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#SATBT Student Affairs Throwback Thursday: Jason Meriwether

Jason Meriwether Current Position and Institution: Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management & Student Affairs, Indiana University Southeast First Position and Institution: Residence Hall Director, Department of University Housing, Georgia Southern University After graduating from the University of Louisville in 2001, my first professional position was as a Residence Hall Director at Georgia Southern University, where... Continue Reading →

Overview (Part 1): The Technology Competency for Student Affairs Educators

This series delves deeper into the new Technology competency recently added to the ACPA/NASPA Professional Competency Areas for Student Affairs Educators.  Intended to serve as a resource for faculty and professionals to guide professional development and teaching, it provides a deeper understanding of the topics covered in the competency and provides resources for further education. Part 1: Overview Part... Continue Reading →

Presenting at UCLA Today…

I'm #superexcited to be presenting to the residential student leaders at UCLA today about living life to the fullest and the amazing thinks that happen when you're bold online and in your social media life. In my experience, a vast majority of people do not contribute or engage in ways that leverage the immense hidden power of... Continue Reading →

Simpler is Better in Presentation Slides

  One of the constant reminders I have to tell myself when designing slide decks is to remember that "simpler is better."  Rather than trying to load my presentations with bells, whistles, and animations that are more likely to distract, I have to remember to takeaway.  I designed this Slideshare (embedded below) to help illustrate the... Continue Reading →

#SATBT Student Affairs Throwback Thursday: Thea Zunick

Thea Zunick Current Position and Institution: Associate Director of Student Life, Stevens Institute of Technology First Position and Institution: Assistant Director of Student Development, Iona College I began my professional career at Iona College in New Rochelle, NY because it sung loud and clear “welcome back to the Northeast Thea”! It was time for me... Continue Reading →

Stay the Course: Reminders for When Assessment Gets Messy [REBLOG]

Old wooden ruler.

The folks over at the “Oh, No, It’s an Assessment Blog” posted this great little piece on the “messiness” of assessing student learning and distilled down five tips to help guide efforts in this area.  They also include an excellent video (see below, highly recommended) form the folks at EDUCAUSE about why learning assessment can seem (and is) difficult.

2015-03-14_OhNoLogo22-abby3My friends for the assessment revolution! My office is gearing up to take the next step in our learning outcomes assessment efforts. I’m VERY excited! It’s going to be fun, intellectually and professionally fulfilling, and (most importantly and hopefully) provide meaningful insight into the student experience. But in addition to excitement, I am also a bit nervous, because, as you’ve likely noticed, measuring for learning is messy – which is the largest part of its difficulty, but, also, its beauty. In my research about student learning and assessment over the past few years I’ve come to learn that it’s not just me who’s feeling this way:

In watching videos like the above and reading anything I can get my hands on, I’m hearing a few common themes (some old, some new) that I’m keeping in mind during this big year for our assessment efforts in the Career Center:

  1. Assess learning not just once, but…

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Does Size Matter? Professional experiences at small colleges and universities. [REBLOG]

 

I wanted to share this post from my good friend and colleague, Todd Porter.  Todd brings up a point that I have often thought about but never quite articulated into words… certainly not as well as he does.

There seems to be an unwritten value (bias?) that higher education professionals place on larger schools.  While there are certainly benefits to large schools, the diversified landscape of higher education, is one of its greatest strengths.  Something that other countries have sought to replicate as education becomes more globalized, and we would be at a disadvantage to ignore these strengths when we seek jobs and seek to hire the “best” ‘right fit” talent.  Success and value comes in many forms.

Check out Todd’s original piece below.

Todd Porter

Group of dogs different sizes sit and looking into camera isolated on white. Yorkshire terrier, spitz, bordoss dog.

“I always assumed that working at a small school was like scraping the bottom of the barrel.”

