Managing change may be part of the job description for any higher ed administrator, but it's seldom easy. And nowhere is this more evident than with the core of any college or university: its academic programs. In fact, the process can be something of a minefield, with faculty feeling threatened and the media poised to […]
As financial aid administrators know, there’s no shortage of free and fee-based programs designed to help students get a handle on personal finance and keep up loan payments when the time comes. Increasingly, colleges are working with their institutional banking partners to develop engaging, accessible and trusted financial literacy content. Banks have access to nationwide […]
Leaders of the Arkansas Career Pathways Initiative strive to provide students with more than just college access and employment. Graduation and a well-paying career—in fields such as health care, education and industrial maintenance—top the list of goals for the low-income parents who participate. “We don’t just want to put people in minimum-wage jobs or in […]
If Judy Jetson enrolled in college, she might have hopped aboard a self-driving shuttle to get across campus for her astrophysics class and then tapped a few buttons to summon a driver to take her home to her parents, Elroy, Astro and Rosie. The Jetsons was set in 2062, but some of the high-tech predictions […]
The days when a trip to campus automatically included a stop at the bookstore are long gone—but these stores are facing the challenge from online retailers head-on. Students, like all consumers, have their choice of where to shop—and online giants tempt them with massive selections, super deals and services such as free, fast shipping. With […]
There’s a reason why the movie industry is so profitable. There is simply no other experience like total immersion in a story you love. Movie studios, distributors, producers and filmmakers have spent decades learning to capture the attention, and win the hearts and minds of viewers around the globe through the unique, immersive experience of […]
For Gonzaga University, like many organizations, the move to the cloud was born out of need. One of this small institution's claims to fame is its stellar men's basketball team. As the 2017 NCAA Tournament approached, Information Technology Services staff at the Washington university knew on-premise web servers couldn't handle the upcoming traffic load, says Darren […]
Although "intrusive advising" is rising on the list of higher ed buzzwords, this approach is likely more than a passing trend. As colleges strive for greater levels of student success, some are finding this strategy can bring higher retention rates and, in turn, help the bottom line. Intrusive advising isn't just a rebranding of traditional […]
When we think of "media," images of the press spring to mind. Instances of "fake news" wreaked havoc throughout the 2016 presidential election, and subsequent accusations of the same levied against news organizations from top officials have dominated news narratives ever since. My primary goal as a journalism professor is to encourage students to be […]
In higher education, social media isn’t a project, it’s a process—a function like customer support, but open 24/7 and always waiting for a crisis to blow up. The strong dichotomy at the core of social media often leads to opposite views and experiences of the channels. There are rarely in-betweens with social media. In the […]