UH president Renu Khator recently had an article published in the U.S. News & World Report on Sept. 13. In her article, Khator addresses the current state of the American higher education system, and what she believes should be the future of that system.
“If American higher education wants to remain relevant and globally competitive, then it must broaden its perspective and transform itself into a truly global enterprise. The innovation and initiative that helped make the American system the envy of the world can also lead the way in developing an equally admirable new model for the future,” Khator said.
Khator discusses throughout her article how the global market for knowledge is growing, and the higher education systems of foreign countries could soon strip US universities of top talent if change does not take place.
She believes that it will be more difficult in the future for US universities to maintain exclusivity over top students and professors, and that by streamlining the global education system, the US will be able to maintain these students and professors.
Khator believes that this streamlining could be achieved by making it easier for students to study in multiple universities in foreign countries while working on their degrees, and that it should be easier for professors to teach at multiple institutions, spending a semester at a foreign university and then a semester at a university in the US. She also believes that researchers across the world should be more willing to work together on the same projects.
As foreign nations pour more money into their higher education systems, it is imperative for the US to make these changes. If not, we may lose access to the top foreign talent that contributes so much to making the US higher education system as competitive and globally respected as it is.
UH students and supporters should rest assured that with Khator at the helm of our University, UH will be an innovator in this area.
