The “open loop university” concept originated in a year-long project conducted by the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford, which challenged the community to imagine how the university would change by the year 2025. Students would enter the “open loop” at multiple times throughout their professional life, as they seek to gain skills and knowledge. The traditional 4-year undergraduate experience might also be transformed, as students come and go to gain experience beyond the classroom.
John L. Hennessy has been president of Stanford University since 2000, though he has announced plans to step down in the summer of 2016. A computer scientist and entrepreneur, he has long been a champion of online learning and educational innovation. To learn more about Hennessy’s transformational leadership, see this article from Stanford University: Stanford President John L. Hennessy to Step Down in 2016.