May I respectfully suggest that it be a requirement for ALL people working (or tenured) at an institution of higher learning to read this book by the end of the summer?

The world is changing and Christensen and Eyring have put their finger on some of the ways that change will effect the traditional university.

And, respectfully, I disagree with their view of UVU as an example -- it is too early in the game to prove their methods worthwhile (indeed, they seem to be struggling with specific goals, especially in regards to graduation rates). Revisit that campus in 10 years.

"You get what you measure."
( )

While it is focused on the American university, there is much here that applies to community colleges ( )

What a book! This was a great way to begin my graduate studies in higher education administration because it was so incredibly informative. Christensen exposes the issues in higher education today by tracking the evolution of our education from the very beginnings. He tracks the history of Harvard because many traditional colleges are still trying to be just like them when they really cannot. He also tracks the history of BYU-I because it broke the mold. It chose to be different and embraced its’ strengths. That risk has paid off for them and Christensen explores why. True, this method can, at times, seem overwhelming. However, overall this read gives the reader some much needed context to understand what needs to be fixed and some ideas of how to fix it. I would be very interested to see many of these changes being put into place at more universities. The only issue I have is the lack of student voices. Why wasn’t there some input from BYU-I students? I want to know how they feel about the learning communities and what their experience has been. I really believe that would have enriched the read. I would highly recommend that anyone interested in higher education pick up this book. ( )

“The Innovative University” provides long histories of the development of Harvard University and Brigham Young University-Idaho. Spending time on Harvard’s development is justified since it is the model most American colleges and universities seek to emulate. The reader will likely find the history of BYU-Idaho far less edifying. The authors, Clayton M. Christensen and Henry J. Eyring, devote far too many pages to history and much too little to help for those in the present dealing with the challenges confronting higher education. The authors do identify the challenges and provide broad recommendations for meeting those challenges. Christensen and Eyring also offer hope for the future of traditional universities. Readers will likely come away from the book with some useful ideas but not with a clear blueprint of how to proceed. Readers will emerge knowing more about Harvard and BYU-Idaho than they likely ever wanted to know. ( )