At first glance, Deyven Ferreras looks like a typical university student: youthful face, college sweatshirt, backpack. But until recently, his backpack carried more than books. Quite literally, it was his lifeline. Inside was a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), a mechanical pump that helped his weakened heart move blood throughout his body. Ferreras, a second-year […]
The University of Connecticut's recent announcement of a planned learning community intended for first- and second-year African-American male students has reignited a decades-old debate regarding ethnically themed living spaces on campus. Two members of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights penned a letter to university President Susan Herbst urging her to reconsider the community's launch. […]
The MBA required to develop the leaders and entrepreneurs our societies need involves a far stronger focus on knowing, doing and being—so says Srikant Datar, Patrick Cullen and David Garvin in Rethinking the MBA: Business at a Crossroads (Harvard Business Review Press, 2010). How and what students learn matter greatly—but let us not forget the […]
The twin goals of affordability and diversity dominate the nation's push to expand access to higher ed, but another critical factor—geography—is drawing more attention for the role it plays in where students go to college. With more than half selecting colleges less than 50 miles from home, there's growing concern about "education deserts"—localities that lack […]
A bill that would allow concealed handguns at Georgia public colleges and universities was awaiting action from Gov. Nathan Deal as this issue of UB was being readied for press. The measure would permit licensed gun owners over age 21 to carry concealed handguns on campus, except in student housing and at athletic events. Deal, a pro-carry […]
Making heads or tails of the many factors influencing student outcomes—while necessary—is daunting and difficult. For one university, a single wagging tail is making a dent in several barriers to student success. Resident comfort dog Zoey gives some emotional relief to students living away from their family and pets. In Zoey's 40-plus-hour work weeks, she […]
Vocation: It's a word with deep and important significance. Liberal Arts: This is an ideal of education with an equally deep set of meanings. Liberal arts colleges already do a great job developing a diverse group of socially responsible, critical thinkers, but they must start guiding students to their true vocations. For liberal arts colleges, […]
Choices for commencement speakers are making headlines this season, and higher ed officials are aiming to make sure those headlines are positive. Many colleges now prioritize student input and diversity when choosing commencement speakers. They are also developing screening processes to ensure speakers are both engaging and appropriate for the audience of graduating students and […]
With unsafe lead levels in city water systems, injured military veterans in need of smart prosthetics, and a demand for sustainable sources of clean energy, our need for engineers has never been greater. The good news is that despite concerns to the contrary, the ranks of engineers in the United States are growing. About 100,000 […]
Unlike wine or cheese, networks don't tend to improve with age. That's why some higher ed institutions are looking toward a newer network technology called passive optical LAN. Unlike copper cabling that's been in place for decades, a fiber-based passive optical network (PON) offers faster, cheaper and more secure networks compared to legacy systems. Following […]
