Michael Rabjohns sent me a note informing me of an article in the July Harvard Business Review written by Anita Elberse. Elberse is an associate professor of business administration in the marketing department at Harvard Business School. Her article leads off with a portrayal of Grand Central Publishing, a company that lists 275-300 books each year in its catalog and identifies two (my emphasis) for which it will pull out all the stops in marketing.
In Memoriam – Randy Pausch
Randy Pausch, Computer Science Professor at Carnegie Mellon and author of The Last Lecture, died of complications from pancreatic cancer at the age of 47. I didn’t know Randy, but like many, I was inspired by his story. If you would like to listen to his last lecture, it’s available on YouTube. If you want to read his book, it’s available at Amazon.com or other bookstores.
Remaking the American University: Market-Smart and Mission-Centered
By Wally Boston on July 24, 2008 in Accountability, Book Reviews, Business of Education, Trends in Higher Education
Bob Zemsky, co-author of Remaking the American University: Market-Smart and Mission-Centered led a session for Presidents and Trustees of colleges and universities at the 2007 Higher Learning Commission annual meeting in Chicago. At the time, he was a member and participant on the Spellings Commission and he provided the audience with an update on the Commission’s findings from his perspective.
Flex or Fail
Paul Jansen and Debby Bielak, consultants at McKinsey & Company, published an article in the June 2008 Business Officer publication of NACUBO which summarizes the five key trends in higher education. In conducting their research, McKinsey engaged with institutions affiliated with the Forum for the Future of Higher Education in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The authors maintain that the five trends have the potential to be disrupters that could affect the status quo at many institutions.
Great Teachers
Some time ago, I read The University, an Owner’s Manual (published in 1990), by Henry Rosovsky former Dean of Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Rosovsky’s book focuses on his experiences as the undergraduate Dean and a faculty member at Harvard and provides commentary on managing academics at universities. There is a dialogue in Rosovsky’s book that I think of often.
Powers of the Mind
I have to admit that I was curious how Powers of the Mind would play out based on the title. I had read a brief review of the book in reference to general education courses, so I acquired it for that purpose. The author, Donald N. Levine, is the former Dean of the University of Chicago.
Online Programs in K-12 Education
Our programs and courses have been online since 1996. There are several organizations that track the progress of online post-secondary enrollments including Eduventures and the Sloan Consortium. There’s no doubt that the convenience of online post-secondary programs is a major reason that more and more adults are continuing or furthering their college education through online degree programs.
Globalization and the Importance of Understanding Cultures
America has been accused by many of being insensitive to the importance of cultures. Eugene Burdick and William Lederer’s1958 book The Ugly American argued that America was losing the struggle against Communism in Southeast Asia in large part due to its inability and /or unwillingness to understand the local cultures there. There clearly was a disconnect between Burdick’s and Lederer’s thesis at the time and U.S.
The Last Lecture
At the Chronicle’s Executive Leadership Forum, Jeffrey Zaslow spoke about Randy Pausch the Carnegie Mellon professor who was the subject of a Wall Street Journal column last fall. Zaslow, a Carnegie Mellon alum and reporter for the WSJ, heard about Pausch’s lecture and received permission from his editor to cover it. At the last minute, he decided to video some of the lecture and post it on the Journal’s website before the article was published.
Looming Teacher Shortage in K-12 Schools
Much has been written about the looming teacher shortage as the current generation of Baby Boomer Teachers nears retirement. Teacher salaries versus the escalating cost of a college degree are an often-cited reason why many of today’s students do not choose a career in teaching. USA Today estimated in February 2006 that the average college graduate would carry at least $19,000 in student debt upon graduation.