Penn State student Timothy Piazza died in February 2017 after participating in pledge acceptance night activities with the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. His death—which a grand jury has called “the direct result of encouraged reckless conduct”—reignited an age-old debate about the role of fraternities and sororities in campus life.
Future use of unmanned aerial systems, more commonly known as "drones," is limited only by the imagination (and physics). Needless to say, the use of drones for both commercial and private purposes will only increase. This emerging technology provides not only opportunities for colleges, but also headaches. Balancing the benefits—from improved academic curriculum to research […]
Faced once again with state and federal funding cuts, Connecticut State Colleges & Universities system President Mark Ojakian has had to make some tough decisions to keep the 17-school system functioning. His strategy of consolidation and shared services, called Students First, should save at least $41 million annually and bring much-needed fiscal discipline to a […]
Diplomas—those venerable printed documents that lack hotlinks and interactivity features—have lost some of their luster. While employers increasingly demand that new hires have college degrees, the transcripts supporting those hard-earned credentials are no longer the most informative tool students have to exhibit their skills. “The bachelor’s degree or Ph.D. will never go away,” says Philip […]
Amid students cutting textiles, making shoes, firing ceramics and making prints at the Parsons School of Design’s Making Center in midtown Manhattan is a whole wall of 3D printers. The 28,000-square-foot center’s 15 MakerBot printers churn out everything from jewelry and lacey sculptures to small figurines and architectural models. Having all the printers in one […]
A vigilant employee at Rio Salado College in Tempe, Arizona, noticed similar handwriting on several financial aid applications. She alerted her supervisors, who found other irregularities—such as the same mailing addresses—on a number of applications. The college notified authorities, and when the federal investigators completed their work, participants in a financial aid scheme faced 130 […]
The Chicago Cubs finally learned this lesson: A baseball team without a good farm system won’t make it to the top. Higher education needs to focus on employee development and start rebuilding their own farm systems. Why do so many colleges look externally for new talent instead of developing their employees? Due to an external-candidate […]
There’s no doubt that higher ed institutions have access to tons of student data these days, but what separates actionable insights from analytics overload? Colleges and universities that crack the code can embark upon data-based decision-making as it relates to student success initiatives. Others, struggling, get lost in the numbers. “Most institutions are data rich […]
The internet of things—known in acronym-speak as IoT—seems to be popping up everywhere. Everything is getting connected. Thermostats, fitness bands, voice-controlled assistants, remotely controlled webcams, smartphones, washing machines, autonomous vehicles—the list goes on and on. Gadgets of every shape, size and function connect to the internet to gather and share massive amounts of data. Growth […]
Q: Campus testing centers: A. vary in size and resources from institution to institution B. administer national standardized assessments, professional certification exams, and makeup and placement tests C. can serve as an alternative revenue stream D. all of the above Almost every college and university has a version of a testing center, whether it's a […]
