NATIONAL+JOURNAL%3a+FOCUS+ON+COLLEGES%2c+UNIVERSITIES%2c+AND+SCHOOLS+VOLUME+2+NUMBER+1%2c+2008%0d%0a%0d%0aNational+Focus+on+Postmodernism+in+Higher+Education%0d%0aMonica+G.+Williams+PhD+Student+in+Educational+Leadership+The+Whitlowe+College+of+Education+Prairie+View+A%26M+University+Prairie+View%2c+Texas+Director+of+Development+William+Marsh+Rice+University+Houston%2c+Texas%0d%0a%0d%0aABSTRACT+The+integration+of+postmodernism+in+higher+education+is+a+widely+debated+issue.+Critics+of+postmodernism+in+higher+education+hold+the+position+that+postmodernism+breeds+an+unruliness+of+knowledge.+Academicians+in+higher+education+often+choose+to+educate+students+through+means+of+prescription+rather+than+implementing+innovation+in+classroom+delivery+and+instruction.+By+placing+more+emphasis+on+what+is+commonplace+in+the+classroom+and+less+focus+on+what+is+of+interest+to+the+21st+Century+adult+student%2c+higher+education+institutions+will+begin+to+experience+a+rapid+decline+in+enrollment.+The+purpose+of+this+manuscript+is+to+examine+challenges+in+implementing+postmodernistic+strategies+in+higher+education.%0d%0a%0d%0aIntroduction%0d%0a%0d%0aIt+is+at+best+difficult+to+use+conventional+means+of+educating+higher+education+students+when+we+are+experiencing+%e2%80%9c%e2%80%a6extraordinary+and+rapid+changes+taking+place+in+our+society%e2%80%9d+(Bloland%2c+2005%2c+p.+122).+Edwards+and+Usher+further+state+that+%e2%80%9c%e2%80%a6institutionalized+education+at+all+levels+is+becoming+increasingly+more+diverse+in+terms+of+goals%2c+processes%2c+organizational+structures%2c+curricula%2c+and+pedagogy%e2%80%9d+(2000%2c+p.+2).+Given+this+assessment%2c+it+is+incumbent+upon+professors+of+higher+education+to+integrate+postmodern+strategies+in+teaching+styles+to+prepare+students+for+a+new+era.%0d%0a%0d%0a1%0d%0a%0d%0a%0cNATIONAL+JOURNAL%3a+FOCUS+ON+COLLEGES%2c+UNIVERSITIES%2c+AND+SCHOOLS+2_____________________________________________________________________________________%0d%0a%0d%0aPurpose+of+the+Article%0d%0a%0d%0aThe+purpose+of+this+article+is+to+review+aspects+of+postmodernism+strategies+used+in+higher+education.+Understanding+the+need+for+innovation+in+higher+education+is+critical.+Modernistic+approaches+to+teaching+adult+students+are+practices+that+should+continue%2c+but+it+should+be+a+widely+accepted+view+among+educators+to+give+students+what+they+need+to+be+successful+in+the+global+world+that+is+taking+shape.%0d%0a%0d%0aEducational+Entrepreneurialism%0d%0a%0d%0aResearch+indicates+that+postmodernism+has+sparked+numerous+academic+controversies.+This+intellectual+trend+is+seen+by+many+social+theorists+as+the+new+wave+of+educational+philosophy.+Take+for+example%2c+the+use+of+the+term+sustainability+in+education+now+as+opposed+to+a+decade+ago.+Sustainability+is+a+term+I+have+heard+throughout+my+professional+career.+Primarily%2c+this+term+has+been+used+by+educational+and+non-profit+institutions+to+describe+a+program%e2%80%99s+ability+to+survive+in+spite+of+the+challenges+it+faces+in+implementation.+Peter+Senge%e2%80%99s%2c+Learning+for+Sustainability%2c+offers+insight+on+stabilizing+business%2c+education%2c+industry%2c+government%2c+and+other+institutions+for+future+survival.+Each+author+examines+social+and+environmental+perspectives+as+part+of+useful+concepts+to+implement+in+business+decision+making.