Opening Keynote:

Richard N. Katz, vice president of EDUCAUSE and Director of the EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research will speak on:

Dancing With the Devil: Information Technology and the New Competition in Higher Education

Information technology and communications are reshaping the world around us and is redefining some of the very roles played by our societies key institutions. These new technologies are making it possible to deliver information and services, including education, any time, any where, and in any fashion. These new possibilities are fostering a period of great pedagogical experimentation in traditional colleges and universities, but have also invited the involvement of a new and growing for-profit sector.

Organizations like Apollo, Sylvan, UNext.com, as well as publishing firms are seeking and receiving accreditation as online and site-based educators. This session will review the forces that are lining up on the perimeter of higher education and the competitive climate that is evolving in higher education, with advice on strategies for institutional prosperity in this new climate.

Richard N. Katz is vice president of EDUCAUSE and Director of the EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research. He is an internationally known speaker and author of five books and more than two dozen articles and monographs. His book Dancing with the Devil was named by Lingua Franca as one of the ten most influential higher education books of 1999.

Prior to joining EDUCAUSE, Katz served in a variety of senior roles at the University of California.