Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/58910
From the Editors Oh, Brother! "The only constant in life is change." Even though we repeatedly hear, and even believe, this old aphorism, we often still want to hold fast to the way things are. For many in business and academia, change may seem uncertain, unexpected—and sometimes unwanted. I've been guilty of trying to hold on to the familiar—to my own detriment. In col- lege, as my classmates trekked to newly opened computer labs to write their papers, I stubbornly refused to join them, using my sturdy Brother electric typewriter instead. When an English professor pointed out that I could save time if I would only use a computer, I responded curtly, "I like my typewriter. Computers just don't interest me." Inevitably, of course, I came to realize that my old Brother typewriter and I couldn't keep up with the pace of change. Thus, I began my transforma- tion from technological philistine to technophile. My junior year, I bought my first PC, with its DOS commands and tiny 25 kilobyte hard drive. Then came my first college e-mail account and a connection to a text-based World Wide Web; next, Windows 98 and AOL chat rooms. Today, I have my lap- top, with its 80 gigabyte hard drive, wireless high-speed Internet connection, and enough technological capacity to launch the space shuttle. Every time I hit the "Del" key rather than empty a bottle of Wite-Out, I think of my sophomoric self and wonder: What on earth was I thinking? Many business educators, too, have come to realize that change, while unnerving, can bring a number of advantages. Disciplinary silos have become integrated curricula. Field trips to Wall Street have become on-campus trad- ing rooms. Overhead projections are now PowerPoint presentations, and handwritten spreadsheets have morphed into Excel printouts. Wired has become wireless. Just as one new innovation takes hold, yet another one appears, requiring still another shift in mindset. But through it all, business schools have sought to evolve with and adjust to the ever-changing dynamics of the business world. In our articles "Bachelor No. 1" and "New Looks at the Old BBA," we hear from business educators who are transforming their BBA programs; they aim to update a curriculum that they argue has stayed static for too long. Also in this issue, we talk with Anne Sweeney, president of Disney-ABC Television Group. Sweeney is passion- ate about changes in the television industry that are pushing it toward new delivery models. At a time when change can either push us kicking and screaming or inspire us to new heights of innovation, Sweeney says she chooses to be inspired. I still have that Brother typewriter. Somehow I can't bear to part with it, even though it serves no other purpose than to remind me that sometimes, change is good—an exciting chal- lenge to be embraced, not a difficulty to be avoided. After all, even though no one can know for sure what challenges lie ahead, every- one can learn and improve as a result of facing them head-on. ■ z 6 BizEd NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2006 ROBB DEBENPORT/GETTY IMAGES BILL BASCOM