Traditionally a university has been defined by, indeed defined itself
as, a place. People “go to” universities, even in a world where the
virtual may seem to have made place less important. Students often will
pay, and pay significantly, to study at universities, putting a premium
on the real, the immediate, and the academic experience in a particular
environment. The Harvard experience is Harvard in Cambridge, Mass.
However generous the institution is with its online content, that is
only a tantalizing fragment of the Harvard experience. Not valueless, of
course, but different.
To study at a particular university means to study in a unique
setting and in a distinctive program. The importance of that experience
for many leads them to want to return to their alma mater, literally to
revisit their memories and to reconnect in their university setting.
Nowhere is this more powerful than at the most prestigious universities.
So what does this mean in a world where higher education is
increasingly globalized, and where many of us think long and hard about
our global strategy?
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