Virtual Campuses Can Bring Education to All

As Americans recognize the importance of a college education to their careers, their quality of life, their economy, and their children’s futures, they are increasingly concerned about universal access to higher education.

In a competitive world economy, the U.S. cannot let people with potential drop out of the educational system. If, indeed, they do, they also drop out of the economic system at ever-more unpalatable costs to society.

The need for universal higher education was made by Thomas L. Friedman in his award-winning book The World is Flat: “Everyone should have a chance to be educated beyond high school. Otherwise upper-income kids will get those skills and their slice, and the lower-income kids will never get a chance. We have to increase the government subsidies that make it possible for more and more kids to attend community colleges and more and more low-skilled workers to get retrained. JFK wanted to put a man on the moon. My vision is to put every American man or woman on a campus.”

As long as it’s a virtual campus for at least some of the educational experience, this dream is within our reach.

Read a wikisummary of The World Is Flat.