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From Science Magazine, p. 2019, Vol. 280, 26June1998

Virtual University Talk Worries Faculty

"Many University of Washington (UW) faculty members are protesting hints that their state may try to save money by replacing...professionals...with [virtual] classes held totally on the Internet.

"...'virtual universities' in which students would learn from home...by the Internet.

"...What's worrisome is the notion that the state can save money by digitally educating future undergraduates..."

Well, for those of us in Quantonics, this is no surprise! We read about this and talk about things like this every day. We predicted some of it in The Next Millennium. The Internet will continue to optimize all quantonic interrelationships. Inefficient intermediaries will have to adopt one or more of the abundant new disciplines created by the rapid changes.

Up to now, mostly blue collar and service workers are affected, but now we see a glimmer of greater impact among the professionals. Previously the academic professionals were immune, but it appears that is about to change. It will be an enormous change. The methods used to manage this change will be used as templates in countless other professional disciplines, a few of which we listed in The Next Millennium. Changes of this magnitude will appear similarly in the way we work for virtual corporations, etc.

Consider the impact on campus infrastructure, paper and fuel consumption, etc. Consider the need for new Internet systems, tools and software to manage the virtual quantonic interrelationships among all these new virtual students while they are in school and subsequently as virtual workers for virtual corporations.

How will virtual workers get paid? How will virtual corporations find and select virtual workers? How will virtual workers be assessed for selection? How will virtual workers' performance be assessed? How will virtual workers keep track of their 2-20 virtual employers? This is a whole new ball game folks. The legacy SOM mindset and thinking cannot cope with this level of complexity! J

PDR - 14Jul98

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