“10,000 people will turn 65 per day during the next 17 years”—according to a recent article in Fast Company magazine [Is An MFA The New MBA?]. The piece goes on to argue that in our new “knowledge economy” it is creativity and imagination that are the skills which managers and leaders will be looking for: “…as a leader, your biggest human capital challenge is this: Where will you find enough next-generation workers with the skills required for success? This challenge is even greater when you factor in the nature of today’s flexible and contingent labor market. Consider this: Today’s contingent economy has people moving constantly from one job to another, one type of work to another, one industry to a different industry. In fact, on average, a person between the ages of 25 and 45 will hold 11 different jobs in their lifetime. Thirty percent of us will work in more than 15 different jobs over the course of our careers.”

The article’s author - Steven Tepper - argues that those of us trained and exposed in schooling where creative problem-solving is highly valued will be most adaptable and able during a time of such massive aging and retirement. A few years ago several of us here at CSW had a series of conversations with senior administrators at Babson, a college known for its successful graduates and as a foremost leader in entrepreneurship and innovation. For many years Babson has ensured that its undergrads are exposed to the world of the arts and creativity through coursework; at the leading edge of change. A place like Babson has always appreciated the value of creativity.

What remains key for CSW is that we continue to expand our platform of the arts—through technology, design and science. What we do know about the way our students and teachers work together is that collaborative, creative questioning, and thoughtful, imaginative problem-solving work in all disciplines. And we can always ask an artist; there are so many of them around us.

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Pocket Change is a web diary written by Jane Moulding, head of school.