At first glance, the issue faced by Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University (Calif.) may not seem too daunting: a few thousand applications a year and 1,600 students enrolled in 16 programs at five campuses. What’s so tough about that?
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11/7/2012
11/7/2012
Four different programs were being used for end-of-course evaluations, and the disparate system was inconsistent and slow. The college purchased an online system with automatic emails delivering a personalized URL specifically for the class taken. The pilot achieved a savings of more than $17,000.
11/7/2012
NMU's Foundation Scholarship application and selection process was inefficient and labor intensive. A web application was designed that matched selection criteria to the student's academic and biographical profile. The new system reduced data entry, paper, timing, and labor costs, while increasing data accuracy and providing more information to selection committees.
11/7/2012
Financial aid verification was a cumbersome, paper-intensive project that took 6-8 weeks and was prone to errors. With an automated verification solution, DCCCD shaved weeks off the schedule, reduced and realigned staff resources, and even retained some at-risk students.
11/5/2012
Last year, a grand jury in Pennsylvania indicted Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky on child molestation charges. Penn State executives and athletic leaders also stood accused of a massive cover-up. In the end, the toll for the University, the victims, and their families was staggering. The financial expense of the Sandusky Scandal has run up a reported $17 million in fees, plus a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sanction and fine of $60-million.
11/2/2012
From sources of funding to student engagement models, from the use of mobile technology to social media, multiple disruptive forces create surprises for administrators, frustrations for academics and bewilderment for students. Uncertainty threatens to incapacitate institutions as they choose for change to be thrust upon them, or attempt to avoid or ignore the strategic importance of the changes taking place around them.
11/1/2012
For almost three years, Globe University (Minn.) has used video conferencing to connect classrooms, provide training to our admissions professionals, and even facilitate business meetings. Our success in implementing video conferencing has led to 18 video conferencing systems set up across 11 campuses. As a result, our operations are streamlined, our costs are better managed and our student body is better served with classes they may not otherwise have been able to take.
11/1/2012
Finding funding for new technology investments in higher education can often seem overwhelming and stressful given the current economic environment. However, there are strategies available to support new technological initiatives. Administrators just need to do their homework and remain persistent to secure the funding needed to deploy these essential advancements.
10/31/2012
Mobile DiningChartwells Higher Education Dining Services has released a customizable smartphone app with tailored options to match a college or university brand identity. App on Campus provides dining menus with nutritional information, specials, events, and eatery information. |
10/31/2012
Situations promoting campus alerts can be disruptive, but also informative. The University at Buffalo’s Joseph Brennan recalls an incident where a student reported seeing a man enter the campus library while carrying what appeared to be a rifle. Immediately upon hearing the report, officials issued an alert using the university’s system from Rave Mobile Safety. Recipients of the message were advised to stay away from the area, and the building was searched.
10/31/2012
In an era when higher education leaders are more mindful than ever of potential threats to the safety of those living, learning, and working on campus, security planning has reached new levels of complexity. Few would argue that at least some security measures should be highly visible to the campus community. Just as in society at large (think of the police cruiser parked in the median of a busy highway), the right level of visibility can prevent campus crime or violence.
10/31/2012
The search-based filtering techniques used by social media monitoring tools rely on spotting a specific set of keywords, including the name of the school. Since people can make valid threats using words outside that list, monitoring tools could never identify threats comprehensively.
10/31/2012
In the wake of the Colorado movie theater shooting and noting the social media clues that appeared beforehand, college and university leaders are taking threats of violence posted to social media very seriously.
10/31/2012
With any campus building, what’s on the inside counts just as much—and probably more—than what’s on the outside. This is especially true with residence halls, which must include a balance of private and shared spaces. “The buildings need to promote interaction among students to encourage peer-to-peer learning in support of the institution’s academic mission,” says Jackson Kane, an associate and housing specialist at Lord, Aeck & Sargent. That’s no small order.
10/25/2012
A popular tradition has taken place on many college campuses on Saturday mornings this fall. Students meet with visiting alumni and share storied traditions while preparing to cheer their football team against a rival school. As the marching band plays the school song and kickoff arrives, attention may be drawn to the entrance where the home team will take the field. Fans notice that the star player has not and will not join the sidelines.
