Category: Uncategorized

Student Wellness: Finding The Low-Hanging Fruit

The recent controversy over Lincoln University’s graduation requirement that all overweight graduates lose weight or take a fitness course illustrates the importance many colleges and universities are placing on wellness programming as a vehicle to promote student health and cut the rising costs of student health insurance. Yet many colleges are opting for health and wellness efforts that are narrowly targeted — for example, a required fitness course or an effort to improve food options at the dining hall. The University of South Carolina’s Healthy Carolina initiative is one of the few programs that takes a truly holistic perspective. We asked the program’s director, Michelle Burcin, for her advice on taking a big-picture approach to student wellness and how to identify efforts that represent low-hanging fruit — especially if you are working with limited resources. Look at the Big Picture Taking the example of America’s obesity epidemic, Burcin advises focusing not just on fitness or on dining options, but on both, in addition to a hard look at the campus environment. “Look at the whole picture,” she advises. “It isn’t just the staff who make the hot food who are responsible for presenting healthy options. What are your vending machines selling?” “Are we […]

Quick Environmental Scanning for Workforce Education Needs

With so many displaced workers and unemployed adults, especially in manufacturing, more colleges and universities are working to identify specific workforce needs in their area and launch new workforce education programs in response. While many program directors don’t have the time or resources to conduct a traditional environmental scan, there are some fast steps you can take to identify local needs and measure the demand for workforce education programs in your area. We asked for first steps from Rick Voorhees, Principal of Voorhees Group LLC and past president of the Association for Institutional Research (AIR); Patricia Malone, director of corporate education and training at the Center for Emerging Technologies at Stony Brook University; and Victoria Matthew, director of program development, continuing and professional education at UMASS Amherst. Where to Find Information — and Partners “There’s no such thing as perfect data. Find the pattern, but if you wait until you have perfect data to start a program, you’ve lost an opportunity.” Rick Voorhees, Principal, Voorhees Group LLC Much of the official government data on the workforce is pretty dated by the time it’s available. Voorhees suggests that program directors focus on participation in local industry meetings to get first-hand information on […]

Crisis Communications 10 Years After the Texas A&M Bonfire

This week saw the 10-year anniversary of the tragic 1999 bonfire collapse that killed 12 students at Texas A&M University. At the time Cindy Lawson, the university’s executive director of university relations, deployed the university website to relay timely and accurate information to the campus community, and worked proactively with the media to direct the public to the website. A first adopter of the web as a key media relations channel, Lawson ensured that in the wake of the tragedy the university became the primary disseminator of information. The communications landscape has changed rapidly in the past decade, and we asked Cindy Lawson, now assistant to the chancellor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, to comment on how the growth of social media may impact crisis communications today, and how media relations professionals can best prepare for that impact. The Dangers of Social Media in a Crisis “Ten years ago, I had to worry about 300 plus media who were at the site, as well as students or bystanders who might engage in a discussion with media. Today, everyone has a cell phone, everyone can text, everyone can take photos or videos, and everyone has the ability to easily post them […]

Strengthening Library/Faculty Partnerships

Last week, after heated protest from the faculty senate, the Syracuse University Library pulled back from plans to move thousands of books off campus. The tensions at Syracuse University illustrate the importance of communicating with faculty and with academic leaders early and often; as academic libraries continue to grapple with issues of core identity and as they plan to reshape collections, it is critical that library deans and directors find productive ways to involve faculty in the conversations from the start. Charles Forrest, director of the library facilities office at Emory University, offers some tips for launching these conversations. Start Talking Early It is important to establish strong partnerships with faculty champions before the time comes to discuss major changes in the library. If you don’t already have one, Forrest advises, “get a mechanism in place for ongoing dialogue: a library policy committee, a faculty advisory group.” You need to build a core of advocates who understand what the library is facing as an organization and as part of the larger academic institution. Continually look for opportunities to engage new voices from the faculty in dialogue about the role of the academic library at your institution. Get them involved in […]

Professional Development: Making the Right Investments

One state legislator is criticizing the University of Iowa this week for its plan to send 35 hospital workers to several days of training offered at a center in Orlando, FL, at a cost of $130,000. UI officials have replied that now more than ever, training represents a critical reinvestment in the organization. The conversation is one case of a nationwide trend in which campus officials have to negotiate between the need for training on priority initiatives, concerns over the costs of travel, and fears that some investments in professional development will look bad. Larry Goldstein, President of Campus Strategies, LLC, suggests that a budget crisis is not a time to freeze professional development and travel. “The tendency to look inward during a budget crisis is counterproductive,” he remarks. “It’s important to look outward and gather new resources.” Here are some ways that Goldstein suggests rethinking an approach to professional development. Recognize the Cost of Cutting Professional Development “Not all problems can be solved by looking at your own resources. Having access to solutions others have reached is immensely valuable. The cost of cutting professional development is that you rely exclusively on what is known on your campus, instead of relying […]

