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 […]
College and university leaders manage large datasets that are compiled across people, departments and systems. Producing quality performance reports, institutional effectiveness measures, and academic data can be a challenge in today’s environment. In addition to maintaining reliable and accurate data, higher ed leaders are continually asked to do more work, with more depth—but without additional […]
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 […]
Imagine this: You have been charged with sexual misconduct and suspended without warning. You are given no opportunity to make a statement in your own defense. You are given wrong information on policies and procedures in advance of what you believe will be an initial hearing on the charges. When you arrive at your first […]
In response to the White House's Executive Order titled "Protecting the Nation from Terrorist Entry into the United States," we as leaders at colleges and universities have had to take decisive action to protect our foreign students and faculty members, and to allay the fears of the many domestic students who travel overseas to study. […]
Ten years ago, few universities employed chief information security officers. Now these administrators—known as CISOs—lead teams dedicated to shielding information, systems and research from internet thieves, and to keeping up with federal regulations. CISOs must ensure their schools are in compliance with a wide assortment of federal standards that pertain to the business of higher […]
Trends in campus chapels mirror those of places of worship in general: New and renovated spaces are becoming more tech-enabled and multifunctional, with added emphasis on creating a gathering place for an entire community, regardless of religious denomination. Echoing national shifts, organized religion is becoming less prominent on campus. In 2015, 29.5 percent of incoming […]
Online faculty at Castleton University don’t just dole out tests—they take them, too. Full- and part-time instructors who have no experience teaching online with Moodle’s learning management system work through a self-paced, six-module course created by associate academic dean Cathy Kozlik. The course resides on a Vermont State Colleges System Moodle Sandbox website, where professors […]
When Teri McIntyre was a University of Wisconsin undergrad in the early ‘90s, she volunteered to call alumni to ask for college fund donations and—believe it or not—she liked making those calls. A university development officer noticed and offered McIntyre a job after graduation. “I didn’t know if I could spend my whole life in […]
