Losses that may result from a data breach are clearly on the minds of campus officials. When the University Risk Management & Insurance Association surveyed higher ed institutions in 2015, approximately 70 percent were maintaining cyber insurance. Now about 9 in 10 have it, according to a 2018 survey of more than 144 respondents. Such […]
Measuring faculty effectiveness has never been a perfect science—and it has always held potential for contention among instructors and administrators. Today, tighter budgets, greater demands in terms of student outcomes and service responsibilities, and a push for hard data increase the pressure to develop fair and accurate evaluation systems. The types of information collected on […]
Stephen Wilson, director of annual giving at Virginia State University, identifies donor prospects at no cost on LinkedIn. Using keyword searches based on profile information such as college, industry and job title, he finds potential matches and requests the connections. About half will respond and show interest in happenings at the university. “With 20,000 alumni […]
Why is digital marketing—so easily measurable—not measured in higher education at the level it is in other industries? I introduced the Higher Ed Digital Marketing Analytics Roadmap (HEDMAR), a year-long research project on digital measurement practices in my March 2017 UB column. This project was set to change the status quo in our industry by […]
IT leaders at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill recognized that unbundling, analyzing and sharing learning management system data could produce results, particularly in driving online students’ success. So they partnered with the College of Education to make it happen. Student behaviors such as ignoring the syllabus or not opening assignments will get […]
Most of us would agree that much can be achieved when we work together. In the case of philanthropy and communications staff, we both desire that our constituencies become enthusiastic supporters and advocates of our institution. It is imperative that these professionals become partners in every sense. Here’s how. Step 1: Philanthropy and communications staff […]
It's fair to say that university leaders across the country are thinking about how they can promote diversity in their student bodies, faculties and staff. We believe a fully inclusive work environment helps us deliver on our mission, and research has shown teams that are more diverse and inclusive make better decisions and perform better. […]
Faced with rising costs of higher education, many students are deciding not to purchase required course materials, therefore going through their semester without the tools they need to learn and succeed. Fifty percent of students say avoiding or delaying these purchases negatively impacts their grades. As a result, more institutions are taking advantage of digital […]
Gale-force changes at the federal level last year set the scene for uncertainty in 2018—and resulted in top-level higher ed leaders who are, by necessity, focused on the big picture and advocating for colleges and their students at the national level. Some are feeling more reactive than usual about happenings on their own campuses and […]
Community, faculty and student engagement are important components of college and university strategic and facility planning. But many traditional methods of gauging opinion or gathering input—such as surveys or town hall meetings—are flawed and can be misleading, often being disproportionately influenced by the loudest or most negative voices. In this web seminar, presenters discussed the […]
