Author: Kenneth Soldink

Spotlight on Innovation: How Jacksonville State University Plans to Boost Students’ Critical Thinking Skills

by Sarah Seigle Peatman, Daniel Fusch

SPOTLIGHT ON INNOVATION SERIES The US Department of Education has awarded multi-million dollar “First in the World” grants to 24 colleges and universities that are innovating to solve critical challenges with access, recruitment, retention, and student success. At AI, we have interviewed each of the recipients to learn more about the projects these institutions are pursuing, how their approaches are unique, and what other colleges and universities can learn from these new efforts. Expanding on Jacksonville State University’s Collaborative Regional Education (CORE) model, which is currently funded by a $12 million Investing in Innovation grant for PK-12, the First in the World grant will supports ongoing professional development for JSU faculty, focused on unlocking the potential of technology and of active learning. Their “Fast Forward” quality enhancement plan, aided by a more than $3 million First in the World grant from the US Department of Education, is focused initially on improvements for Jacksonville State’s college of arts and sciences, but with the intent to be scalable across disciplines. Here’s some of what the initiative entails. Realizing the iPad’s Potential Jacksonville State freshmen will have access to iPads starting in Fall 2015. But that isn’t enough. Jacksonville State is working to make […]

Dispatch from China to Advancement Offices: Something You Need to Do TODAY

Gretchen Dobson LLC) February 2015. I’ve experienced two New Year’s in the last two months. First was the calendar end of December 31 that we rang in while standing in a customs line at midnight in Chengdu’s international airport. The second has been a more gradual celebration in China that started to peak over the weekend with celebratory dinners, gift exchanges and hustling crowds in supermarkets and metro lines preparing to go home and/or host their loved ones during Chinese New Year. Some call it Lunar New Year or Spring Festival. This Wednesday February 18 marks the eve of the New Year here in China and The Year of the Sheep (or goat, or ram). The Sheep is the eighth sign in the Chinese zodiac. This is positively significant as the number “8” is a lucky number according to Chinese beliefs and represents peace and prosperity. Constituents in China and countries and territories with significant Chinese populations? Afraid that your database might not be a robust as you wish for this greeting? It’s OK, as every new effort has the potential for making a difference in the lives of alumni who will join family for a week long reunion. Hearing […]

Spotlight on Innovation: How Lee College is Responding to Industry and Student Needs with Weekend College

by Lisa Cook

SPOTLIGHT ON INNOVATION SERIES The US Department of Education has awarded multi-million dollar “First in the World” grants to 24 colleges and universities that are innovating to solve critical challenges with access, recruitment, retention, and student success. At AI, we have interviewed each of the recipients to learn more about the projects these institutions are pursuing, how their approaches are unique, and what other colleges and universities can learn from these new efforts. The Challenge Nearly 75 percent of Lee College’s students attend part-time because they need to schedule classes around their work schedules, and only 23 percent of Lee’s students complete an associates degree within four years.  With a demand for skilled workers in the area, especially among the region’s petrochemical industries, Lee’s STEM Grant and Puente Project Coordinator Victoria Marron found herself asking the community college’s students, “Why are you part time? What obstacles are you facing? Let’s find a way to make you more successful.” Lee will use the $2.7 million grant to respond to industry demand for skilled workers while addressing working students’ needs for flexible scheduling by providing four accelerated associate programs for full-time students in a Weekend College initiative. A Close Look at Weekend […]

Spotlight on Innovation: How Texas A&M – Corpus Christi is Using Online Supplemental Instruction to Boost STEM Student Success

by Lisa Cook

SPOTLIGHT ON INNOVATION SERIES The US Department of Education has awarded the multi-million dollar First in the World grant to 24 colleges and universities that are innovating to solve critical challenges with access, recruitment, retention, and student success. At AI, we have interviewed each of the recipients to learn more about the projects these institutions are pursuing, how their approaches are unique, and what other colleges and universities can learn from these new efforts. Texas A&M – Corpus Christi already offers face-to-face supplemental instruction (SI) for many barrier STEM classes and has seen it boost retention and graduation. However, the number of students who took advantage of SI remained low in comparison to the number of students in the courses. Students frequently reported they could not attend face-to-face sessions due to schedule conflicts or jobs. Dr. Patricia Spaniol-Mathews, Executive Director for Programs for Academic Student Support, hopes to eliminate that obstacle by piloting an interactive online supplemental instruction program with the $3.3 million First In The World grant.  It is an exciting opportunity because the online option will eliminate schedule barriers, increase the number of students who can benefit from supplemental instruction, and hopefully boost STEM retention and completion rates […]

Panel: Taking Social Media Strategy to the Next Level at Your Institution

by Gwen Doyle, Conference Director, Academic Impressions You may still be struggling in developing a sound social media strategy across many platforms; many of your peers are, too. And ensuring you understand social media’s role in your institution’s overarching brand and digital strategies can be extraordinarily difficult. I sent a few questions to the panel of expert faculty from the Academic Impressions Social Media Strategy conference, and I would like to share their answers with you here. These are among the most incredible minds working on social media in higher education today; from content strategy to metrics to brand, I chatted with each of them about areas they are especially passionate about. Here is their advice. Tim Jones (Clarkson University) on Content Strategy Gwen Doyle: Tim, what is hardest about implementing a content strategy? What do poeple need to re-think? Tim Jones: With the wild variation in skill sets, expertise, responsibilities and understanding of great content and social media, the hardest part of content strategy implementation usually comes down to internal alignment. It’s tempting to read up on content strategy and try to replicate every conceivable element and implement as many tools and processes as possible. To pull that off, most higher-ed organizations […]

