Fifty years ago, the staff of “The Outlook” predicted what the University would look like in 2020 (see Features for the related article). Here at “The Outlook,” we are always in awe of our predecessors; so, we thought we would pay them homage in this last issue of the year and present our own predictions for Monmouth University in 2074.
One editor worried about the role AI may have in the future, given its reputation in education even now, and predicted that it may even replace professors. On the technology train, they also said, “I think the way students get to school will depend on how advanced our technology is, if there even is public transportation anymore…will cars be flying?”
Flying cars was an unintentional, almost unanimous consensus among the editors, as another said, “In 2074, I can only hope we have achieved humanity’s constant goal of having flying cars. I expect parking lots on roofs at Monmouth University in 50 years (hopefully bigger than the one we have now)!”
Given the consistent rise in tuition (see News for the related article), all of our editors predicted that tuition costs will be outstanding. “Right now, tuition is around $46,000,” one editor began. “If it continues to go up around 3.5% every year from the current amount each year, tuition will probably be a little short of $1.1 million for one year (if I did my math correctly).”
Another agreed, “In 2074, as hard as it is to believe, Monmouth may not exist anymore. With the rise in tuition almost every year, who knows if future college students will be able to afford the University?”
Still, another editor cited the increasing tuition, noting that the value of a college education is simply not what it used to be. Monmouth, their opinion agreeing with the previous, may not exist due to the lack of students attending. “On top of that,” they continued, “tuition keeps increasing so that the Board of Trustees can keep making more and more money.”
While some editors believe Monmouth will have closed its doors, others predict that the University will have expanded. “I have to believe the school will make some major updates and expansions,” an editor noted. “Maybe more housing on the beach, more dining locations, and even more academic buildings.”
Coastal housing may not be an available option at all, according to one editor who explained, “If sea levels continue to rise and be a big problem along the east coast, then Monmouth might be underwater in 50 years…or at least slightly closer to the beach.”
One editor predicts that Monmouth will expand but simultaneously undergo a name change, especially given the institution’s recent focus. “There will be no more trees due to the extension of the Bruce Springsteen archives all across campus,” they said. “Maybe the school will even be Springsteen University, who knows? The only thing I will be able to recognize on campus when I return to visit will be the surplus of squirrels, which will outnumber the student body by a long shot.”
“A huge food court with anything from Panda Express to McDonald’s would be sick,” another editor expressed. “Maybe I’m not describing Monmouth in 50 years, but just my general idea of what an ideal school would look like. In all seriousness, I hope Monmouth only makes positive improvements in the coming years (and stays a Coca-Cola-product school forever)!”
“If Monmouth doesn’t start fixing these problems,” an editor warned, “then it will just be another college that shut down.”
One thing in this editor’s opinion, however, will remain: “‘The Outlook’ will still be here, as beautiful and as strong as ever.”
All in all, we editors have no idea what Monmouth is going to look like in 50 years. As the semester comes to a close, and as we publish our last issue of the year, everybody at “The Outlook” wishes our readers good luck on finals and a big congratulations to the graduates. Have a safe and restful summer, and thank you from the bottom of our little journalist hearts for supporting, reading, and engaging. We’ll see you in the fall!
As one editor succinctly put it, “Good luck, Monmouth!”
Thursday, May 02, 2024
