students across disciplines, administrators and social entrepreneurs – are united in their conviction that cosmetic changes to their institutions are not enough.
Co-hosted by Ashoka, the world’s largest association of social entrepreneurs, and Arizona State University, Ashoka will bring together more than 100 colleges and universities from 15 countries to disuss the “so what?” of higher education for an event at ASU, Feb. 10-11.
In debates on the higher education crisis, there has been much talk of the need to cut costs. However, in a world of accelerated change, we can’t afford not to educate the next generation of leaders to effectively address the world’s daunting social and environmental challenges. Social entrepreneurship education is one approach, gaining rapidly in popularity.
Interest in social entrepreneurship has experienced a mostly quiet, but dramatic growth in higher education over the past few years. Ashoka U Exchange participants see disruptive innovation as an opportunity for colleges and universities to become more entrepreneurial, identifying ways to leverage the entire spectrum of institutional resources for social impact, and creating a world-changing educational experience that makes a difference. Participants come to share new educational methodologies and strategies to catalyze universities as drivers of global social change.
