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Story written by: Andrew Rasmussen

First hosted in 1958-59, the at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, served as an historic forum for thought leaders to ensure higher education was meeting the demands of the nation and of the world. 

Now, 67 years later, the seminar returns to again discuss important topics in higher education. Among the invitees will be Victor Taylor, vice provost for graduate education and extended studies at South à£à£Ö±²¥Ðã State University. 

Taylor will join around 17 other higher ed and industry leaders on Jan. 30 on the Oakland University campus to discuss artificial intelligence, workforce development, curricular innovation and entrepreneurship in a 21^st century global knowledge economy, among other topics.

“Oakland University’s President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz and Dean Graeme Harper are taking the opportunity on the anniversary to revisit and reimagine the historic event and move it forward, in a 21st century context,” Taylor said. 

The invitees will both take the results of the conversation back to their respective institutions and develop ideas and recommendations that impact the overall higher education industry. 

This event brings together more than higher education administrators and includes business and civic leaders in the conversations. 

Taylor said the first Meadow Brook Seminars tackled issues of the times including the Cold War and the Space Race. He sees parallel world events taking shape today with the increased focus of advances in artificial intelligence in the highly competitive world economy. 

“Today, of course, our world situation has changed to an extent, but we still are in a highly connected global environment,” he said. “We have major international competitors. We face many significant challenges, and higher education is going to play a critical role in how we plan for educational and economic success. Universities like SDSU are instrumental in advancing knowledge discovery and research applications.”

According to Oakland University, “The 1958-1959 Meadow Brook Seminars convened leaders such as Dr. Milton Eisenhower (president, Johns Hopkins University), Dr. Sarah Blanding (president, Vassar College), Henry R. Luce (editor-in-chief, Time Inc.), Dr. Ralph Tyler (Stanford) and General Motors President John F. Gordon, among many notable others from around the nation, to discuss how higher education could be reimagined for a changing world."

The Chronicle of Higher Education staff will moderate the conversation. 

The public is invited to join virtually via a livestream of the Meadow Brook Seminar Reimagined from 1-3 p.m. Jan. 30 at the following Zoom link: