What is academia and what comprises the academic ecosystem?

What is academia? Is it just schools? Does it extend to publications and journals? Should we include  training inside companies? What about certification programs?

If we extend this to an ecosystem. What are the inputs and outputs? Who benefits? What are the external and internal pressures and who is applying these pressures?

From 50,000ft the ecosystem resembles the simple flow chart below.

I think we can all agree the example above is highly simplified and fails to capture much of the complexity and interrelationships. If we take a step back frame this in the context of products and consumers the takes on a different view

This system is much more complex. I think we can see school/learning is not only ongoing but provides necessary resources for the engine that is our economy.

Now lets forget everything we just said. The more we think about it; maybe we should replace the “School” sub process with “Learning”; the transfer of knowledge. Does our current academic system transfer knowledge in an efficient and equal manor? Why? Why not? What parts of the academic ecosystem work well? Can we borrow them for something new?

lets explore these questions in an upcoming post.