Leadership

Higher Ed Funding: Taking the First, Painful Step

Missouri looks to cut funding for higher education, and there are no shortage of opponents. But maybe higher ed needs its funding cut in order to survive.

January 17, 2012 — 1 Comment

Difference Between Creativity and Innovation

I once attended a class on innovation and the instructor led with this question: what was the difference between Leonardo da Vinci and Thomas Edison?

November 07, 2011 — 0 Comments

Leadership and Football

I am not your average football fan. Sure, I love a good heart-thumping one-handed-catch-in-the- endzone-display-of-raw-athleticism as much as the next guy, but I also enjoy a more cerebral appreciation to the sport. That’s why, with football season back in full force, so too is my rekindled fascination with systems theory concepts such as emergence and the organizational principles of leadership. A guest post by Brian Grundy.

October 23, 2011 — 4 Comments

Afraid of Letting People Work from Home?

Last year during a higher ed panel discussion, I mentioned that most of my team works from home several days a week. In fact, sometimes an employee is only in the office one or two days a week. This immediately generated questions about productivity, how I keep tabs on their work, and whether HR ...

August 09, 2011 — 6 Comments

Through the Critic's Looking Glass

I spend a lot of time looking at other higher ed websites. Knowing what’s out there is part of our job. Last week, a few colleagues and I spent some time sharing our favorite sites and looking at what others are doing out there. And something strange happened: we became critics. If you have...

April 11, 2011 — 0 Comments

Rising Boats: Colleague Education

Every month, we offer “brown bag” presentations to our fellow campus communicators. These staff and administrators are responsible for some kind of communications role, whether for their program, department, or entire college or division. The skills and backgrounds vary widely, leadin...

March 24, 2011 — 1 Comment

The Holy Grail of Higher Ed Web Governance

Every website has a consistent look and feel, one that clearly identifies itself as part of the institution. The overarching themes and messages come through loud and clear, never varying. Every sentence has a common voice. Everything is completely up to date. And the site goals get measured and ...

March 17, 2011 — 0 Comments

3 Tales of Shut the Hell Up

The Chatterbox A few years ago, I was in a meeting with a group of officers at Notre Dame. I was accompanied by my boss, who insisted that he be present. But during the discussion I was about the speak up and my boss signaled to me to wait – I held my tongue. The rest of the group continued...

February 17, 2011 — 0 Comments

Way to Respect the Vacation

I take vacations to get away from work. To spend more time with my family, enjoy the lake, or play camp counselor for a week in my favorite Michigan summer camp. But I have always struggled with the idea of going completely offline, because I know I’ll return to a stuffed inbox and tons of ...

November 29, 2010 — 3 Comments