The social responsibilities of higher education serve as the foundation for its existence. Within an increasingly global context, society expects colleges and universities to undertake new and increasingly complex social responsibilities that expand traditional higher education missions while emphasizing new obligations such as economic development and sustainability. Higher education institutions have responded by adding new programs and services—such as new degree programs, equity and inclusion offices, and training for older workers—and aggressively pursuing new sources of revenue in support of their missions. Despite these considerable efforts, there is a growing sense that higher education is not adequately fulfilling its social responsibilities. We contend that these trends do not stem from intransigence, but are instead symptomatic of the need for strategic management frameworks tailored to the unique social responsibilities and impacts of higher education. To this end, we introduce a strategic social responsibility framework based on the emergent concept of dynamic capabilities. Strategic social responsibility emphasizes the establishment and continuing renewal of an orchestration infrastructure that enables colleges and universities to maximize their social impact through the alignment of strategy and resources. Implications for future scholarship and policy are discussed.

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The advantages of new sources of energy must be weighed against environmental, health, and safety concerns related to new production technology. The rapid development of unconventional oil and gas fields, such as the Barnett and Marcellus Shales, provide an excellent context for these contrasting goals. Information about extraction hazards is an extremely important issue. In general, patents are viewed as a positive force in this regard, providing a vehicle for disseminating information in exchange for a limited property right over an invention. However, by limiting the evaluation of an invention by third parties, patents might also be used to control the creation of new information. Such control is more likely in situations where third-party use and assessment may produce information damaging to the patent owner. This Article explores the relationship between patents and information control in the context of natural gas extraction. Understanding the role of a patent as an information-control mechanism is critical to INTRODUCTIONThe recent boom in natural gas extraction presents a classic information problem. To assess the benefits of this emerging energy source, one needs to fully understand the risks of using invasive drilling techniques. But that information has not always been easily accessible. In February 2010, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce launched an investigation into the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing fluids and the 280Fracking Patents potential impact of industry practices on the environment and human health., Even though hydraulic fracturing has become a common practice in the oil and gas industry since fracturing was commercialized in the late 1940s, it has recently become quite visible and controversial in ways not previously experienced.2 During the course of its investigation, the Committee asked fourteen leading oil and gas service companies to disclose the types and volumes of the products they used in their fluids between 2005 and 2009, along with the chemical contents of those products. 3 The resulting analysis was described in a press release as "the first comprehensive national inventory of chemicals used by hydraulic fracturing companies during the drilling process." 4 The responses revealed that the surveyed companies had used 780 million gallons of some 2,500 different products, which collectively contained over 750 identifiable chemicals and other components. 5 According to the Committee, " [s]ome of the components used in the hydraulic fracturing products were common and generally harmless, such as salt and citric acid, whereas others were unexpected, such as instant coffee and walnut hulls." 6Of greater concern, a number of the components identified were extremely toxic, such as benzene and lead, while still other components could not be Waxman requested similar information from the three largest oil and gas service companies Halliburton, Schlumberger and BJ Services (since acquired by Baker Hughes). See Feb. 18 Memo, supra, at 7.2. Starti...

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