Owen, The local people that I have talked to seem to be quite enthusiastic about Laureate. I agree it is nervous making, but they are quite confident that they will be left to build an arts school as they see fit. I know. That's what the people who are being bought out always think. But there it is.
You are correct that what is likely to go by the wayside in this arrangement is all the OTHER opportunities that SF offers ... technology, government, anthro, ecology, etc. This is what we need to be prepared to fight for. The problem with the community college is that it doesnt really have a FACULTY, right? Call me old fashioned, but it seems to me that an educational experience is two things beyond courses: a faculty and a campus. Harvard faculty were pretty much a bust; but my peers were amazing and I made friends who shaped my life, there. A parking lot and a lecture hall just does not constitute an education for me. One thought is that if Laureate is going ahead with an art schoool, somebody else might go ahead with a technology school These would be two institutions with in the general framework of the City University of Santa Fe. City University of Santa Fe would give the Complex space and inreturn the complex would provide internship, etc., experiences . That would mean letting go of Agua Fria, but it also might provide long term financial security. In some ways, this seems to make sense in the same way that the art school makes sense -- i.e., Dave West has never doubted that he could find STUDENTS, right? Is it time for some representative of the Complex to be having a chat with Laureatte? And with the Art School people. If Laureate is going to let them run it, then now would be the time to see if something could be clabbored together, even for the fall, in the technology line. We might even have a program for JP? Nick . Nicholas S. Thompson Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Ethology, Clark University ([email protected]) http://home.earthlink.net/~nickthompson/naturaldesigns/ > [Original Message] > From: Owen Densmore <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]>; The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group <[email protected]> > Date: 4/25/2009 10:48:51 AM > Subject: Re: [FRIAM] City University of Santa Fe > > Laureate, to me, seems a bit spooky. They want to build an Art > School, which fills a gap in their currently available offerings world > wide. They can have folks visit Santa Fe for their Arts studies, > using other Laureate facilities for the rest of their degree. > > So that leaves in the cold anyone wanting to study other fields, > certainly in the sciences. So it leaves Santa Fe still being "quaint" > and "arty". Oh my. > > My prediction is that this will ultimately enhance the Community > College, mainly by beefing up the Highlands Santa Fe Center: > http://www.nmhu.edu/statewidecenters/santafe/ > (Note UNM dropped its local center.) > > My preference would be Highlands taking over CSF but that would > require state funding .. an unlikely event. > > I really hope Dave West's idea of the Academy at the Complex works out. > > -- Owen > > > On Apr 24, 2009, at 6:16 PM, Nicholas Thompson wrote: > > > All, > > > > I again attended the meeting of the goverenor's task force to > > suggest what to do about the impending demise of the college of > > Santa Fe. The accoustics in the room were terrible and so my report > > will be more brief. Also, there seemed to be an attentive reporter > > from the New Mexican there, so I imagine there will be something > > fairly informative in tomorrow's papers. > > > > Briefly, something seems to be taking shape for higher education in > > Santa Fe. Economic analyses seem to suggest that the impact of > > having (or losing) the college upon the city of Santa Fe is of the > > order of HUNDREDS of millions of dollars. (sic!) In other words, the > > City cannot afford not to save or replace the college. The outlines > > are as follows: > > > > (1) City of Santa Fe takes ownership of most of the campus through a > > bond issue. The rest is obtained by state or other enterprises > > having to do with education. > > > > (2) Laureate College leases 3/4 of the campus and takes change of > > the College of Santa Fe. On this scenario, the college is up and > > going in the fall. Laureate is a for profit enterprise that boasts > > 500,000 students world wide. It can sustain substantial losses for > > a few years and is apparently willing to do so, but believes that it > > can make a profit running an art school here, if it can lease the > > property from the city at market rates. > > > > (3) Something else educational will happen with the rest of the > > college and the rest of the land. > > > > I still think, even within this frame work, there is a place for a > > framework that embraces all the educational and quasi educational > > institution in the city as The City University of Santa Fe. > > Laureate U. seems possibly a benign force under the present > > circumstances, but we dont want them wagging the Santa Fe > > Educational Dog. And I still think it is important to pull together > > the people in Santa Fe who feel they benefit from having > > institutuions of higher learning in the city. > > > > I just cant think how. > > > > There is another meeting of the task force from ten to noon THIS > > wednesday, probably it's last meeting. > > > > Nick > > > > > > Nicholas S. Thompson > > Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Ethology, > > Clark University ([email protected]) > > http://home.earthlink.net/~nickthompson/naturaldesigns/===================== ======================================= > > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > > lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
