Mark Putnam | 6 Comments | Posted: April 15, 2013
We carry the burden of the times we live in and the circumstances set before us. We can only succeed with the help and support of our companions on the journey.
Mark Putnam | 16 Comments | Posted: December 3, 2012
More than 80 years since the early days of the Dust Bowl, we face similar questions about the trade-offs between immediate economic interests and prolonged environmental impact.
Mark Putnam | 7 Comments | Posted: October 22, 2012
For me, the relationship between teacher and student, master and apprentice, and parent and child, is the base element of learning. To be sure, the nature of those relationships changes through the course of lifespan development.
Mark Putnam | 1 Comment | Posted: September 21, 2012
A clearer lens of interpretation would reveal institutions of higher education have been designed for centuries to conserve and preserve deeply held values and pass them on to one generation after another. Colleges, much like the broader society, are built to last and slow to change. For some, this is a sign of incredible weakness sure to result in widespread failure; for others this is the source of strength that has preserved institutions for centuries.
Mark Putnam | 8 Comments | Posted: September 5, 2012
In 1999, Columbia University and five prestigious partner organizations created a for-profit education company called Fathom. The initial partners included The London School of Economics and Political Science, Cambridge University Press, The British Library, The Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History and The New York Public Library. Other equally powerful partners joined the enterprise with the goal of launching a web environment that would be the hub of knowledge and education on the internet.
Mark Putnam | 5 Comments | Posted: August 13, 2012
I think there is something much deeper behind this resistance to change, and it’s not the bureaucracy – it’s the market. The difference for the market is a distinction between models of learning that are primarily relational vs. transactional; models of learning that are formative vs. summative; and models of learning that pursue knowledge vs. certify credentials.
Mark Putnam | 10 Comments | Posted: July 20, 2012
Failure of colleges was not something that grew from macroeconomic and demographic patterns, but from interpretations and responses that were found on the micro scale. Institutions fail for a combination of three reasons: money, mismanagement and mattering.
Mark Putnam | 3 Comments | Posted: March 30, 2012
A mythology has grown up around international standardized test scores for math and reading. It’s an appealing historic narrative for Americans – one laced with nostalgia for the “halcyon days” of education. A time when we were number one in the world in education as measured by student performance on these tests. The problem – it’s not true.
Mark Putnam | 2 Comments | Posted: March 15, 2012
Education in the U.S. is a system of incredible scope and complexity. We have been trying to bake the “one-size-fits-all” education reform solution for nearly 50 years. Sometimes I wonder if there is a standard recipe used by state and federal governments for this purpose.
Mark Putnam | 10 Comments | Posted: February 14, 2012
We have a lot to consider about education in this country as our public policy choices have yielded less than stellar results for nearly 40 years. That’s a long time to be failing. At times like this I go back to a rather basic question: What are we trying to achieve?
I'm the lucky individual who carries the title, 21st president of Central College in Pella, Iowa. My wife Tammy and I have two beautiful daughters, Emma and Greta. Passionate about higher education and the issues facing it and the world today, I hope to invoke an engaging conversation with all who are ready to dig in, make a difference and build for the future. Share your thoughts. I'm listening and interested.
