While executing an eight-building, $157 million construction and renovation project in 2014, officials at Del Mar College in Texas forgot one critical player: the tech expert. Information technology administrators weren’t brought on board until just before the design was finalized. At that point, they had to scramble to integrate technology into a range of facilities—from […]
The Health Sciences Library at the University of Washington formed a partnership in the summer of 2015 with the Institute of Translational Health Sciences, the University of Washington Medicine Research Information Technology, and the National Network of Libraries of Medicine-Pacific Northwest Region. The partnership sought to create and fund a space on campus that would […]
Renowned research chemist Karen Wetterhahn was working with dimethyl mercury in her lab at Dartmouth College, when she spilled a drop of the toxic compound on her glove. She had taken every precaution possible while working with the volatile substance, from using a hood to prevent her from inhaling fumes, to wearing a face shield […]
On some college campuses, the endangered species aren't in the environmental science textbooks. They're in the president's office. Based on a wide array of real and perceived performance issues, university presidents are facing growing challenges to their powerful roles. New findings by Southern Methodist University researchers reveal that "involuntary" presidential departures rose dramatically between 2007 […]
In April 2015, Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pa., decided to create a new rehabilitation sciences department—but we knew these wouldn’t be traditional classrooms. We wanted students to master the physical sciences using hands-on learning and cutting-edge technologies – and we recommend a similar approach for any higher-ed facility looking to boost interest and enrollment. We […]
Following a spate of violence aimed at animal research facilities in the late 1990s, universities have worked to create greater transparency around scientific testing while maintaining stringent security to protect staff and animals. A higher ed institution’s website can play a large role in demonstrating the value of this research and how animals are cared […]
Russ McDonald, head of United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck, North Dakota, is serving on a new federal commission to address the challenges facing Native American children. The group will coordinate child protective services among all state, federal and tribal jurisdictions. McDonald also wants to improve background checks to ensure children are placed in suitable […]
Andrew Lippman is one of the foremost experts on viral communication and digital life. As a founder of MIT’s Media Lab, Lippman had been studying this field long before many of us ever heard of the internet. Currently, he heads the lab’s Viral Communications Group, which explores how infrastructure-free, personal communications systems will transform society […]
Data can be a beautiful thing. It can reveal patterns, failures and sometimes, surprises—as long as the measurements are consistent. At Prince George's Community College that wasn't the case. Each class was measuring different things, so campus leaders couldn't quite see the big picture. W. Allen Richman, dean of the Office of Planning, Assessment and […]
Open educational resources have grown over the last few years from one-off oddities in single courses to the basis of entire degree programs. Cutting out textbook costs for students tops the list of reasons administrators encourage faculty to develop and adopt these free—or very inexpensive—resources, also known as OER. Other enticements include immediate access for […]
