Japanese F- LECCS

F-LECCS ... say it after me ... slowly ... Fukui LEarning Community Consortium, consists of 7 Japanese universities, cooperating with one another to build what they call a "virtual university environment" on a computer network, using open source software such as Social Networking Software (SNS), Learning Management System (LMS) and e-Portfolio. This open platform allows all users to access resources across the universties - intercollegiate learning communities. In these days of budget cuts I wonder why universities in the L- & UPs cannot do the same. The results are amazing. They have 6,000 registrants in 303 SNS communities, 114,000 articles (about 175/day). The LMS has 177 courses. Obvious advantages - limited learning resourses in each university are leveraged through sharing. Note that this is not a merger but rather a moderate coalition. None of the universities loses identity, discretion or freedom.