The moment this was stated, I knew exactly what this graduate student was saying. It was a sentiment I have heard from various graduate students that I have connected with over the course of the summer. There seemed to be a growing mentality amongst these future professionals when thinking about their first position out of graduate school. They were reluctant to consider the opportunity of working at small schools as viable, prestigious or challenging experiences. Some gravitated towards small schools, primarily because they had attended similar institutions as an undergrad.  This was the exception, not the rule. There were various reasons why the grads I spoke with indicated that small schools were not on their radar, including access to resources, opportunities for advancement, professional development, and the lack of name and reputation in…

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#SATBT Student Affairs Throwback Thursday: Patrick Love

Patrick Love Current Position and Institution: Vice President for Student Affairs, New York Institute of Technology First Position and Institution: Residence Director, SUNY Albany The Importance of Critical Feedback: I received written feedback from the other residence directors on staff. All were extremely positive except one. My supervisor said I had a choice. I could easily... Continue Reading →

Fear in Higher Ed… Fear in the workplace…

I've been thinking a lot about this concept of fear in the workplace.  What causes it?  What are the signs and  symptoms?  How do you reduce it?  A big part of positive organizational culture change involves "getting the fear out."  But what is the nature of fear?  Specifically in higher education? Fear is multi-dimensional, cultural, and... Continue Reading →

Women at the Forefront of Student Affairs History

Student affairs has had a long history of women contributing to the profession that dates back to the turn of the century. This is something I feel too often goes under-appreciated.  In many ways, women were almost wholly responsible for many of the values and principles we uphold in our work.  Chief among them, the... Continue Reading →

#SATBT Student Affairs Throwback Thursday: Gavin Henning

Gavin Henning Current Position and Institution: Associate Professor of Higher Education, New England College First Position and Institution: Resident Director, University of New Hampshire The most important lesson I learned in my first position has been a guiding principle throughout my career. I learned as a residence hall director at the University of New Hampshire... Continue Reading →

Contributing to a New Book: Going Digital in Student Leadership

I’m excited to let folks in on a little secret.  I and a number of other folks will be contributing to an upcoming edition of the New Directions for Student Leadership (NDSL) Sourcebook Series titled… Going Digital in Student Leadership Co-edited by Lisa Endersby and Josie Ahlquist, the book will cover a variety of topics including how technology impacts all stages of... Continue Reading →

Humbled to be joining the LEAD365 Team!

I'm excited to announce that I'm Joining the faculty of the Lead365 National Conference!  I'm incredibly humbled to be working with a team that includes many of my treasured colleagues, mentors and friends as well as speakers I have admired for years. As Lead365 describes itself: "Lead365 is the sponsoring organization of the Lead365 National Conference... Continue Reading →

Residence Life Explained in Emoji: The Poster

I've always been fascinated by how mobile communications are increasingly pushing us towards more visual forms of communication and expression.  Memes, animated gifs, and, of course, emoji.  With the beginning of the year upon us... RA training... residence hall opening... I thought it was appropriate to rework some of the emoji series I did last... Continue Reading →

Presenting at Indiana University Southeast Today…

I have the pleasure of presenting to  the faculty, staff and students of Indiana University Southeast today on the impact of social media on college student development as well as college students and their digital reputations.  Here are some additional resources that may be of use to those in attendance and others. For faculty and staff attendees: To... Continue Reading →

Have You Made Yourself Clear? Leadership Lessons from Amelia Bedelia [REBLOG]

To say that I adored Amelia Bedilia growing up is an understatement.  The folks over at LEAD365 put together this cute little post on the leadership lessons you can takeway from this timeless childhood classic.

The Official Blog of the Lead365 National Conference

As an early reader, I was constantly devouring books, taking special note of the ones that made me laugh and the ones that made me think. One of my early favorites? Amelia Bedelia. For those unfamiliar, the Amelia Bedelia book series was written by Peggy Parish as a a way to explain idioms and figurative language to kids. For example, when asked to make a sponge cake…she includes real sponges. When asked to draw the drapes, her boss returns to a picture of the windows, drapes still wide open. The bumbling housekeeper was endearing and hardworking, but never seemed to understand precisely what she should be doing. As I moved into a role where I got to call the shots, I realized that Amelia Bedelia and her misunderstandings are far more common than we could ever imagine. So how do you, as a leader or supervisor of students, ensure that…

