Provocations

Date: 3/31/2010

“Go west, young man.”

“Plastics!”

“If you build it, they will come.”

“Google IPO—$85 a share.”

Storied pieces of advice, one of which I understand led to the founding of Grinnell College.

You wish for such providential advice, but then hear things like, "You should have a blog," which someone says to me about once a month.

I write. I read. Lord knows, I’ve got opinions. But "blog" and "constructive" are not necessarily related concepts.

By contrast, interesting writing gets read, especially when it draws from something more powerful than mere opinion, like, say, research and analysis. That's where my friend and former colleague Jon McGee comes in.

As you may know, Jon speaks at an average speed of 200 words per minute, with gusts of up to 230. If he were an attorney, court reporters would run shrieking from the room during opening arguments. You can view Jon's bio here, and watch a video where he summarizes 20 years of higher education economics in 12 minutes.

Jon also writes fast, and he writes well. He’s been looking for a forum in which he can write regularly to an audience of his peers. So, I'm pleased to introduce Provocations, in which Jon will hold forth for us with a periodic essay or editorial on Hardwick-Day’s website.

Readership will be limited to Hardwick-Day clients and friends. You’ll be able to post comments in the margin—sort of like “Babylonian Talmud meets Facebook.”

My aim is to create a serious, grown-up, higher-education-focused private discussion in which you and I will emerge smarter from our forays into Jon's world.

Having read ahead, I can guarantee that this will be fun and entertaining, as well as informative. It might even lead to some creative problem solving. So much the better.

Herewith is Jon's first piece, The Seven Deadly Sins of Higher Education, which is anything but deadly in the telling.