A peer-to-peer conversation with Dean Emeritus of Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

🎙️Is a four-year degree the best way to prepare for a career that will look nothing like it does today?

In Episode 96 of Deans Counsel, Jeff Brown, Dean Emeritus of Gies College of Business and early guest on the podcast, reflects on his nearly decade-long tenure in the role. Now that he’s returned to teaching, he speaks candidly about the ways higher education, and most industries in general, are falling short in identifying and developing the talent they need.

“You are being asked to run a very large, very complex organization … and that's a lot more than just understanding a spreadsheet.”

On the four-year degree, Brown asks: “What makes us think that we can teach [students] that stuff in a couple of years as an undergrad, and that in 10 years it’s going to be relevant given the pace of technological change?”

He also talks about what universities tend to overlook and how AI is changing teaching and learning.This conversation raises important questions about the future of higher education. For academic and business leaders, there’s a harder question here too: Could the diversity of stakeholders that makes an institution strong also be what’s holding it back as technology reshapes the academy?

🎧 Listen to the full episode here: 👉🏼 

Photos courtesy of Gies and Jeff Brown

Learn more about Jeff Brown here