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Another Reason Not to Like the Word…..Bloat [REBLOG]

I have struggled with (and frequently get angry) at the ease with which “administrative bloat” is tossed around as a main contributor to rising costs in higher education.  If we truly want universal access (and completion), it necessarily means we’re admitting students who have more complex needs.  Students that may have traditionally been denied access or for whom the dream of a college degree never seemed possible.  Who is to do the work of supporting these students?  This is where I think the “bloat” argument goes horribly wrong.  Where is the middle ground?  If you think administrators are not educators or do not contribute to access and retention, then you don’t understand higher education.

The following post from Jodi Koslow Martin on the SAfeminists blog gives voice to some of these problematic issues…

Feminists in Student Affairs

by Jodi Koslow Martin

I am sensitive to a few issues in higher education. When I say “sensitive,” I mean there are a few matters in higher education that are incredibly important and incredibly challenging at the same time. From my own research, I’ve become sensitive to getting first-year students enrolled in classes taught by full-time faculty in their first semester of college. I’m sensitive to the needs in the lives of Resident Hall Directors; to live and work in the same place can make it really difficult to set essential personal boundaries. And, of late, I am extremely sensitive to the critique of higher education that the cost of college is so high because of administrative bloat. I already had an issue with the word ‘bloat’ for obvious reasons. The basis for my current touchiness to this word relates to my personal experience as a vice president at a…

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Saying Goodbye to Boston, in Photos…

It's been four great years, Boston, but it's time to say goodbye and move on to my next adventure.  I've learned to love New England (particularly in the summer... ahem), and I thought the best way to say goodbye was through some pictures I took of this iconic city and amazing region... The iconic Fenway Park.... Continue Reading →

Leadership Lessons from…Curious George [REBLOG]

I always loved Curious George growing up… and this article from my friends at LEAD365 helps shed some light on why. In many ways, it reminds me of Steve Jobs’ famous quote to always “Stay hungry… stay foolish.”  Taking delight and surprise in the world around me is what keeps me motivated.  It’s something that I never hope I lose.  Forever curious, George…

The Official Blog of the Lead365 National Conference

Yes, that one. The one you’re thinking of. Although it may not seem wise to follow the example of the monkey that ate enough of a puzzle to get sent to the ER, it might surprise you to realize just how many admirable leadership qualities that this mischievous monkey truly possesses.

Why is Curious George a great model for leadership development?

IMAGE CREDIT: KPBS

He uses his resources. The first time I thought about Curious George as a model for creativity and leadership, it was while watching a Valentine’s Day episode. George realizes that he wants to make valentines for many of his neighborhood friends, but is running short on time. He explores the empty apartment for tools to help speed up his work- utilizing things like blocks and his tricycle- before finally settling on sponges and an unplugged waffle iron (see left).

When we’re in positions of leadership, we…

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The Dreaded LinkedIn Summary…Some Tips for Students

If you aren’t following the NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers) blog, I highly encourage you to do so.  You don’t even need to work in Career Services to benefit.  There are great tips here for your own job search or general work with students.  Check out the following post about writing LinkedIn summaries.  Great stuff!

The NACE Blog

Ross WadeRoss Wade, assistant director, Duke University Career Center
Personal blog: http://mrrosswade.wordpress.com/
LinkedIn URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosswade
Twitter: @rrwade
Blogs from Ross Wade.

Students understand more and more the power of LinkedIn, and the importance of not only being on LinkedIn, but also actually using it to successfully market themselves and connect with professionals. I feel like I’ve worked with a gazillion students on how to create an effective LinkedIn profile, and the one section that causes my students the most problems is that dang summary section! In advising sessions the following questions always come up: “Do I use first or third person?” “How long should it be?” “Should I discuss my passion for baking?” “Should I list skills…isn’t that redundant since there is that ‘Skills & Endorsements’ section already in my profile?” “Do I really even need a summary?”

Yes! Students should totally take advantage of the summary section!

