On February 26th, a group of educational leaders came together to participate in UCI’s 50th Anniversary Academic Symposia, where topic of discussion was “The Future of Higher Education.” Moderated by Michael G. Riley, editor-in-chief of The Chronicle of Higher Education, the panel included the UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman, James E. K. Hildreth, Ph.D. M.D., president of Meharry Medical College; Maria M. Klawe, Ph.D., president of Harvey Mudd College, and Ralph J. Cicerone, Ph.D., president of the National Academy of Sciences and former UCI chancellor.

The symposium featured an informative exchange between the panelists, with a few timely questions from the audience. The panel covered many topics including the issue of continuing tuition increases, the future of technology in the classroom, and student diversity. The symposium ended with closing remarks from Chancellor Gillman. He reiterated his vision for UCI and praised the university’s faculty and staff for providing an ivy league level education to our students regardless of their background or economic status.