These online courses, hosted by the likes of Udacity, Coursera and edX, have been the subject of much hype in recent months, as institutions debate whether this will save or endanger the traditional university degree.
It is for the faculty and students of the institution to debate those issues for themselves, and the university as an institution should not intrude in those debates by purporting to decide on the "correct" point of view.
Moot court is a funny institution, part debate club and part "American Idol".
Yet another was an innovation that has already become an institution; televised debates are here to stay.But the most important change will flow from the likely result tonight.
American financial institutions have debated the rule changes as keenly as anybody.
We shouldn't forget that the scientific milieu in which Galileo worked was dominated by the church, he was devout, he worked in catholic institutions and debated with scientifically minded clergy.
Some cultural institutions are debating whether to raise admission and parking fees to offset the loss in donations as donors have quietly reduced their generosity to match their smaller portfolios.
Of course, there are still righteous struggles over particular movies, particular filmmakers, particular movements, and particular questions, and these localized conflicts often seem fierce and bloody, but they are little compared to the map-changing, institution-establishing debates of earlier days.
An accepted and foundational principle about the role of faith institutions in debates about public policy and other issues that surface in societies is that they are in it to promote the common good for the long haul -- for eternity, to be more precise.
"It also pushes people to learn to be not just better litigators but to become more empathetic people, and that's what really speaks to us as an institution about the debate union".
States, communities and institutions continue to debate what is a proper display of that heritage.