Earlier this year…

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The Time I Visited JetBlue Headquarters

As my friend Keith said, "The circle completes itself." When I started traveling and interacting with JetBlue on Twitter, I never intended nor thought my journey would take me here... and yet, nevertheless, this week had me heading to JetBlue's Long Island City headquarters to present to the crew members of JetBlue.  I had the opportunity to... Continue Reading →

Examples of #SAgrad Online Professional Portfolios

In the practicum course I taught in the Merrimack College Higher Education program this semester, I had the students experiment with the creation of online portfolios.  Online portfolios can be an excellent opportunity to promote reflective practice as well as give students a leg up in the job search.  They can follow you throughout your... Continue Reading →

Social Media Doesn’t Replace The Real World*

*but it can enhance it if used smartly. Usually, rants about how "social media is making us antisocial" and "social media is ruining our ability to enjoy the 'real' world" drive me INSANE.  Unfortunately, many who take this track use it as an opportunity to assert some moral high ground.. that by giving up social... Continue Reading →

PRESENTATION VIDEO: Flipping Out: Concepts of Inverted Classrooms for Teaching and Training

I had the pleasure of presenting with Dr. Susan Marine, one of my fellow faculty members at Merrimack College, on concepts of classroom flipping.  What is flipping?  Here's a useful definition from Wikipedia: Flipped classroom is an instructional methodology and a type of blended learning that delivers instructional content, often online, outside of the classroom and moves activities, including... Continue Reading →

Checklist: Selecting Technology for Learning [REBLOG]

Learning + Technology Development Process Model (Hibbitts & Travin, 2015)The following post comes from Laura Pasquini which shares an excellent model for determining how one should go about integrating digital technology into course content and deciding what are the most appropriate approaches given the content and context.  Tony Bates’ SECTIONS model is a practical and useful tool to have in your digital teaching arsenal.  Read on…

techKNOWtools

With so many possibilities for digital learning, selecting media and technologies for appropriate course instruction is a very complex process. Although there are a wide range of options in the ed tech realm, pedagogical considerations should always come first. Instructors should reflect on the learning objective and desired outcomes for their subject matter before identifying identifying technological applications for the course.

The SECTIONS model, developed by Tony Bates (2015), is a pedagogical framework for determining what technology, specifically how this technology will be appropriate for instructional approaches. This might include identifying and determining pedagogical characteristics of text, audio, video, computing, and social media. With this framework, Bates (2015) asks five critical questions for teaching and learning for technology and media selection:

  1. Who are the learners?
  2. What are the desired learning outcomes from the teaching?
  3. What instructional strategies will be employed to facilitate the learning outcomes?
  4. What are the unique educational characteristics of…

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SPOTLIGHT HigherEd #FollowFriday: @ChrisJScanlon

I first met Chris when he was interviewing for a job at one of my former institutions.  Although the job didn't mutually work out, it was clear to me from the day we met that Chris was going places.  He tweets about donuts, hockey, and running, and occasionally you'll find him on an #SAchat dropping some wisdom.... Continue Reading →

ERMAHGERD! It’s Student Affairs!

Ah yes.  Those awkward teenage years.  A period that spawned this meme--meant to approximate the sound of speaking through an orthodontic retainer.  Interested in the history of the meme?  Check out this entry in KnowYourMeme and the video below. When you're ready... it's time for ERMAHGERD! ITH THUDEN AFFUTH! Got your own?  Through them in the... Continue Reading →

How to Blog with Confidence #SAwrites

Blogging takes courage.  It requires confidence.  It requires you to put your thoughts and ideas out there for everyone to read.  It requires that you be open to feedback, open to change, and open to exposing the sometimes messy process of your learning to the world. I've been blogging in earnest for the past three... Continue Reading →

SPOTLIGHT HigherEd #FollowFriday: @NikiMessmore

Niki always puts out great content and is quick to provide an insightful thought or tweet.  She has a very successful blog, Dances With Dissonance, which covers a number of topics both within higher education and outside of it, including social justice, feminism, life transitions, and professional issues.  Consider giving her a follow! Follow @NikiMessmore This... Continue Reading →

What’s in a desk? Organizing for productivity.

