To Infinity and Beyond

“To infinity and beyond!” is a captivating phrase that Buzz Light-year from the popular movie “Toy Story” expresses before he flies into action. “That’s not flying, you are falling with grace,” observes his skeptical co-star, Woody. 

Not to make light of the complexity of the higher education system, but perceptions do matter. The value we place on academic credentials, and credentials in general, are at the root of many issues, challenges and opportunities we face as a society and as individuals. To the impressionable college student with limited work experience, these credentials are crucial to success. They have not yet had the opportunity to learn that credentials are simply the dues they pay to enter the increasingly competitive, world labor market. It’s not what others think of us that stops us from achieving greatness though. It’s what we think of ourselves and our abilities that encourage us to reach beyond our grasp for new frontiers or overcome life’s obstacles.

We each have a view of problems and concerns with how the educational system has evolved and been impacted by the convergence of issues outside the control of any one institution. As an entrepreneur I am, by necessity, a realist. We have limited time and resources. While it’s impossible to address all the problems and concerns in the short term, I believe we can and must address academic credit mobility, which in turn will initiate a series of cascading influences capable of producing a positive outcome for all stakeholders of our postsecondary education system.

To address academic credit mobility, I believe we need to focus on the implications and issues revolving around learning recognition. What is it? How is it affected? What influences it? When are we doing it? Why do we have to?