So the present, for this prep school 90 minutes west of Boston, is a library without books.

Not one.

But there will be three large flat-screen TVs worth $42,000 to project data from the Internet, some $20,000 worth of special laptop-friendly study carrels (whatever those are) at the new learning centre in Cushing Academy. And there will be a $50,000 coffee shop, with — hold your breath – a $12,000 cappuccino machine.

“When I look at books, I see an outdated technology, like scrolls before books,” Dr James Tracy, the headmaster in question told The Boston Globe.

Wow.

Personally, I think Dr Tracy is a genius. Not for the idea – not sure what to make of it at this point, except go, once again, ‘wow’ – but because of his persuasive powers. The man took over just three years ago, but in that three years he has managed to get the administrators of a 144-year-old institution – yes, that’s correct, Cushing Academy is not your average here-today-gone-tomorrow kind of school – to actually act on a thought that can easily be described as radical. Now here is a man most CEOs can learn from.

Without further comments, let me pass you on to the full report here…

Image courtesy: clipartof.com