Fear of new technologies and chalkboards
Are you today’s equivalent of the Yale student body that protested the chalkboard in the 1830s? Seems like a ridiculous question and scenario. But believe it or not, this is a true story according to Professor Cathy Davidson. I am taking Davidson’s fantastic MOOC course “The Future and History of Mostly Higher Education”. In the course, she […]
Podcast #12: Dealing with a University Crisis Communications Scenario
Student misbehavior, protests against university policy and violence on campus – these are among the issues that a university spokesperson must be prepared to address from a crisis communications perspective. If you are looking to hear best practice on crisis communications within a higher education environment, then you will want to listen to episode 12 […]
Higher Education Crisis Communication Resources
Crisis communications situations can come at any time. For individuals in higher education, these crises can vary from everything ranging to violence on campus, professors’ conflict of interest and students’ misbehavior. Just in the last couple of weeks, university communicators at the University California Santa Barbara and Seattle Pacific University have been forced to communicate […]
Podcast # 11 – The Impact of MOOCs on Teaching and Marketing
“They will change the way we all approach teaching.” This is what Vincent Mangematin, a professor at France’s Grenoble Ecole de Management, told me on FIR on Higher Education episode 11. MOOCs are certainly causing disruption. Mangematin wrote in the Financial Times that MOOCs will leave behind a trail of failed global business schools. He elaborated on this piece in […]
Storytelling from your student and client’s perspective
We’ve all grown accustomed to marketing content in which the organization applauds itself for its innovation and benefits. In a typical university setting, common overused buzzwords that schools highlight on their web sites are cutting-edge research (where did that term come from anyway?), world-class faculty (in other words, anyone that has earned a PhD), and […]
Why Public Relations Practitioners Need to Be Organizational Educators
In the old days, it was simple for us communicators. Do some media training for just a few of the top spokespeople in the organization and ensure everyone is on message. Then work on coming up with a story, pitch it in the press and receive a positive clip. Finally, send it to a few […]
Podcast 10: Disrupting Executive Education – The World Economic Forum’s New Forum Academy
Every January, the World Economic Forum (WEF) is in the news headlines as leaders meet in Davos, Switzerland to address some of the pressing issues facing the world. The WEF is also know for its thought leadership and research. Now, the organization is expanding into executive education. The new Forum Academy is launching its inaugural course on Global Information Technology this June and then […]
Re-thinking where you live and pursuing goals
Are you happy where you live at the moment? Are you able to pursue your goals – both personal and professional – in the current place you live? I am contemplating this question as I sit on a bench overlooking Lake Geneva and the mountains (pictured to the left) in a small village town outside of […]
Podcast # 9: Building Online Community and Mobilizing Ambassadors to Promote New Books
Are you a new author and thinking about innovative ways to market your book? If yes, then you will want to listen to episode 9 of FIR on Higher Education.
Teens, Visual Storytelling and Higher Education Communications
It is no surprise that young people are fleeing Facebook in favor of other social media sites. In fact, Facebook even announced their concern about this during an earnings announcement last year. It seems like there are new studies out on a regular basis showing the most used social media sites among particular demographics. The […]