It wasn’t that long ago that professional education was the less-respected, fragile forum for night school, weekend programs, extension and applied study at many colleges and universities. More recently housing the nascent online programs of the 1990s, this school or college was last in recognition and stature among the more powerful renowned and acclaimed schools and colleges. Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) ranked high in importance for the massive numbers of students both in the pre-requisite and general education categories. LAS also housed many of the well-published scholars and some of the larger research grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and other large public and private foundations and agencies that sponsored activities such as research centers. Other professional colleges and schools such as Education, Engineering, Medicine, Law and Business have a long legacy of influence and success over the decades. Their influence has been felt, in part, through their successful graduates who return to provide endowments and carry their collegiate heritage with them as they become shining examples of leadership and influence in society at large.
We are now entering a new era in society that brings with it changing jobs and opportunities for graduates. The advent of new technologies has shifted the job market and the needs for human labor and leadership. Our degree designs that were once considered the complete foundation for an entire lifetime of work, are now outdated in a matter of months. Job fields and industries are being overhauled by artificial intelligence (AI) with little regard to how those who work in those fields can best continue their careers or shift to another field or occupation.
