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were possible only for institutions sharing geographical proximity, but teleconferencing and the Internet exponentially expand the opportunities for cooperation. Some subjects can be completely outsourced; for example, let one college have a strong French department and another a strong department in German. In other cases, costs can be shared, splitting a faculty member’s time between two or more institutions, by alternating physical and virtual presence. For the first half of the semester what is taught at one college can be remotely transmitted to another, and for the second half of the term this process can be reversed. This arrangement would require institutions to collaborate more closely by establishing procedures for joint appointments. Faculty members would no longer be affiliated with a single college or university and would be required to become much more mobile. But telecommunications technologies also make it possible for people to be in multiple places at the same time.

These new cooperative arrangements can be developed as effectively at the graduate as at the undergraduate level. With a dwindling number of jobs and no prospect for an increase in professional opportunities, it makes very little sense to have so many graduate programs in so many different fields and subfields. In order to consolidate resources without jeopardizing the quality of research and teaching, universities should form consortia that would allow the sharing of faculty in programs that are centered at one institution but have faculty distributed among several universities. For example, there really is no reason for all eight Ivy League universities to have doctoral programs in philosophy. Given the current state of affairs, two programs with distinctive orientations would be more than sufficient. The most effective cooperative organizational structure would be to have a core faculty constituted by select members of the home department and departments at affiliated institutions, which would be supplemented by colleagues in the undergraduate programs of all related universities. This arrangement would have the advantage of decreasing the number of graduate programs, while at the same time increasing both the number of contributing faculty members and the areas students can study. Qualified faculty members would participate in the program on a rotating basis and would always be available to serve in an advisory capacity. Courses would not be limited to offerings by resident professors but would also include lectures and seminars provided remotely. Office hours, consultations and meetings would be held using discussion and chat rooms that allow for real-time and delayed exchange and, when possible, teleconferencing. In recent years, the quality of teleconferencing has improved considerably, and it has become much more common and less expensive. When the generation of technology currently in development reaches the market, there will be another significant increase in quality and accessibility.

In the absence of geographical limitations, these cooperative undergraduate and graduate programs can extend from local and regional to national and international levels. The most successful colleges and universities in the future will be global institutions. Many models will emerge. Schools cannot and should not try to be everywhere but will have to have significant affiliations with other colleges and universities throughout the world. This is not merely a matter of economic necessity, but also an issue of educational responsibility. For several decades, there has been much discussion about the importance of increasing the diversity of both faculties and the student bodies. Two primary justifications are offered for these policies—the first is moral, and the second is pragmatic. It is correctly argued that education at every level should be the right of all and not the privilege of a few. In the absence of increased funding for financial aid, it will be necessary to undertake new institutional initiatives to expand educational opportunities without