Purdue President Daniels to discuss future of higher education at 2013 National Competitiveness Forum

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue University President Mitch Daniels will discuss the future of higher education as a guest panelist at the 2013 National Competitiveness Forum at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday (Oct. 30).

The forum is assembling top public and private sector leaders to assess the state of the nation's competitiveness and explore pressing and emerging priorities. These leaders include chief executive officers of leading companies, university presidents, labor leaders and directors from the national laboratories.

Daniels will participate in a 10:30 a.m. Eastern time session titled "The Future of Higher Education." Other participants are Michael M. Crow, president of Arizona State University; John J. DeGioia, president of Georgetown University; and Pradeep K. Khosla, chancellor of the University of California, San Diego.

Among questions the panel is expected to discuss are whether universities and colleges are adapting to the rapidly changing global economy and its demands for evolving worker skills; if online learning, massive online open courses (MOOCs) and similar innovations are serving as disruptors and leaving traditional higher education behind; and whether the cost of higher education has finally reached a point where students will seek out or demand alternatives that prepare them for the workforce without the burden of debt.

Live streaming of the forum will begin at 8:15 a.m. Eastern time at http://www.compete.org/ncf/.