In the two years since Northern Arizona University launched a virtual 360-degree campus tour, more than 30,000 people have explored the campus virtually. Those visits are translating to real-world action too. Chad Eickhoff, Northern Arizona's director of recruitment and orientation, says more than 4,000 students who accessed the virtual tour either gave the university their […]
While all leaders recognize the need for innovation and everyone wants an "innovative business model," what does it mean? How can academic leaders create a culture of innovation on university campuses? How can faculty most effectively convey their knowledge? And how can students learn to become the future innovators who will be crucial in the […]
In recent years, the requirements of public higher education institutions have changed drastically, increasing the pressure to modernize their IT systems. To meet those challenges, many universities are looking at available options, including the cloud. Pittsburg State University was faced with disparate, aging tools, requiring it to rely on manual processes that made it difficult […]
Health insurance is a hot topic in Congress, and that's not the only place. Each year, campus leaders are confronted by a daunting need to contain costs while providing benefits expected by employees. Annual premiums at higher ed institutions averaged $7,059 for employee-only coverage and $19,584 for family plans in 2016, according to CUPA-HR. Reported […]
It's no coincidence that administrators at the College of Visual and Performing Arts at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro constantly inquire about student scores, and they have one of the highest retention rates on campus. Bryan Terry, vice chancellor for enrollment management, says other departments have noticed. "Once you have a model, other […]
What is the biggest roadblock to effective use of data analytics tools as they relate to student success? "Many view data as a punitive measure to highlight performance flaws when, in reality, analytics tools help identify trends and answer questions about the student experience. Institutions must first address the campus culture surrounding data and demonstrate […]
There's no doubt that higher ed institutions have access to tons of student data these days, but what separates actionable insights from analytics overload? Colleges and universities that crack the code can embark upon data-based decision-making as it relates to student success initiatives. Others, struggling, get lost in the numbers. "Most institutions are data rich […]
A handful of campuses teach Native American languages to support the efforts of local tribes to preserve their language and expand their culture's influence on public education, film and other arenas. This semester, Niagara University—located near the famous waterfall on New York's Canadian border—introduced a sequence of three classes in Tuscarora, a dialect of the […]
With skilled workers in demand by industry and student enrollment declining, ignoring diversity initiatives is impractical, even unproductive. Students, employees and job candidates can easily see through an institutional faÁ§ade that claims to embrace diversity but makes little effort to promote it. By expanding the definition of diversity and frequently introducing new programs or events […]
The first clue that something was wrong at Tidewater Community College in Virginia emerged in March 2016 when at least 15 employees discovered they could not file their tax returns. After the IRS informed the employees that their returns had already been submitted, college officials realized someone had breached the computer system. The attack began […]
