The spaces we create for people with learning disabilities can support success or guarantee failure. Three decades ago, I led a team in designing an entire college campus specifically for students with learning disabilities. Some $40 million later, we had transformed the former Windham College into Vermont's Landmark College. It was the first purpose-built environment […]
Picture it: Faculty no longer get their own offices and libraries have vanished. Dorm rooms come standard with private bathrooms and maid service, and terrazzo tile has replaced carpeting as the new standard flooring across college campuses. Sound ludicrous? Maybe not. While such a transformation certainly won't be complete in 2016, big changes are coming, […]
As colleges and universities move into 2016, campus finance leaders may wish for a crystal ball to help with preparations in the coming year. Unfortunately, a crystal ball is not in the budget. Most colleges and universities will continue to face financial hurdles, and although there is much crossover, certain issues will be more or […]
Today's rapidly evolving technology has higher education on the move, literally and figuratively. Mobile devices are powering a shift to more learning on the go, driving increased video consumption and requiring IT to fund ongoing bandwidth and infrastructure expansion. Tech is enabling big changes in how colleges deliver academic programs and grant credentials. Increased automation […]
Students at Western Gover- nors University, an exclusively online higher ed institution, get a free lesson in responsible borrowing that is paying dividends many years beyond graduation. In the two years the Utah- based institution's Responsible Borrowing Initiative has been in place, student loans have been reduced by $250 million, according to Bob Collins, vice […]
College towns across the country may be sitting on an economic and tourism marketing gold mine in the form of their local institution's "tourist attractions." Consider the thousands of people who go to a school's concerts, theatrical performances, athletic events, museums, planetarium shows, camps and conferences—not to mention those visiting for homecoming, family weekends and […]
Higher ed leaders continue to seek ways to prove their institution's value to a shrinking pool of college candidates. In addition, a huge financial aid cloud hangs over everyone's heads: the one with that odd moniker of "prior-prior." While the hope is that FAFSA modifications will ultimately benefit students and institutions alike, 2016 is the […]
Students, of course, have lives beyond the classroom. That's why campus success initiatives in 2016 will spread further beyond the classroom and academic sectors, engaging students in a spectrum of activities and support designed to steer them toward a meaningful diploma and fulfilling life after graduation. Highlighting this trend is Texas Woman's University, which just […]
Students can color, practice golf shots on a putting green, build with Legos and play video games at the Niagara University library's "stress-busting station." It gets heavy use during finals week, but is set up year round to encourage students to gather with classmates for activities other than cramming for exams, says Debra Colley, the […]
What does 2016 have in store for digital professionals in higher education? New and revisited technologies promise to drive online marketing for colleges and universities. Watch these five trends to help you set a course. Podcasting The first column I wrote for University Business a decade ago focused on an emerging trend: podcasting. But beyond […]