Engaging Transfer Students Before They Arrive

NSSE’s 2009 annual report cites low participation in high-impact activities (such as study abroad, service learning, internship, undergraduate research, or senior experience) among transfer students as one measure of engagement and likely persistence. The lowest engagement was from vertical transfers (students who enter four-year institutions from community colleges). In the survey, 62% of native seniors had participated in internships, but only 43% of vertical transfers. Only 7% of vertical transfers participated in study abroad, compared with 20% among native students. Given the low numbers on engagement, we asked Kurt Thiede, vice president for enrollment management at Bucknell University, for his tips on engaging vertical transfer students early and fostering affinity for the institution from the first point of contact. Early Engagement The earlier the engagement, the more likely affinity becomes. Early engagement with prospective vertical transfers from two-year colleges can take a number of forms, from a campus visit day to a summer program. But whether you have the funding for a visit day or a summer program, it is critical to think through what to include in that experience. You will want to expose students to all aspects of life at the university — the career offices, financial aid, academic advising, […]

Tips for Training Faculty on Teaching with Technology

CDW has released a report indicating, among other findings: Only 38% of students surveyed believe faculty are making effective use of interactive learning technologies in the classroom Faculty identify training as what they need most to help them integrate learning technologies Patricia McGee, associate professor of instructional technology at the University of Texas at San Antonio, offers some practical tips on training faculty for the integration of interactive learning technologies into the classroom. Focus on Affordance “Often faculty don’t need more training on the tool, they need more training on the affordance of the tool and how to use it to support learning. Different tools have different pedagogical affordances.” Patricia McGee, UT San Antonio For example, the research indicates that blogs support student reflection. That’s a wonderful tool for a course that requires deep, reflective thinking — but not as useful if the goal involves collaborative work. “It’s easier to learn the tool,” McGee remarks, “than it is to figure out how to use it in a class to support learning.” It’s important to keep the training focused on the curriculum and on learning outcomes and needs, rather than providing sessions focused just on how to use the tool. “The idea […]

Recruiting International Students

Overall first-time graduate enrollments from international students at US institutions did not climb in 2008-09 (though emerging markets in the Middle East still saw increases), according to a survey released this week by the Council of Graduate Schools. Reasons suggested for the stagnant numbers include the global recession and increased competition from other nations. Many undergraduate programs, however, have reported surges in international students; the University of Oregon announced a 16% jump in undergraduate international enrollment. And many institutions (among the most recent, Virginia Tech and the University of Nebraska) have set goals for doubling international enrollment in the next five or ten years. Now more than ever, it’s critical for enrollment managers in the US and Canada to be intentional in their approach to recruiting international students. Sarah Ramisch Stewart, Manager of International Admissions and Recruitment at Carleton University, offers some practical tips for planning your approach. What You Should Be Asking Approach international recruitment with clearly defined goals and an eye for finding the best match. Stewart suggests: Identifying the right student profile is critical, and not just in terms of academic interest. Stewart offers the example of a rural or lesser-known institution seeking applicants in Turkey. In this […]

Investigating the Viability of Renewable Energy Options

The New York Times’ Energy and Environment column this week offered a list of institutions who are pursuing geothermal energy projects this year. Often funded by stimulus grants, the projects are desirable both because they can reduce carbon footprint and because they can reduce heating costs significantly. The number of institutions investigating solar, wind, and biomass options is also growing. For colleges considering their first investment (or a new investment) in renewable energy generation, due diligence in assessing the viability of the different options available to you is crucial — both so that you can identify the option that will be most cost-effective in both the short and the long term, and so that you don’t run into uncomfortable surprises midway through the project. We asked Ryan Pletka, project manager for renewable energy at Black & Veatch, for his advice on what questions leaders in higher education should consider prior to making a renewable energy investment. Technical Feasibility First, look into the technical feasibility of different options, given your region. “Before anything else, ask: Is there actually a resource there? For example, geothermal sounds like a great resource, but it is only really practical for a few sites, mostly in the West.” […]

The Net Price Calculator: Template or Customize?

By fall 2011, Title IV institutions are required by law to provide a net price calculator (NPC) that will give student applicants opportunity to understand the difference between university sticker price and net price, and to receive an estimate of potential aid eligibility. The US Department of Education has released an NPC template that colleges and universities can use — but institutions also have the option to develop their own, customized solutions. We asked Mary Sapp, Assistant Vice President of Planning and Institutional Research at the University of Miami, who has chaired two Technical Review Panels for the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) addressing issues related to net price, for advice on how institutions can determine whether to use the NCES template or customize their own NPC. Check for Variance The key, now that the template is available, Sapp suggests, is to do a tentative analysis of your own institutional data in order to see how those data fit into the template. “The template is very well-designed, and it comes across as being very easy to do. You just generate a table with the medians, and write in a couple of caveats, and poof, you’re done. But because of this, you […]