Universities Kill the Planet?

From Gatekeepers to Gamechangers

In the shadow of AI disruption, economic upheaval, and a collective search for meaning, students are no longer satisfied with choosing majors. They are seeking missions. Following the momentum of The Death of Universities? and the resurgence of public debate around access, value, and purpose in higher education, we find ourselves at a crossroads. A quiet revolution is underway, led not by institutions clinging to tradition, but by those daring to redefine what education is – and what it is for.

At institutions like Arizona State University, this shift is already visible. ASU’s mission-driven transdisciplinary schools, including the School for the Future of Innovation in Society, are building platforms where education is a catalyst for global action. As of 2024, sustainability is a core requirement for all incoming ASU students. The university has launched a coral restoration center in Hawaii, received a $15 million grant for clean energy research, and restructured its entire academic vision around planetary stewardship.

This is not merely a curriculum change. It is a paradigmatic reorientation – from content delivery to systems transformation. Leiden University College has designed honors programs around global challenges. Clover 2030 in Chile trains engineers not for factories, but for futures. Singularity University merges AI, ethics, and exponential technologies to imagine humanity beyond scarcity. At O.P. Jindal Global University, law students explore climate justice. Ashesi University fuses liberal arts with entrepreneurship and ethical leadership, building an African renaissance from the ground up.

UNESCO’s latest Futures of Education framework urges systems to become “regenerative,” designed to nourish both society and biosphere. The OECD, in its Future of Higher Education 2050 report, calls on universities to abandon credential-centric models in favor of problem-solving ecosystems.

It is in this context that the TING Global Educational Program emerges- an educational program I lead that integrates systems thinking, storytelling, and planetary awareness into experiential learning. Through TING and its gamified learning spinoff TINGmania, we collaborate with schools and universities around the world – including a growing initiative in El Salvador – to reimagine learning as participation in planetary healing. Students no longer just study the world; they help remake it.

As education philosopher Sir Ken Robinson said, “The fact is that given the challenges we face, education doesn’t need to be reformed – it needs to be transformed.” And as Dr. Maria Spies, co-CEO of HolonIQ, recently noted: “The world’s top universities are no longer only competing on prestige, but on purpose.”

In the age of artificial intelligence, this transformation takes on new urgency. AI isn’t a distant threat or futuristic fantasy – it is now. Mastery of tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and GitHub Copilot will soon be as basic as writing an email. At the Rotman School of Management, an AI assistant named All Day TA responded to over 12,000 student queries. It is now used in more than 100 universities.

The challenge is not to ban AI from classrooms but to use it as a force multiplier for learning. As Audrey Watters, an education technology critic, argues, “We have to stop pretending that education technology is neutral. It isn’t. It reflects our values – so let’s make sure those values include equity, creativity, and human dignity.”

This transformation is also internal. Our behavior is shaped by what might be called motivational memes – cultural software that programs our values and actions. For centuries, the dominant memes were the 3Gs:

1. God – Spiritual purpose
2. Gold – Material wealth
3. Glory – Personal or national prestige

But today, these memes often lead to fragmentation, anxiety, and ecological degradation. The modern world is a battlefield between consumerism and consciousness.

A new triad is emerging: the 3Ls – Love, Learning, and Legacy. These are not abstract ideals, but strategic values for a planetary civilization:

1. Love – Empathy and stewardship
2. Learning – Lifelong adaptability
3. Legacy – Intergenerational responsibility

Technology acts as a catalyst for these memes. AI systems can align actions with long-term goals. Social platforms can spread narratives of compassion and cooperation. Immersive education – through VR, AR, and experiential systems – can shift mindsets at scale.

But to embrace the 3Ls, we must build resilience. This begins with the 3Cs: Commitment (to a cause), Challenge (as a path to growth), and Control (a sense of agency). These pillars prepare students to navigate a world in flux, empowering them to become not just job-seekers but purpose-driven changemakers.

What if universities became SDG innovation labs? What if every course asked, “What world problem does this solve?” From ASU to ETH Zurich, from Minerva to TING, this shift has begun. In Europe, 25 medical schools are training students to fight climate-linked diseases.

But seeds of change need tending. The risk is not that universities become obsolete. The risk is that they stay the same.

Rewrite the Code of Education

We are no longer passive recipients of an outdated educational script – we are its authors.

Whether you are a student, educator, policymaker, or innovator, the question is no longer “What is the purpose of education?” but “What kind of future are we educating for?”

If you are an academic leader – audit your curriculum. Where are your students solving real problems?

If you are a teacher – integrate AI, systems thinking, and planetary awareness into your pedagogy.

If you are a student – demand more. Ask not only what you can learn, but what you can change.

If you are a policymaker – fund the transformation. Education reform is climate action, innovation strategy, and civic infrastructure all at once.

The future will not be inherited – it will be co-created. And the university, reimagined, can be the most powerful platform for planetary regeneration. But only if we choose to evolve.