A number of writers on the "Student Affairs Women Talk Tech" blog (Joise Ahlquist, Kristen Abell, and Jennifer Keegin) posted pictures of their desks and wrote posts describing their work space and how they personalize it and organize it for productivity.  I decided to take a cue from them and share my own desk as well as... Continue Reading →

3 Real Takeaways from Hulu’s Fake Peek Into Residence Life [REBLOG]

I was able to get a “sneak peek” at Hulu’s new original series “Resident Advisors” before it came out.  (Check out Klout which gives you freebies and perks according to your level of influence on social media.)  After watching the first episode, here are my initial thoughts:
  1. It’s not that funny.  I struggled to make it past 10 minutes of the first episode.
  2. It really has nothing to do with being a RA and it doesn’t care (not that I think it should).  Residence life is merely the setting. This could be any aspect of college life in the overdone “college movie” genre… swap greek life for residence life… an off campus apartment for a residence hall room… have it take place during spring break… etc.
  3. There *may be the opportunity for some video clips to use in RA training, although the parody is so over the top, it may be minimal.
  4. This series isn’t likely to last past the first season.
In my opinion, that pretty much sums up everything you need to know.
I also wanted to share this blog post from the always-thoughtful and thought provoking Amma Marfo.  Here’s her take:

Amma Marfo

“Our lives could be a TV show.”

IMAGE CREDIT: Doug Hyun

I can’t tell you how often I hear that remark from people at the office- and have heard it, regardless of where I’ve worked. Those pleas get answered in the most seemingly random of ways; It would appear that enough current and former RAs have verbalized this need that we received Resident Advisors, which premiered on Hulu this past Thursday.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am still warming to the humor. I’m working hard to give it a chance because, as is often the case, I am a fan of several of the people involved. And additionally, as someone who did have several ridiculous situations happen to her as an RA, its always nice to see how our lives get dramatized. But even as I continue to adjust to how the story is being told, I’ve…

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Presenting at Indiana State University today…

I have the pleasure of presenting to and consulting with the faculty, staff and students of Indiana State University today on the use of social media in engaging students.  Here are some additional resources that may be of use to those in attendance and others. For faculty and staff attendees: To see examples of colleges and universities using... Continue Reading →

Guest Appearance on HigherEdLive: Social Media/Justice/Change and Yik Yak [VIDEO]

I appeared on a HigherEdLive broadcast along with co-guest, colleague, and friend,  Vernon Wall, and host Heather Shea Gasser to talk about social media and its intersections with social justice and change.  Vernon and I talked about our collaboration on a combined social justice and social media training as well as recent events in higher education surrounding the use of Yik... Continue Reading →

20 Memes to Get You Through Residence Hall Closing #ResLife

The following cross-post comes from the AMAZING, INCOMPARABLE Marci Walton.  Marci and I recently collaborated with Josie Ahlquist and Renee Piquette Dowdy in presenting a session at the 2015 NASPA convention on blogging in higher education in student affairs.  She's great people.  Follow Marci on twitter. Originally posted at MarciWalton.com: Closing is upon us. The... Continue Reading →

Dear RAs, I want you to STOP PROGRAMMING!

It's time to move beyond the clichés and towards student learning centered work in our residence halls.  The residential curriculum model offers promise for conceptualizing some of our tired old practices.  It's time for a curricular reboot!

Adding ‘Digital Identity’ to your Student ‘Development’ Syllabus [REBLOG]

Once a month I reblog a post from a colleague that I think deserves to be shared more widely.  This month’s comes from Dr. Paul Eaton, who is researching similar topics as myself: the impact of social media and digital technology on the college student developmental process (or as Paul would describe it, “becoming”).  Take a look at this great post from Paul on how one may integrate concepts of “digital identity” into traditional college student development courses.  Some great resources here.

