Address for Rotary Club of Seattle, March 25, 2009

Higher Education in Transformation

Prepared Remarks of WWU President Bruce Shepard

Thank you, John Warner, for that generous introduction and for your continuing service to Western, to this state, and to Rotary.

I’m a new person on the block, very happy to be serving you.  I’ve watched the state of Washington for over thirty years from Oregon – and more recently from Wisconsin – and I’ve been impressed with the commitment you have made to the state’s future through consistent investment in higher education.

I will return to that subject in conclusion.  I was asked to talk about Western Washington University, certainly, but in the context of broader forces transforming American society.

The societal tectonics are well known:

Certainly, the globe is shrinking and flattening, just one consequence of plummeting information and communication costs.

• The diversity of cultures, races, and ethnicities has always been there.  Today, though, we understand that diversity constitutes the building blocks from which our shared brighter futures will be constructed.
• Pressures for the public sector to be ever more efficient and accountable only grow.  
• We strive to ever more emphasize an entrepreneurial culture. 
• Even as competition abounds, we seek success through strategic partnerships and collaborations.
• The dizzying pace of technological advancement creates opportunities earlier generations could not even dream of.  And, challenges – ethical, organizational, social – that our inherited culture and norms are struggling to keep abreast of.
• Climate change and sustainability increasingly define our options and guide our choices.

The list could go on.  But, these are a start.  What do they mean for Western?  

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