"For Rigoberto Sirin-Pichiya, the service learning component of the nursing program he was enrolled in not only provided a practical, hands-on work experience, it also opened his eyes to the needs of the community."

"I read Gary Hamel's piece, The Facebook Generation vs. the Fortune 500, with great interest. In it, he talks about the tensions that traditional, cubicle-land corporations will likely face as a creative, connected workforce comes on-line. I was particularly interested because, as a member of the higher educational establishment, I'm part of the pipeline, sitting in-between K-12 and the workplace. More importantly, I think that higher education faces many of the same challenges that the Fortune 500 does. So, with that said, I'd like to parallel Gary's piece, edging towards the extreme in my reflection (playing agent provocateur, perhaps) on the tensions between the Facebook generation and higher ed.

"UW Oshkosh’s impact on the region extends far beyond its brick- and-mortar boundaries. The institution’s economic contribution to the state totals more than $500 million annually. As an incubator of creativity, knowledge and innovation, the University extends faculty expertise through collaborations with schools, businesses and communities regionally as well as nationally and globally."

"Fifty-eight young scientists from nearly 50 countries gathered at the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Summer Davos meeting in Tianjin, China, in September to discuss the promotion of successful university-business partnerships. Such collaborations are important platforms for transplanting technologies from the laboratory bench to the marketplace. Yet, numerous cultural, technological, and intellectual challenges – facing both universities and the private sector – still hinder the formation and execution of such partnerships."