Paul William Eaton

It is the start of spring semester here at Louisiana State University.  I am fortunate, blessed, and honored to once again be co-teaching our Master’s Level Student Development Theory course, alongside Dr. Danielle Alsandor and Kristin Satterlee (pedagogically, team-teaching is an incredible opportunity to add diverse perspectives to a classroom).

We have decided to add discussions of ‘digital identity’ to our syllabus.  This is an ethical responsibility, necessary and important for future leaders in our profession.  If you are teaching student development theory this spring, or in the near future, consider adding this important new component to your syllabus.

Many synoptic texts do not currently have chapters dedicated to this topic, so here is a list and brief overview of some readings we are including this spring.

Becoming and Belonging

This chapter, by Rob Cover (2014), is part of an excellent edited text from the University of Wisconsin Press entitled 

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Beyond the Grade: Digital Badges to Certify Learning

Grades are not the only way of assessing student work. There are a number of colleges and universities that have experimented with alternative approaches to the traditional letter grade. One such college, Reed College in Oregon, provides students with more detailed feedback and assessment in addition to grades. As stated in their Guidebook, “Students' work... Continue Reading →

REVEALED! Researchers Uncover Chickering’s Previously Undiscovered Eight Vector

Researchers at the National Student Affairs Archives at Bowling Green State University recently uncovered notes revealing a missing "eighth vector" from Chickering's well known student development theory. The missing vector was developed by a mysterious third researcher.  Many scholars of student development theory are aware of Arthur Chickering's work with Linda Reisser in 1993.  An update to Chickering's... Continue Reading →

How do you prioritize urgent versus important in your work?

One useful tool I use in organizing myself and understanding my work is known as the Eisenhower Productivity Matrix.  Detailed in my presentation below, it divides tasks into four quadrants with two variables: urgent and important. How do you or how might you apply these principles into your daily work?

Excited to be *virtually* keynoting NEACUHO 2015

I'm pleased to be one of four mini-keynotes opening this summer's NEACUHO Annual Conference.  I'm doing a twist on some new content I've been working on.  (See Below.)  Unfortunately I won't be able to be there in person, but via video.  I promise to share it after it's presented live.

#NASPA15 Presentation: How to Network Digitally for Professional Development and Relationship-Building

This panel started with a tweet.  Christina Ferrari sent our a message asking if anyone wanted to collaborate on a session about leveraging digital networks for professional development.  The result is an exciting collaboration involving a panel of presenters, many of whom have only previously met virtually.  Come join us and/or follow the twitter back channel #SAconnect!... Continue Reading →

5 Quick Social Media Strategies for Educators

I was pleased to have one of my slide presentations selected by HaikuDeck as a "Featured Deck."  It's a quick and simple short set of slides to give you some reminders of how to interact online as an educator.  This was also uploaded and featured as a part of SlideShare's 2015 Upload Campaign.

Why you should “like” things… Including this post.

Liking matters on Facebook... and any other platform that uses a news feed algorithm for that matter. When people "like" something, it can mean many different things.  It can literally mean you like something.  Sometimes it's to indicate thoughts of sympathy or empathy (something that you don't really literally like, per se).  Sometimes it just indicates... Continue Reading →

Why SAPros Are Really Superheroes In Disguise [REBLOG from @JessMSamuels]

Every month I like to re-blog a post I find particularly interesting, insightful, or just plain fun.  This month’s reblog comes from Jess Samuels (@jessmsamuels) and includes an amazing infographic she designed.  Some truly excellent work!

