This editorial aims to introduce the special issue on the theme of complexity, and to discuss the situation in education, in terms of current issues such as knowledge, innovation and the Chinese example, whilst looking ahead to influences that might dictate the universities of the future.
The article uses the metaphor of an Edgar Allen Poe character, M. Valdemar, to discuss the current state of the education system, particularly questioning its health and what the future might hold.
The present is a period of transformation and universities may not all survive in their current state.
This introduction provides an interesting view of the problems that universities currently face and the need for large transformation in the sector using a striking literary metaphor.
