Many are familiar with the definition of a “Learning College” as stated by former president and CEO of the League for Innovation in the Community College, Terry O’Banion:

“The learning college places learning first and provides educational experiences for learners anyway, anyplace, and anytime” (O’Banion and American Association of Community Colleges. 1997 p 47).

In order to accomplish this lofty goal, the teaching system, that is, the people, processes, relationships, and curriculum, must learn how to put learning first. In fact, are not the faculty and staff as much learners in this process as the students? Therefore, leaders in higher education are challenged to foster learning in faculty and staff to create the learning college.

Adding to this challenge is the reality of limited resources and unclear priorities that are at least partially the cause of a dramatic shift in what constitutes the faculty. In an ideal world the cost and time to achieve high standards of teaching and learning would be no object. In the actual world, where affordable education is a mandate, cost is an important consideration for the majority of the 4200 institutions in the United States. But, even in the select institutions that have the most resources, teaching is rarely the number one priority. In many respects, these institutions set the tone for the priorities of education. So, the reality is that there are both resource and attitudinal challenges to achieving a focus on teaching and learning, with the concomitant issue of developing and supporting processes to increase the learning of staff and faculty toward the creation of the learning college.

Copyright 2005 Alliance for Higher Education CompetitivenessPermission to redistribute in whole or part granted as long as attribution is given to A-HEC http://www.a-hec.org/