Adventures in PopTechnology

#saheroes

Image Credits
Superman: Alex Ross
Lois Lane: Killian Plunkett
SA Team (JLA): Jim Lee, http://www.joinwecanbeheroes.org/
Superhero/Alterego prints: by Danny Haas, http://society6.com/artist/r0gue
Superhero Playing Cards: RedRaspus on Flickr
Origingally posted on Student Affairs Women Talk Tech on 2.7.12

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#ACPA15 Presentation: What Grad School Didn’t Teach You About Your Digital Life

Josie Ahlquist and I are proud to be collaborating on an exciting session for the upcoming 2015 International Convention of ACPA-College Student Educators International.  This session is intended for all levels of professionals who want to learn about how to develop a positive digital presence online and leverage digital and social tools for professional development.  This practical session... Continue Reading →

#SAconnect Chat Tonight! Digital Networking for Professional Development

I have the privilege of collaborating with some amazing professionals on an upcoming session at NASPA: Wednesday, March 25: 9:00am - 9:50am #SAconnect: How to Network Digitally for Professional Development and Relationship Building 209 - Convention Center To preview, build on, and prepare for our session, please join Christina Ferrari,  John Rodriguez, Lisa Endersby, Rebecca Windover, and Briana Mathew for... Continue Reading →

Remembering the Wisdom of Steve Jobs on His Birthday

When I'm working at my desk, Steve Jobs watches over me.  He reminds me to keep things simple and strive for excellence.  Since today he would have turned 60 years old, I wanted to share a few of the quotes from him that remind me to stay hungry and foolish.

Overly Attached #StudentAffairs Colleague

They're always waiting of you... ready to do the things in your job you don't want to do... it's the Overly Attached Student Affairs Colleague.  (A variation of the Overly Attached Girlfriend meme.)  Enjoy friends.

SPOTLIGHT HigherEd #FollowFriday: @EricaKThompson

Erica is enthusiastic and always willing to reach out and make new friends.  She is heavily involved in the #SAchat community, so if you ever participate in one of the weekly chats, it's highly likely she might be the mysterious moderator behind the account.  Check out her blog and give her a follow... Follow @EricaKThompson This is a post... Continue Reading →

Tend To Your Student Affairs Professional Garden

There is a lot of free professional development available online and ways you can grow your own personal learning network.  The following slide deck comes from some of the presentations I give on this topic.  Who says professional development has to cost?  Enjoy.

SPOTLIGHT: Nuzzel Social News Reader

Nuzzel is an amazing little app/web service that helps surface the news your friends and others in your network care about.  Log into Nuzzel and connect your Twitter and Facebook accounts.  Then, daily, or at an interval of your choice, you will receive an email containing the most shared links of the day from those in... Continue Reading →

A Timeline of Student Affairs History

Click to Expand I tried to capture some of the major publications in student affairs history as well as important moments in the growth of ACPA and NASPA.  Think I should add something?  Let me know in the comments below. UPDATE: Great feedback from everyone on the timeline.  I'm thinking of creating an "Equitable Timeline of... Continue Reading →

The Student Development Transit System Map

  I had a lot of fun putting this together!  You wouldn't believe how hard it is to get the poster visually right while trying to make sure it makes sense conceptually and theoretically.  Too reductionist?  Maybe.  Areas for improvement?  I'm sure.  Let me know how you'd try arranging it in the comments below. BUY... Continue Reading →

MORE #StudentAffairs in LEGO

Because we built so much fun together last time, let's build another student affairs meme. (photo credit) (photo credit) (photo credit) (Appropriate photo credit was attempted to be given when possible.  Photos without attribution come from LEGO or screen captures from The LEGO Movie.  These were created by me and LEGO does not endorse this post.)

5 Outcomes #PechaKucha Presentations Can Teach You

From the first ACPA PechaKucha session, to its adoption as a conference-wide event, a number of faculty have begun to utilize the presentation style as a class assignment for their students.  For a few years, I have avoided assigning this to my own students.  I thought it was just too hard.  That it required too advanced a... Continue Reading →

SPOTLIGHT HigherEd #FollowFriday: @HeatherGasser

Heather and I are ACPA leadership buddies.  She was the Coordinator of Commissions when I was starting as the Coordinator of Standing Committees and now she is the Director of Membership Development and I am her elect.  There are numerous points of overlap in our professional journeys and also in our professional interests.  Heather is... Continue Reading →

Are you developmentally ready for that PhD?

