Most of us in higher education enjoy planning for and attending special events. From formal occasions to casual functions, colleges and universities have long hosted events as a means of engaging alumni, parents and families, donors, and other valued supporters. Designated weekends, such as homecoming, parents weekend and alumni weekend, also provide meaningful occasions to […]
Who is today's college student? A new student is emerging. Fewer than half of today's students fit into the 18- to 22-year-old demographic—now they are 18 to 80. Many students work part time or full time, or have families. They are digital natives. Ninety percent of them have smartphones and half have access to tablets […]
At Saint Leo University in Florida, Jeff D. Borden brings ideas, strategies and philosophies to transform learning at scale. He is also executive director for the Institute for Inter-Connected Education (iceinstitute.org) as well as CAO for Campus—a product that provided the “glue” for the system he built at Saint Leo. He provides practical, researched, intentional […]
Every week at the University of Washington in Seattle, the registrar’s office staff comes across at least three fraudulent diplomas. Every month, they uncover about two fraudulent transcripts. “And these are just the ones we see,” says Helen Garrett, registrar and chief officer for enrollment information services. “Our student database has not been hacked and […]
Waitlists for not-quite accepted students have long been used by colleges, but more institutions—both public and private—are dabbling in a different kind of delayed entry. Conditional admissions, which may require academic or English language counseling, give less-prepared students a chance to succeed. "A number of accountability mechanisms can discourage colleges from taking chances on students […]
Curtis Carver’s team is focused on innovation, agility and cost-efficiency. Since joining UAB in 2015, he has led many successful initiatives, including unlimited email, unlimited storage, greatly enhanced connectivity, a tenfold increase in high-performance research computing, and a new strategic plan that creates a world-class IT organization, which empowers a world-class research university. How has […]
The near weekly occurrence of school shootings has students, faculty and staff feeling like potential victims. Academic administrators are hurriedly seeking ways to keep their campuses from being in tomorrow's headlines. Conversations with education professionals reveal a pervasive fear, an absence of answers and a sense of powerlessness. But it doesn't have to be that […]
Vendor question: What is the most important thing for higher ed institutions to consider when implementing AI into their student services? “An institution should have clear objectives and goals. No one single message can change behavior, but it’s the culmination of many messages over time that does. We can’t wave a magic wand with AI […]
The challenge: Reduce summer melt for incoming freshmen at Georgia State University. The method: Use an artificially intelligent chatbot to help students complete pre-enrollment tasks, such as submitting transcripts and taking care of immunization requirements. The results: Summer melt for 2016-17 was 21 percent less than in the prior year. The hero: Pounce the text-based […]
Managing change may be part of the job description for any higher ed administrator, but it's seldom easy. And nowhere is this more evident than with the core of any college or university: its academic programs. In fact, the process can be something of a minefield, with faculty feeling threatened and the media poised to […]
