Advances in technology and national economic trends may
soon challenge the traditional identity of the University setting, said University President the Rev. Kevin Wildes, S.J. Subjects such as the global recession and the development of Internet technologies are prompting a slew of new issues. Wildes said that Loyola will not be able to ignore these growing concerns as time presses on.
“Some of the forces that have prompted these issues are forces that are external to higher education itself,” Wildes said. “They are things like the global recession.”
Wildes addressed these topics at the President’s Convocation for Faculty and Staff on Aug. 20.
With rising tuition for universities all over the nation, online college courses have become appealing to student’s who wish to
avoid college debt.
“For many people the evolution of
online university classes addresses a challenge of affordability and about debt,” Wildes said. “But that evolution also raises fundamental issues about learning and higher education.”
The country’s economic trends and technological innovations have pushed to transform the very concept of a university. Face-to- face interactions with students and professors are being replaced with webcams and online forums. A student can upload a completed assignment without even coming to class. Wildes suggested that technology can bring about opportunities and challenges for Loyola.
“Change is not new for higher education,” Wildes said. “Loyola needs to be able to respond by being faithful to our mission, our identity.”
The challenge then becomes determining if online education is a suitable substitution for an actual college setting. A Jesuit institution such as Loyola seeks to not just provide information to a student, but to shape that student into a better person.
“We are committed to educating the whole person.” Wildes said. “We hope to form men and women who are not afraid to ask hard ethical questions. Questions that Google or Siri can’t answer.”
Cami Thomas can be reached at [email protected]
