The Innovative University

The Innovative University illustrates how higher education can respond to the forces of disruptive innovation , and offers a nuanced and hopeful analysis of where the traditional university and its traditions have come from and how it needs to change for the future. Through an examination of Harvard and BYU-Idaho as well as other stories of innovation in higher education, Clayton Christensen and Henry Eyring decipher how universities can find innovative, less costly ways of performing their uniquely valuable functions.

• Offers new ways forward to deal with curriculum, faculty issues, enrollment, retention, graduation rates, campus facility usage, and a host of other urgent issues in higher education
• Discusses a strategic model to ensure economic vitality at the traditional university
• Contains novel insights into the kind of change that is necessary to move institutions of higher education forward in innovative ways

This book uncovers how the traditional university survives by breaking with tradition, but thrives by building on what it's done best.

“"Scholars will find this work a good point of departure for asking more pointed questions about how nest to meet the demands of an increasingly disparate population of students (and potential students) who have different needs and expectations from previous generations of college-going individuals." -- Journal of College Student Retention Vol. 15 (3)”

"Scholars will find this work a good point of departure for asking more pointed questions about how nest to meet the demands of an increasingly disparate population of students (and potential students) who have different needs and expectations from previous generations of college-going individuals." — Journal of College Student Retention Vol. 15 (3)

CLAYTON M. CHRISTENSEN is the Robert and Jane Cizik Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School and the founder of Innosight Institute, a non-profit think tank. He is the author of many books, including The Innovator’s Dilemma, and has applied his theory to K–12 education in Disrupting Class and to medicine in The Innovator’s Prescription.

HENRY J. EYRING serves as an administrator at Brigham Young University-Idaho. He is a former strategy consultant at Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Monitor Company.

PRAISE FOR THE INNOVATIVE UNIVERSITY "This superbly documented book is a must read for anyone who cares about America's universities and colleges and the invaluable role they play in our contemporary society. Henry Eyring and Clayton Christensen remind us of higher education's history and thoughtfully examine the critical strands of its DNA that require 're-engineering' to insure survival and good health for our richly diverse system. Perhaps the best feature of this volume is that it goes beyond analysis to offer what is possible through models that are scalable, transferable, and responsive to the needs of learning, discovery, and engagement." --Molly Corbett Broad, president, American Council on Education " The Innovative University offers fascinating new perspectives on very old questions: What defines a university's identity? Are all universities cloned from the same ancestral stock? Are there still opportunities for diversity in American higher education, or is [a] single ideal to be approximated with greater or lesser fidelity? These questions resonate through the book's narrative histories of an old university and a bold new one." --Harry Lewis, Gordon McKay Professor of Computer Science, Harvard University; author, Excellence Without a Soul "With changing demographics, new information technologies, and competition from for-profit enterprises challenging the hegemony of traditional colleges and universities, the discourse of crisis in American higher education abounds. In place of conventional nostrums that lead merely to incremental change, Henry Eyring and Clayton Christensen offer disruptive strategies that preserve what remains viable in the organizational genetic code while advancing differentiated models for institutional innovation. Yet further evidence that efforts to beat Berkeley and Harvard at their own game are futile." --Michael M. Crow, president, Arizona State University "There is little doubt that American higher education is at a crossroads. Accessibility and affordability issues abound. Learning outcomes are increasingly unclear. Technology surfaces as a disruptive influence. Financial support is declining precipitously. Christensen and Eyring step into this challenging setting with a comprehensive look at two ends of the higher education universe. The answers their contrasts provide to those of us looking for ways to move forward are both compelling and challenging. A must read for all who care about the future of colleges and universities." --Leonard A. Schlesinger, president, Babson College

PRAISE FOR THE INNOVATIVE UNIVERSITY "This superbly documented book is a must read for anyone who cares about Americas universities and colleges and the invaluable role they play in our contemporary society. Henry Eyring and Clayton Christensen remind us of higher educations history and thoughtfully examine the critical strands of its DNA that require re-engineering to insure survival and good health for our richly diverse system. Perhaps the best feature of this volume is that it goes beyond analysis to offer what is possible through models that are scalable, transferable, and responsive to the needs of learning, discovery, and engagement." Molly Corbett Broad, president, American Council on Education " The Innovative University offers fascinating new perspectives on very old questions: What defines a universitys identity? Are all universities cloned from the same ancestral stock? Are there still opportunities for diversity in American higher education, or is [a] single ideal to be approximated with greater or lesser fidelity? These questions resonate through the books narrative histories of an old university and a bold new one." Harry Lewis, Gordon McKay Professor of Computer Science, Harvard University; author, Excellence Without a Soul "With changing demographics, new information technologies, and competition from for-profit enterprises challenging the hegemony of traditional colleges and universities, the discourse of crisis in American higher education abounds. In place of conventional nostrums that lead merely to incremental change, Henry Eyring and Clayton Christensen offer disruptive strategies that preserve what remains viable in the organizational genetic code while advancing differentiated models for institutional innovation. Yet further evidence that efforts to beat Berkeley and Harvard at their own game are futile." Michael M. Crow, president, Arizona State University "There is little doubt that American higher education is at a crossroads. Accessibility and affordability issues abound. Learning outcomes are increasingly unclear. Technology surfaces as a disruptive influence. Financial support is declining precipitously. Christensen and Eyring step into this challenging setting with a comprehensive look at two ends of the higher education universe. The answers their contrasts provide to those of us looking for ways to move forward are both compelling and challenging. A must read for all who care about the future of colleges and universities." Leonard A. Schlesinger, president, Babson College

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