Model of the Moment

The terms “outsourcing” and “workforce development” rarely appear as allies in the same sentence. At least not in Rust Belt states like Indiana, where the loss of manufacturing jobs has driven an increase in demand for postsecondary degrees that point to jobs that will not soon be exported overseas.

But Indiana’s leaders have embraced an outsourcing solution to the state's outsourcing problem. As Indiana faced down a challenge shared by many other states in the aftermath of 2008's financial bloodbath -- trying to increase capacity, especially for adult learners, at public universities while simultaneously gutting their budgets -- Gov. Mitch Daniels decided that, instead of paying to expand online programs at its existing state institutions, Indiana would contract with a private university outside its borders.