Fusion Education: A New Perspective On a Familiar Idea

Growing up, I thought I wanted to be a veterinarian, entomologist, professional athlete, dancer, and fighter pilot.   Fortunately, my grandmother saw all of those fantasies as possibilities, and always encouraged me to keep my options open.  She truly believed that the quality of my preparation would determine which of those options, or any others, would become real choices for me.  But it wasn't until I was a high school student that those childhood fantasies could, in fact, become a reality if I prepared myself to attain them.  


What did that mean for my class choices?  How would teachers and counselors help me to maneuver my way through 4 years of high school that could lead to admissions to top universities, a clear major in mind, and the resources to achieve it?  At the end of the day, would all of that lead to a return on investment as measured by the choices available to me upon graduating from college?

Getting those questions answered led to more questions. What kind of education would I need to prepare for a career in the latter part of the 20th century, and beyond?  Would my major determine the technical or non-technical programs I should consider?  Where would each program take me?  These were questions for me then, and are questions now for thousands of high school graduates preparing to receive admissions letters from their college or university of choice.

Gloria Cordes Larson, President of Bentley University believes that "With college costs soaring, many are questioning the return on investment (ROI) of a traditional liberal arts education. However, the President of Bentley University just outside of Boston, Gloria Cordes Larson believes that combining a liberal arts education with technical skills, creating a fusion education, is the new model for education." 

 And so we wait for those thousands of letters to arrive, informing applicants of the decisions made by the institutions of higher learning they applied to, who are hoping to prepare the next crop of students for a future yet to be defined, while providing them with a well-rounded education.   A fusion education appears to present good options to students and universities.

You can read the full interview with Gloria Cordes Larson as curated at http://www.wiredprofiles.com