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Cross-Border Research, Planning, and Learning with Canada
Dr. Rux earned a M.A. from the University of Toronto, where he was a Graduate Fellow. His focus was Canadian history. After taking his degree, he taught Canadian history and literature in the Province of Ontario for five years. He also worked for a year in the history reference section of the Metropolitan Toronto Public Library. During his time in Canada, Dr. Rux made lifelong friends and professional contacts. He has taken formal steps to gain more "return on investment" from these cross-border ties.
In 2007, Dr. Rux founded Xpert Venture Designs Corporation, XVDC. It is a Canadian federal nonprofit corporation. Its purpose is to promote new ventures that benefit the people of Canada. These new ventures include cross-border research, planning and learning with the USA. The website for XVDC is: www.venturedesigns.org. Dr. Rux is board chair of XVDC and represents it in the USA.
CANADA RESEARCH CENTER - Madison, Wisconsin
In 2008, Dr. Rux founded the Canada Research Center to promote cross-border ressearch, planning and learning with the USA as the other end of the "bridge" to Xpert Venture Designs Corporation in Canada. Canada Research Center takes advantage of the huge print resources on Canada at the nearby Wisconsin State Historical Society in Madison, Wisconsin.
It has complete, "up-to-the-minute" sets of Canadian provincial and federal government documents. Moreover, its collection of history books about Canada is world-class and equal to those at Yale and Duke. Dr. Rux plans to "mine" and apply this "treasure chest" in cooperation with business, education, and government. He is CEO of the Center. Its website is www.canadaresearchcenter.info.
To sharpen his cross-border skills, Dr. Rux teaches courses on international relations over the Internet. He is also an active member of the Madison International Trade Association: www.mitaweb.org .
Madison Capital Times, March 17, 2008, pg. A9.
Rethink School Planning in Light of Skyrocketing Energy Costs
By Paul Rux
Last year the Goldman Sachs investment firm in New York predicted oil would reach $105 a barrel by February 2008. Oil hit $109 a barrel on March 11. Now Goldman Sachs is predicting that oil will hit $200 a barrel before 2008 ends. These costs are going to play havoc with school budgets because of huge busing costs.
As the costs of driving, home heating and food (which requires transport) go through the roof, taxpayers are not going to be in a mood to pay higher property or income taxes for school busing.
Many school districts seem to live in a business-as-usual dreamland. We are having an "oil shock" to the economy right now. The rising price of gas is pulling the economy into a recession or worse. Yet many school districts continue to hype "building sprees" that will create crushing school taxes when busing costs soon explode.
Our consolidated schools reflect the now-outdated "factory" model for doing business. The Industrial Revolution promoted centralization as the cost-effective model for production. School districts aped this model because the low costs of oil allowed them to transport "raw materials" to central, consolidated locations for "processing" until now.
The Information Age model is decentralized networking that uses technology to share and manage resources. Students no longer need to travel to a central location to use a library, an old rationale for consolidated schools. Today the Internet brings the library to students, "just in time," ready when and where they are. The Internet trumps oil costs!
The "pain" of energy costs to taxpayers could become "gain" if we take time to rethink and restructure schooling. Perhaps decentralized "country schools" will make a comeback. They are close to the customer and do not require costly busing.