+Two+articles+in+Senge%e2%80%99s+book+piqued+my+interest%3a+%e2%80%9cLexicon%3a+Sustainability%e2%80%9d+and+%e2%80%9cThe+Sustainability+Engineer.%e2%80%9d+In+order+to+effectively+and+critically+review+%e2%80%9cThe+Sustainability+Engineer%2c%e2%80%9d+I+chose+to+use+%e2%80%9cLexicon%3a+Sustainability%e2%80%9d+as+the+basis+for+defining+sustainability.+%e2%80%9cSustainable+means+capable+of+continuing+indefinitely+without+depletion+or+diminished+return%e2%80%9d+(Senge%2c+2006%2c+p.+44).+%e2%80%9cThe+Sustainability+Engineer%e2%80%9d+chronicles+the+life+of+a+sustainability+manager+whose+primary+job+responsibility+is+%e2%80%9chelping+to+define+sustainable+management+concepts+and+put+them+into+practice+in+a+large+industrial+company%e2%80%9d+(Senge%2c+2006%2c+p.+68).+Having+studied+social+and+environmental+curricula+in+graduate+school%2c+this+manager+clearly+has+the+knowledge+base+to+perform+optimally+at+her+job.+Her+interest+in+international+societal+and+environmental+problems+took+flight+in+high+school%2c+and+she+became+consumed+with+solving+issues+of+environmental+degradation.+In+her+current+capacity%2c+the+sustainability+manager+analyzes+product+efficiency+in+order+to+make+products+more+environmentally+friendly.+She+embraces+the+philosophy+that+creating+a+better+planet+means+educating+business+leaders%2c+co-workers%2c+customers%2c+and+the+general+public+on+the+importance+of+sustaining+our+environment.+The+fact+that+there+are+now+collegiate+programs+that+focus+on+protecting+our+environment+is+a+testimonial+to+our+nation%e2%80%99s+growing+appreciation+for+and+awareness+of+sustainability+and+environmental+issues.+It+is+also+a+testament+to+the+growing+acceptance+of+postmodernism+in+education.+For+example%2c+Maharishi+University+in+Fairfield%2c+Iowa%2c+offers+a+Bachelor+of+Science+degree+in+Sustainable+Living+and+Environmental+Science.+Its+mission+is+to+%e2%80%9cbuild+communities+of+the+future%e2%80%9d+(Maharishi+University%2c+2006%2c+p.1).%0d%0a%0d%0a%0cMONICA+G.+WILLIAMS+_____________________________________________________________________________________3%0d%0a%0d%0aInstitutionalizing+a+change+in+behavior+in+order+to+preserve+the+future+of+many+nations+demonstrates+a+commitment+to+help+society+thrive+forever.+This+is+only+possible+through+the+development+of+programs+such+as+the+one+offered+at+Maharishi.+Emphasis+on+self-sustainability+is+at+the+hub+of+this+program%e2%80%99s+curriculum.+The+idea+that+society+is+a+%e2%80%9cnetwork+of+relationships%e2%80%9d+encourages+the+notion+that+it+is+important+%e2%80%9cto+give+the+maximum+to+others+without+getting+drained+or+overshadowed+by+circumstances%e2%80%9d+(Maharishi+University%2c+2006%2c+p.1).+Another+topic+covered+in+this+curriculum+is+maintaining+perfect+health+by+identifying+environmental+threats+to+human+physiology+and+learning+how+to+protect+against+those+threats.+Obviously%2c+academia+now+embraces+the+importance+of+teaching+students+how+to+be+environmentally+engaged.+Fenwick+W.+English+(2003)+asserts+that+%e2%80%9c%e2%80%a6school+administrators+should+think+about+schools%2c+what+they+should+do+in+them+to+improve+them%2c+and+how+children+might+benefit+from+their+actions%e2%80%9d+(p.+121).+English%e2%80%99s+position+that+engaging+in+traditional+bureaucratic+procedures+and+rules+could+%e2%80%9c%e2%80%a6pose+a+threat+to+a+radical+departure+from+current+practices%e2%80%9d+(2003%2c+p.