BYU-Idaho

I've been wanting to blog about this for awhile... because I feel pretty strongly about it and well... my Mom said I should. :)

I just finished the book Innovative University by Clayton Christiansen. It was a lengthy read, but a really great. Christensen compares Harvard to BYU-Idaho and suggests university structures, needs to change.

Harvard standards were created out of what Harvard was trying to accomplish and the economic circumstances. Through the years they kept changing and evolving and because of their success they also started to get a great amount of funding. Sadly, they stopped innovating and changing in the early nineteen hundreds (mostly due to the change in school presidents). Since then other universities have tried to copy Harvard's model. Sadly, they do this at their own peril because they try to do this with limited funding. This keeps them from reaching the same outcomes and requires them to cut corners. Christensen says that even Harvard needs to go back to the change and influence they used to inspire instead of staying static.

And then there is BYU-Idaho. A struggling 2-year college that had the foresight and wisdom to hire David Bednar and now Kim Clark (the former dean of the Harvard Business School). These two men sat down at the table with financial and structural limitations and decided to work WITHIN their budget and recreate a university experience. This pushed the boundaries. What they've created is now a model for many universities... not to copy but to emulate in their own sphere.

Here are a few things that are noteworthy:

• BYU-I does not have a research component for their faculty... there is no "publish or perish" mentality. Teachers are to focus on teaching and learning and become masters of their craft, innovating new ways to teach.
• All BYU-I students have to do a mandatory internship semester... and because of President Clark's connections, they have some of the best companies in partnership. This usually gives the students the experience they need and most get offers to come back after they graduate.
• They created a Pathways program for underprivileged students. These students take courses online and once they do well can apply to BYU-I or other schools. 
• In that same vein... because the drop out rate is high with at-risk students, they flipped the four year process with the general ed classes taken last and the major courses taken first, so they will leave with a skill if they do leave early.
• They work with the LDS church Perpetual Education Funk (PEF) to expand their campus and offer online courses worldwide.
• They did away with the "summer vacation"... something many universities are lobbying for these days, because it was created long ago to have students go home and work on the farm (something like that). There is no longer that need. And now there are three full time semesters. Each student comes to campus for two of those semesters.
• Online course's take care of the "away" semester... and allow the students to work on courses year around.
• They did away with athletic teams and instead instituted a state of the art intramural program that many schools are considering, especially those who have mediocre teams, because of the huge financial burden.

And the list continues to go on... but I love how fiscally fit and academically healthy this school is. When I was reading the book, I considered several times moving to BYU-I and working for them... too bad it's in Rexburg... but, President Clark's Harvard associate was just named president of BYU-Hawaii... so I bet we will see something happen there too.

Aaaaanyhow... take this for what it's worth, but I want to encourage those still in undergrad to not overlook BYU-I. :)