Time and again, institutions struggle with properly deploying a new assessment platform. Often that fault lies with the vendor who lacks the knowledge or institutional expertise to provide sound counsel on how it should be accomplished. Take a different approach and it will be a success: 1. Separate orientation and training. Make it crystal clear to […]
The setting was big, the company was good and the technology talk was buzzing at this year's UBTech Conference, held June 16 to 18 at The Mirage Las Vegas. And based on the feedback from our 1,273 attendees, the "Technology Changes Everything" tagline will be put into practice as administrators and educators from the more […]
In the midst of shrinking budgets and staff, HR professionals at colleges and universities can take advantage of an often overlooked resource to help accomplish their goals. Consider working with alumni—they typically possess a wealth of campus knowledge and skills. And they're often eager to assist human resources in many areas, ranging from recruitment to […]
Rather than dealing with the intensive labor involved in sending and receiving paper transcripts—and frustration from students and graduates accustomed to automation—most colleges and universities have implemented electronic transcript capabilities. The process allows administrators to capture lots of valuable electronic data, but the majority of schools are not utilizing that information beyond sending or receiving […]
"Copyright is broken," said Kevin Smith, scholarly communications officer at Duke University, to open his UBTech featured session on intellectual property. Smith, who is an attorney and a librarian, noted that in recent years technological innovation has put a severe strain on our copyright law, which dates from 1976. The law is supposedly technology-neutral, but […]
A graduating senior applying for a position completed a successful phone interview and travelled to a face-to-face interview with the company. Instead of an interview, the candidate was told upon arrival that the company had discovered 'inappropriate' posts and behavior in his social media. The candidate was directly rebuked and dismissed without any hope of […]
Regardless of function, many of the facilities completed within the past year on college and university campuses were designed to create connections. These buildings may help campus groups and departments collaborate, or they may enhance town-gown relations. Linking the facility to other parts of campus through a deliberate architectural feature is another way project planners […]
Identifying students who are at risk of student loan default and establishing ongoing communication with those students are two key strategies for minimizing borrower default. Financial aid administrators should include these strategies and more in their default prevention programs, so borrowers are aware of their repayment options and less likely to default. This web seminar, […]
The Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) voted unanimously in March to implement GASB Statement No. 68, Accounting and Financial Reporting for Pensions. This accounting standard modifies existing financial reporting requirments as well as establishes new ones for governmental entities—including public colleges and universities—that participate in defined benefit pension plans. GASB 68 dramatically changes the way […]
A pervasive "because we have to" approach to higher education accreditation is contributing to the growing crisis of confidence in the value of college and the degrees it bestows. When faculty and higher education leaders declare "we complied," it's probably not good enough. This is evident in a new Gallup/Lumina Foundation poll, which reveals a […]