+121).%0d%0a%0d%0aOrganizational+Diversity+vs.+Educational+Disparity%0d%0a%0d%0aMuch+disparity+exists+in+education+as+it+relates+to+racial+and+ethnic+groups.+The+more+multicultural+our+society+becomes%2c+the+more+we+need+to+apply+postmodern+theory.+Schools+of+higher+education+have+not+adequately+adapted+their+structures+to+compliment+race+consciousness+and+appropriately+educating+the+underserved.+Underrepresented+educational+societies%2c+namely+Historically+Black+Colleges+and+Universities+(HBCUs)+and+Hispanic+Serving+Institutions+(HSIs)%2c+lack+the+exposure+necessary+to+compete+with+students+graduating+from+majority+institutions.+This+is+largely+a+result+of+the+lack+of+resources+available+at+minority+institutions.+A+clear+example+of+this+exists+in+the+segregation+of+public+funds+allocated+to+the+only+two+HBCUs+in+the+State+of+Texas+compared+to+other+majority+institutions+in+the+State.%0d%0a%0d%0aConcluding+Remarks%0d%0a%0d%0aThe+decision+to+seek+private+funding+sources+from+individuals+and+corporations+comes+as+the+competition+for+limited+educational+dollars+intensifies%2c+especially+when+local+and+state+governments+are+facing+shrinking+revenues+and+growing+public+needs.+Consequently%2c+the+need+for+alumni+support+is+at+an+all-time+high.+Without+external+funding%2c+HBCUs+and+HSIs+will+be+good+institutions%2c+but+they+will+not+have+the+quality+that+is+essential+for+underrepresented+students+to+compete+successfully+in+the+global+new+world+that+is+taking+shape.+Lack+of+essential+funds+in+the+future+will+also+place+limitations+on+deserving+high+school+graduates.+It+would+be+a+tragedy+for+a+young+man+or+woman+to%0d%0a%0d%0a%0cNATIONAL+JOURNAL%3a+FOCUS+ON+COLLEGES%2c+UNIVERSITIES%2c+AND+SCHOOLS+4_____________________________________________________________________________________%0d%0a%0d%0awork+hard+for+college+admission+and+then+not+be+able+to+attend+because+they+cannot+afford+it.+The+future+of+these+institutions+and+the+leaders+of+tomorrow+will+be+determined+to+a+large+degree+by+the+success+of+raising+funds+from+the+private+sector.%0d%0a%0d%0aReferences%0d%0a%0d%0aBloland%2c+H.+G.+(2005).+Whatever+happened+to+postmodernism+in+higher+education%3f+No+requiem+in+the+new+millennium.+The+Journal+of+Higher+Education%2c+76%2c+2.+Edwards%2c+R.+G.%2c+%26+Usher%2c+R.+(2006).+Lifelong+learning%3a+A+postmodern+condition+of+education%3f+Vancouver%2c+Canada%3a+University+of+British+Columbia.+English%2c+F.+W.+(2003).+The+postmodern+challenge+to+the+theory+and+practice+of+educational+administration.+Springfield%2c+IL%3a+Charles+C.+Thomas+Publisher%2c+Ltd.+Maharishi+University+(2006).+Sustainable+living%2fenvironmental+science+program.+Retrieved+November+1%2c+2006%2c+from+Maharishi+University%e2%80%99s+Sustainable+Living%2fEnvironmental+Science+Program+Website%3a+http%3a%2f%2fmum.edu%2fsustainable_living%2f+Senge%2c+P.%2c+Laur%2c+J.%2c+Schley%2c+S.%2c+%26+Smith%2c+B.+(2006).+Learning+for+sustainability.+Cambridge%3a+Society+for+Organizational+Learning%2c+Incorporated.%0d%0a%0d%0a________________________________________________________________________+Formatted+by+Dr.+Mary+Alice+Kritsonis%2c+National+Research+and+Manuscript+Preparation+Editor%2c+National+FORUM+Journals%2c+Houston%2c+Texas.+www.nationalforum.com%0d%0a%0d%0a%0c