Introduction

The twin, significant papers in this section have the structure of a classic "good news/bad news" joke. On the one hand, M. S. Vijay Kumar celebrates the utopian possibilities of digital technology and open courseware. On the other hand, Henry Bienen paints an unsettling portrait of austerity, a future marked by declining government support, cost pressures (technological and other), constrained salaries, and a growing dependence on tuition revenues. Each side of this good news/bad news joke rings true. Each may turn out to be true.