Volume IV: What works, what matters, what lasts

Thomas L. Friedman on Visions for 21st Century Leaders

Thomas L. Friedman, author of The Flat World, spoke in July 2006 to the International meeting on The Campus of the Future (COTF).
A report of Friedman's talk, by Terry Calhoun of SCUP, can be found at: http://www.scup.org/campusofthefuture/friedman.html.

Friedman's words challenge academic leaders to think of new metaphors for shaping goals for student learning, a challenge particularly relevant for those with responsibility for the quality and character of undergraduate STEM programs in our country. He made the case that those able to have meaningful and productive lives in our increasingly flat world must be:

  1. Great collaborators
  2. Great leveragers
  3. Great localizers
  4. Green... ("yup," just green)
  5. Great explainers
  6. Great synthesizers
  7. Passionate personalizers
  8. Great adapters.

Friedman reminded the audience that educators need to understand how very important it is for young people to focus on the ability to learn how to learn. His formula, that CQ + PQ is greater than IQ, means that passion and perseverance are more important, all things considered, to individual success than basic intelligence.

(C = curiosity; P = passion; I = intelligence)

(COTF was jointly sponsored by: the Association of Physical Plant Officers [APPA]; National Association of College and University Business Officers [NACUP]; and Society of College and University Planners [SCUP].)