JD Rottweiler, Ph.D.
As the world deals with global threats and unpredictable markets and the United States prepares for an important election, the term “creative destruction” or “disruptive innovation” has been regularly on my mind. In Forbes, contributor Adam Hartung recently applied the theory to the social climate that led to Brexit and the current U.S. presidential race.
Creative destruction is an economic term that refers to situations in which innovation renders its predecessors obsolete. What is known and accepted transitions into something else that becomes the new normal.
When considered in a more positive light, it’s a term that also makes me think of the Cochise College Downtown Center (slated to open in mid-August), where something that was obsolete, outdated, and closed is re-purposed and re-opens as a state-of-the-art teaching facility. The center is located in the former Sierra Vista Regional Health Center, which closed when Canyon Vista Hospital opened. It was donated to the college by The Legacy Foundation of Southeast Arizona. Through creativity and innovation, it becomes the new home, appropriately, of nursing and health sciences, culinary arts and electronics training programs; the Center for Lifelong Learning and Small Business Development Center/Center for Economic Research; Virtual Campus offices; and three local partners that facilitate community services. It makes room on campus for other things, flexibility the college hasn’t had in recent years. Notice the domino effect.
Extensive renovation has revealed symbols of past creative destruction. A “no parking” sign found on an interior wall is evidence that spot previously served a different purpose. Where once there was an emergency room, now there is a large classroom.
Many times, in order to grow, organizations need to remain relevant and keep up with the times, or even be ahead of the curve. Transformation isn’t always easy. But I feel that the forces that played a role in making the Downtown Center a reality shaped an especially sweet opportunity to transform that location and its purpose in a way that will benefit the entire region. The closure of something old has resulted in a creative innovation that advances not just one community but the whole county.
“Moving forward” will be the theme of this year’s Cochise College employee convocation, which will be the first event to test the capacity of the Downtown Center. The center itself is symbolic of this theme but also is a metaphor for creative destruction. What was old is new again.
J.D. Rottweiler is president of Cochise College. Contact him at jdr@cochise.edu.