Abstract

The 2006 Spellings Commission Report wants to formalize a paradigm shift regarding the purpose of higher education in the USA. Colleges and universities are part of a knowledge industry and no longer places of learning where learning can be pursued for its own sake. The new paradigm is utilitarian in nature because vocationalism is more pronounced than before in the name of consumer need to know and the nation's need to maintain its economic competitive edge. The purpose of a college education is to be measured by improved individual rates of return on their investment and the degree of social benefit (and revenue generated) from the commercialization of research and other college-based activities (Scott, 2003). This paper is a discussion of how the impact the Spelling Commission and previous reports have on defining instructional and organizational performance excellence on campuses.