Obama's State of the Union and Information Schools

In his 2011 state of the union speech, President Barack Obama said, "Maintaining our leadership in research and technology is crucial to America’s success. But if we want to win the future -– if we want innovation to produce jobs in America and not overseas -– then we also have to win the race to educate our kids."

Many of the information schools have run their degree programs with these goals in mind for a whole generation now. That's one of the reasons that undergraduates from information schools such as Syracuse, Washington, and Penn State often have such high starting salaries: the education that iSchool students receive prepares them for high value, high demand jobs in U.S. organizations.

The typically glacial pace of change in higher education represents both a challenge and an opportunity for the iSchools. Higher education must adapt more rapidly to a changing world, and iSchools stand poised to be a leader in adaptability and innovation. Note that "Information Nation" explains how the information professions fit into the world economy, and describes how students in the information field can recession-proof their jobs and careers upon graduation. They key, as President Obama suggested in his speech, lies in building a core of relevant and valuable skills along with an attitude of adaptability and a love for lifelong learning - all values that most information schools try to promote.