Starting PhD work isn't something to be taken lightly.  First, there are the logistics: Is it the right time in your career to start a PhD? Do you have the time and money to dedicate to it? What program do you chose? For what purpose?  Are you seeking an executive-type program or a research-focused program?... Continue Reading →

Presentation Tip: Become a SlideShare Rockstar!

I'm a big fan of the website SlideShare.  Think of it as the YouTube of presentations.  You can upload your slides from a presentation to share them with others. I was recently selected to be a "Keynote Author."  This is a designation given by SlideShare to select users who are recognized as "top content creators."  I'm... Continue Reading →

Presenting at NYIT Today… #NYITdidthat

I am pleased to be speaking with the staff at NYIT today on how they can take their social media engagement to the next level. NYIT is increasingly making a name for itself and social media is one of the strategies by which they're doing it.  One of the questions I am posing today is, "What is your... Continue Reading →

SPOTLIGHT: LinkedIn for Higher Education

You might think of LinkedIn as just a tool that you use to create a profile, network, and search for jobs.  LinkedIn, however, is making a big push into higher education using its treasure trove of data to help institutions engage with prospective students and alumni.  Want to know how many people working for Google... Continue Reading →

The Periodic Table of Student Affairs: From Theory to Practice

Help pay back my student loans!  Some people asked for it, so I made it available. BUY this as a poster or BUY this as on a mug! The paid version uses a sharper, higher resolution file. There are multiple price points, qualities, and sizes....  All proceeds go to my student loans.  Thanks! MORE available in my store!

The History of the Selfie: And it All Began 1839…

Once a month I re-blog a post that I find interesting and want to highlight.  This post comes from one of the students in Dr. Jerry Kane’s ISYS 6621 course, Social Media for Managers.  It’s a fun look at the selfie phenomenon and what some may consider precursors to it.

Year in Review: My Most Viewed SlideShare Presentations (2014)

I have been on SlideShare since 2010 and am a big proponent of the platform. Think of it as the YouTube of presentations. This year I was designated a "Keynote Author" by SlideShare which saw the traffic to my content increase SIGNIFICANTLY.  The following is a review of my most viewed presentations from 2014.

SPOTLIGHT HigherEd #FollowFriday: @LauraPasquini

Dr. Laura Pasquini has been a good friend of mine for a very long time... since we worked at Miami University almost a decade ago.  Although we didn't know it then, she and I share a research interest in all things Ed-Tech.  She's incredibly knowledgeable, travels the world, and maintains a blog where she shares... Continue Reading →

SPOTLIGHT: Achieve Inbox Zero with UnrollMe

We all get newsletters, promotions, and list-serve emails sent to our inbox every day.  Remember that one item you bought from that one website one time?  Now you get their daily emails.  It’s information overload. Sometimes managing the email glut is as simple as going through an unsubscribe spree every few months, but other times... Continue Reading →

Your Ultimate Guide to Giving PechaKucha Presentations

PechaKucha is a special style of presentation that privileges short, powerful messages.  I've been experimenting with this style of presentation for almost 5 years.  In 2013, I along with a few colleagues were the first to bring this presentation style to student affairs in a session entitled, "The Future of Student Affairs in Six Minutes and Forty... Continue Reading →

Stupid Resume Advice [REBLOG]

 paulgordonbrown: Once a month I re-blog a post that I find interesting and want to highlight.  This post comes from Patrick Love.  It’s a great reminder for the experienced job searcher and a great crash course for the new one.  It has some not-so-standard advice you might hear about your resume. Originally posted on Patrick Love's Life: I... Continue Reading →

SPOTLIGHT HigherEd #FollowFriday: @BDProffer

Brian is a new professional at Michigan State University that blogs about higher education, student affairs, web 2.0, LGBT issues and general life inspirations and observations.  He's thoughtful, has some great insights, and is also your "go to" if you want to see tweeted pictures of cute animals (and who doesn't?).  Check him out and give him a... Continue Reading →

Presentation Tip: Using Fonts

Here are some quick tips on how to increase the visual impact of your slides through typography.  Including: Understanding the types of fonts Using color Breaking up and placing text Text size and bullet points Integrating text and images

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