In her 2014 State of the University of New York Address, Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher launched Open SUNY, a systemwide distance learning consortium. Over the near term, it will reduce the time it takes to complete a degree, course or certificate. What is especially distinctive about Open SUNY is that it is one of the […]
A senior administrator recently described the issues related to sexual misconduct as a dormant volcano that lies beneath main administration buildings on campuses across the country. This is a sentiment echoed by many administrators committed to successfully responding to issues of sexual violence and harassment, but sometimes uncertain how to get there. With prevalence rates […]
Workforce development has long been a bastion of the community college environment. But with student-loan debt topping $1 trillion and enrollments falling, many four-year colleges and universities are devoting more attention to the area, in part as a way to boost their own relevance within a challenging global economy. Because these programs tend to be […]
Members of the facilities crew at Quinnipiac University were spending a lot of time traveling back to their shop during the workday. This situation, of course, was not unique to Quinnipiac, but department officials at the school set out to eliminate the trips workers had to make to retrieve new work orders, find information about […]
Not long ago, I asked presenters at the Higher Ed Analytics Conference what the next "big thing" would be. Their answer? Universal Analytics, or UA. Philippe Taza, of the Montreal-based digital marketing agency Higher Ed Marketing, explained that tracking a visitor across multiple devices would be both important and desirable—something UA will make possible. Alan […]
Gone are the days when university CIOs filled their time with trouble-shooting computer bugs and managing servers. While today's university IT staff are still technical experts, they are now expected to be much more than on-campus tech support. "CIOs are at the center of a campus conversation about the proper relationship between technology and education," […]
Fourteen years ago, as a Victor E. Cameron professor of electrical and computer engineering at Rice University in Houston, Richard G. Baraniuk was frustrated that he couldn't find the ideal book for his class. He knew there were tens of dozens of other professors out there with the same concern, so rather than write a […]
Part of keeping a campus computer repair center running smoothly is staying aware of what problems are likely to disrupt its operations. For instance, a Saturday in the fall at major universities can bring a large influx of machines needing repair. "When Florida State is doing well in football, we tend to have more machines […]
With funding cuts, falling enrollments and increased competition from MOOCs and other low-cost online programs, higher education has been under enormous pressure in recent years. But pressure often leads to positive change, and many schools are looking at continuing education as an ideal area for that change. Approached strategically, CE offers an untapped opportunity to […]
How many members of your faculty would enjoy teaching the same courses, day in and day out, throughout a 30-, 40- or even 50-year career? Not many. Staying motivated and intellectually challenged is not always possible at schools where promotions or lateral career moves are rare. Faculty may find themselves disengaged, even downright bored, teaching […]
