COLUMN: Online learning misses the spirit of environment

June 14, 2001

As colleges confront a new century, many of their leaders have proclaimed distance learning the wave of the future. Last year, for instance, a high-tech entrepreneur pledged $100 million to begin an “Ivy League-quality” university on the Internet, free of charge. Harvard University is not immune to the trend: this year the business school decided to offer online courses, and the College may eventually follow suit.