Explore the most pressing issues concerning Harvard's digital
identity with campus leaders and fellow students, alumni/ae and staff
during an evening filled with great conversation, company and food. Food
for Thought dinners will be comprised of tables of eight individuals and
will be held at several of Cambridge's finer dining spots. Dinner discussions
will be led by a moderator, and your group's thoughts will be submitted
as part of the larger conversation at the conference. Once you register,
you will be assigned a restaurant, and confirmation will be sent to your
email address shortly before the conference.
Seating is limited, so register early. Please be advised
that we cannot accommodate seating or restaurant requests. All restaurants
will be accessible to public transportation.
We hope you will join in for what promises to be an evening
of great conversation, company and food. Questions to be addressed include:
What does it mean to be a member of the Harvard community
when digital technology makes it possible to transcend traditional barriers?
How are we responding to the explosive controversies surrounding
the ownership of digital content in the university setting, and what
do our policy choices say about our values?
What opportunities - and responsibilities - does Harvard
have as a member of the global community, and how do we translate this
to action?
Which do you consider a greater threat to Harvard's digital
future - invasions of privacy, or a lack of openness?
How is Harvard’s brand managed, controlled, and developed
in the digital context?
As a growing proportion of the collections of the Harvard
libraries and art museums are made available to the world via the Internet,
-- and as the libraries and museums of other universities evolve along
similar lines -- should these institutions abandon their aspirations
to acquire comprehensive (or at least well balanced) collections of
materials, and instead specialize in certain areas, relying on online
collaboration for materials not housed within Harvard?
What should Harvard’s strategy be in relation to making
digital video of courses and related teaching materials available to
the general public?
In combination, the widespread use of digital technology
and the intellectual-property policies of the university have made it
easier and more profitable for faculty members to engage in entrepreneurial
or consulting activities unrelated to their core Harvard responsibilities.
Should Harvard professors pursue for- profit ventures while teaching?
Is Harvard’s technology architecture an impediment to,
or an enabling force, for collaboration at the university?
Do we envision a future where courses may be attended,
materials read, and degrees obtained all through distance learning via
the Internet?
Is publishing Harvard’s knowledge enough or should online
users be given additional rights to build on that knowledge using the
marvelous tools available to store and manipulate digital work?
Can we imagine a strategy to build out part of Harvard's
glorious, teched-out, under-utilized Arsenal properties in Watertown
into a cross-disciplinary physical space dedicated to developing, communicating
and amplifying Harvard’s digital identity?
