The power and promise of higher education in an age of disruption

Originally published in the Orange County Business Journal on Oct. 20, 2025

Across boardrooms and kitchen tables alike, one question dominates the discussion: Is higher education still relevant in the age of AI?

With algorithms now capable of drafting memos, analyzing data and even writing code, some argue that universities are relics of a bygone era. But this misses the true role of higher education.

A university degree has never been just about memorizing facts. It is also about cultivating judgment, building the professional skills that allow individuals to turn insights into actions and developing the critical thinking skills needed to make ethical decisions during periods of disruption. If anything, rapid technological change has made universities in many ways more critical, not less.

Overwhelming evidence

The evidence is overwhelming that education delivers lifelong benefits. College graduates earn significantly more over a lifetime, often upwards of a million dollars more than those with only a high school diploma.

They are healthier, live longer and are more engaged citizens. Data from the U.S. Census and Bureau of Labor Statistics consistently show that individuals with a bachelor’s degree have lower unemployment, higher civic participation and greater financial well-being. In fact, recent studies show that those with a college degree live nearly eight years longer on average than those without. Education pays dividends not just in income but in vitality and civic health.

This is particularly relevant in Orange County, a region that exemplifies our country’s evolution into a service-based and knowledge-driven economy.

Healthcare and professional services are now among the fastest-growing sectors, adding thousands of jobs last year alone. Los Angeles and Orange County together host the nation’s fourth-largest cluster of AI specialists, with more than 13,600 workers.

The tech workforce here has grown 13% in just five years, with average salaries topping $120,000. These jobs demand advanced skills. They underscore the reality that knowledge workers are the backbone of our economy, and that the path to those roles runs through higher education.

Yet we cannot ignore the tension. Higher education should not only be judged by its quality but also by its accessibility. Families rightly ask: is a degree affordable, understandable and relevant? Too often, institutions have been seen as out of reach. At the Merage School, we embrace this responsibility.

It is not enough to just deliver rigorous content. In order for our programs to be truly world-class, we provide experiences for our graduates to master the skills and professional behaviors that directly meet the needs of the business community. We are also intentional about creating pathways that ensure students from all communities have access to our education.

Future leaders

That is why we invest in initiatives like the Future Leaders Initiative, which introduces high school students across Southern California to careers in business and technology. Our Part-Time Online Master of Science in Business Analytics and Flex MBA programs make advanced business education available to professionals balancing work and family obligations.

Our Research in Action platform ensures that our faculty’s research discoveries move from theory to practice, shaping how businesses and communities adapt to new challenges.

These efforts make education not an ivory tower pursuit but a community investment with tangible impact.

Our goal is to be a key driver of economic and social well-being for Orange County and Southern California. We cannot achieve this goal on our own. Cross-sector collaboration is essential.

That is why we convene an advisory board of local and global leaders from business, government, and the nonprofit sector to guide our direction. When universities, employers and civic organizations work together, they create talent pipelines that fuel innovation, transform local economies and expand opportunities.

The Orange County of 2025 looks nothing like it did in 1965. Thus, the UC Irvine should not look like it did when it was founded 60 years ago. We must evolve. This is especially true for business schools.

Today, we embrace the opportunities being created by technological breakthroughs in AI, virtual reality, fintech and renewable energy by directly integrating these issues into our curriculum. We have also incorporated learnings from difficult periods in our country, such as the dot-com crash, the global financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, to develop leaders who possess the ethical capabilities to lead and govern organizations responsibly.

The best way to honor higher education’s legacy is not to preserve it unchanged but to adapt it to new realities.

The fundamentals, however, remain sound. Education doubles opportunities, strengthens communities and generates leaders who drive both economic growth and social progress. The narrative may swing between skepticism and celebration, our own “tale of two cities,” but the data is clear.

College graduates live longer, earn more and contribute more to society. For Orange County and beyond, the question is not whether education matters in the age of AI. The real question is how quickly we can evolve to ensure its promise reaches all who seek it.

Ian O. Williamson is the dean of the Paul Merage School of Business.