Dear Professor Ghodsi
Salaam and thanks and my appreciation for your efforts. Please include me in your list and I will try to do my share as best as I can. Some comments you may already be aware but as a reminder
1- The blog would need continuous management and direction so it would not be turned into a routine “complaint” site with eventual filtering and/or natural shut down. This is not to portray a pessimistic component and downplay the importance of the task initiated but to improve the probability of failure free effort. To avoid that, a dedicated group (because it requires a lot of time input not possible or expected from one individual)- with known informal hierarchy and organization and necessary experience- needs to devise a roadmap and direct the discussions (pros and cons).
2- It should be borne in mind that the suggestions for solutions to problems will be inherently gradual and piecewise. Compilation and integration of the comments received is very time-consuming but highly required. As such, the managing group have to assume the role of a think-tank (soliciting inputs from experts as required) with an overall objective of producing an action plan within a certain period of time. This will be submitted to relevant officials. The prevailing legislative, judiciary, and executive limitations have to be taken into account when drafting such a document.
3- With time, other similar blogs (education, research, higher education goals, technology, etc) can be solicited and initiated by the managing group. This is needed because (1) the current problems we face, are the result of years of poor management and can not be solved overnight, and (2) we have lagged in integrated approach in almost all of our decision making approaches; somebody makes cars and others make roads and they do not talk to each other. We do the same in higher education. In summary, we need to bring it the relevant stakeholders gradually.
All the best
Torkian
Salaam and thanks and my appreciation for your efforts. Please include me in your list and I will try to do my share as best as I can. Some comments you may already be aware but as a reminder
1- The blog would need continuous management and direction so it would not be turned into a routine “complaint” site with eventual filtering and/or natural shut down. This is not to portray a pessimistic component and downplay the importance of the task initiated but to improve the probability of failure free effort. To avoid that, a dedicated group (because it requires a lot of time input not possible or expected from one individual)- with known informal hierarchy and organization and necessary experience- needs to devise a roadmap and direct the discussions (pros and cons).
2- It should be borne in mind that the suggestions for solutions to problems will be inherently gradual and piecewise. Compilation and integration of the comments received is very time-consuming but highly required. As such, the managing group have to assume the role of a think-tank (soliciting inputs from experts as required) with an overall objective of producing an action plan within a certain period of time. This will be submitted to relevant officials. The prevailing legislative, judiciary, and executive limitations have to be taken into account when drafting such a document.
3- With time, other similar blogs (education, research, higher education goals, technology, etc) can be solicited and initiated by the managing group. This is needed because (1) the current problems we face, are the result of years of poor management and can not be solved overnight, and (2) we have lagged in integrated approach in almost all of our decision making approaches; somebody makes cars and others make roads and they do not talk to each other. We do the same in higher education. In summary, we need to bring it the relevant stakeholders gradually.
All the best
Torkian