Spotlight on Innovation: How Georgia Tech and AMAC Are Working to Make Course Materials More Accessible

by Lisa Cook, Daniel Fusch

SPOTLIGHT ON INNOVATION SERIES The US Department of Education has awarded multi-million dollar “First in the World” grants to 24 colleges and universities that are innovating to solve critical challenges with access, recruitment, retention, and student success. At AI, we have interviewed each of the recipients to learn more about the projects these institutions are pursuing, how their approaches are unique, and what other colleges and universities can learn from these new efforts. Despite increased demand for more accessible course materials for disabled students, there is often a lot of inertia on the part of the textbook industry. Georgia Tech’s Bob Martinengo, who serves as the accessibility solutions publisher outreach specialist for AMAC Accessibility Solutions—an organization that is part of Georgia Tech’s College of Architecture, and that was incubated out of the University System of Georgia in 2005—offers this theory for why some changes have been slow: “The industry has often said ‘yes, but we are concerned about cost’ or ‘we’re working on this project, but maybe tomorrow.’ The problem has been around so long that there’s little measurable movement.”Bob Martinengo, AMAC and Georgia Tech Martinengo wants to see two things change, in particular: Rethinking the Market “The overarching theme is […]

Sponsored Article: Practical Strategies for Segmenting Your Enrollment Marketing

by Sarah Seigle Peatman, Jason Bakker

SPONSORED ARTICLE This article is sponsored by the Campus Media Group. Our sponsored articles feature the expert advice or case studies of thought leaders at companies serving the higher-ed industry. If your company is engaged in research serving higher education or is helping institutions innovate to solve the pressing challenges of today and you would like to sponsor an article in our publication, please contact Daniel Fusch at daniel@academicimpressions.com. by Sarah Seigle and Jason Bakker, COO,Campus Media Group Campus Media Group is a national college marketing firm based in Bloomington, Minnesota that specializes in all things campus advertising. One of their specific areas of expertise is helping colleges and universities further segment their enrollment marketing tactics to appeal to specific prospective student groups. Because segmentation is so so critical in helping institutions stand out in today’s competitive market, I recently sat down with Jason Bakker, the Chief Operations Officer at Campus Media Group, to dig a little bit deeper into his expertise on creating segmented content and messages and how to deliver them. Here’s what Jason had to say. Taking a Closer Look at Your Marketing Channels Sarah Seigle: For four-year institutions, what are 1-2 specific strategies for gaining the attention of prospective […]

Spotlight on Innovation: How Kennesaw’s TAG Program is Creating Better Degree Completion Pathways for Transfer Students

by Daniel Fusch

SPOTLIGHT ON INNOVATION SERIES The US Department of Education has awarded multi-million dollar “First in the World” grants to 24 colleges and universities that are innovating to solve critical challenges with access, recruitment, retention, and student success. At AI, we have interviewed each of the recipients to learn more about the projects these institutions are pursuing, how their approaches are unique, and what other colleges and universities can learn from these new efforts. Transfer student support has seen something of a revolution over the last decade, as colleges have become increasingly aware that transfer students make up over 60% of all American undergraduates enrolled at four-year institutions, and that transfers often arrive without the system of peer support and transitional support services that have been made available to many first-year students. Many institutions, especially state flagships, have put in place robust transfer student support services or, in a few cases, established one-stop transfer student centers on campus. The one-stop approach for transfers remains rare, however, and it is more often that transfer student support is handled out of one department or office on campus. Bucking this trend is Kennesaw State University, which, with the aid of a $3.2 million First […]

How One Registrar’s Office is Securing Buy-in to Streamline Transfer Credit Evaluation

by Sarah Seigle Peatman

The transfer credit evaluation process is one that touches many different stakeholders. The registrar’s office is where the heart of the action happens, but the way credit is articulated has far-reaching implications for the admissions office, department chairs, and academic advisors as well. Because all of these entities have such a stake, it can be tricky for registrars to manage policy changes and gain the buy-in needed to streamline their transfer credit evaluation processes. Two Success Stories at CSU Kelley Brundage, associate registrar at Colorado State University, has worked in transfer credit evaluation for over 20 years and has led two major streamlining initiatives at CSU. The first large-scale streamlining initiative occurred when Kelley was a new hire at the university. As she entered into her new leadership role as associate registrar, she was advised that the overall perception of the registrar’s office was, on the whole, a negative one: other Departments viewed her office as inflexible and unlikely to compromise, and as a result, the efficiency of the transfer credit evaluation process was suffering. Kelley immediately began taking steps to turn the perception of her office around and gain allies throughout the institution. The second streamlining initiative that Kelley […]

Spotlight on Innovation: How the South Dakota Higher Ed System is Transforming Support for American Indian and Low-Income Students

by Lisa Cook

SPOTLIGHT ON INNOVATION SERIES The US Department of Education has awarded multi-million dollar “First in the World” grants to 24 colleges and universities that are innovating to solve critical challenges with access, recruitment, retention, and student success. At AI, we have interviewed each of the recipients to learn more about the projects these institutions are pursuing, how their approaches are unique, and what other colleges and universities can learn from these new efforts. In a recent initiative, South Dakota institutions are working specifically to address the needs of the state’s American Indian and low-income students. This demographic faces unique challenges, in part because the majority of South Dakota’s American Indian students live on rural reservations or in other rural locales and may be reluctant to leave family and community to pursue higher education. The South Dakota higher education system first addressed some of these issues through a 2012 pilot program that served similar populations of underrepresented, low-income students.  Now South Dakota Jump Start Project Director Rhoda Smith hopes to tackle those issues more comprehensively through the South Dakota Jump Start program, which will operate at seven South Dakota institutions through a $3.6 million First in the World grant. South Dakota […]