HigherEd Careers

The area of Campus Activities is more than just bringing concerts and movies to campus and planning social events. Our guest this month explains that the role of Campus Activities also includes the important tasks of leadership development and professional growth. Dr. Rouse shares information regarding the work her association does to strengthen student growth, as well as tips for tackling interviews and the idea of remaining open to new possibilities in higher education.

Expert:

Dr. Sandra Rouse
Director of Education and Research for the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA).

For some, the role of faculty unions can be viewed with debate. This month, we explore the early history of faculty unions to their place in today's higher education community. Do they help or hurt faculty? Can faculty be viewed as management? Dr. Timothy Reese Cain, Assistant Professor at the College of Education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, answers these questions and discusses reasons for formation beyond salary and tenure, perceptions of faculty unions, definition of academic freedom and the potential direction of faculty unions.

Expert:

Timothy Reese Cain, Ph.D
Assistant Professor, College of Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

How do female science faculty think about their career? This month, our expert, Paula K. Kleintjes Neff, Ph.D., Professor of Biology at the University of Wisconsin Eau-Claire, discusses her career as a female entomologist, researcher, teacher, advocate and role model. Dr. Kleintjes Neff shares her views on how opportunities for women science have changed, what can still be done to improve the face of women in science and thoughts on how women can successfully balance their personal life as well as being an accomplished scientist.

Expert:

Paula K. Kleintjes Neff, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology at the University of Wisconsin Eau-Claire

We often receive feedback about professionals who are experiencing a career transition. So, taking this into consideration, we thought it would be interesting to show an example of a higher education professional who recently went through a transition in his career route and what he has experienced and learned through this path.

Expert:

Douglas Geiger, Ph.D.
Vice President of Student Affairs at Manhattanville College

As Aristotle once said, "The whole is more than the sum of its parts." This month we examine how collaboration on a college campus can lead to success, specifically in the area of online learning at a community college.

Expert:

Dr. Calandra Davis
Associate Professor of Mathematics and the Department Chair for the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Georgia Pe

Expert:

Barbara Obrentz
Director of Marketing and Chief Public Information Officer for Georgia Perimeter College

In our final part of the "Making College Accessible" series, we discuss the financial aspects of attending college. The issue of affording college is on the forefront of many students' minds, and with potential changes to the Pell Grant system, affording college could be an even bigger issue for many. This month, our guest, Dr. Kienzl, discusses the role of the Institute of Higher Education Policy and how it helps students with accessibility to college, some interesting projects he has worked on, and his insight into financial aid and funding policies in higher education.

Expert:

Gregory Kienzl, Ph.D.
Director of Research and Evaluation

Continuing with our "Making College Accessible" series, this month we are discussing the topic of First Generation College Students (FGCS). We are fortunate to have as our expert guest Ms. Cynthia Demetriou, Director for Retention, Office of Undergraduate Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Ms. Demetriou discusses the challenges and opportunities that FGCS students may encounter and shares her insight into helping these driven students succeed. She suggests that by focusing on their strengths, establishing mentoring relationships, encouraging community involvement, and developing other opportunities to feel connected on campus, this will result in higher retention, happier students and ultimately successful graduates.

Expert:

Cynthia Demetriou
Director for Retention, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

HigherEd Careers will be doing a special series addressing the topic of "Making College Accessible." Our guests will be discussing critical issues surrounding making post-secondary education open to all who desire it. These individuals include students of minority populations, the unique opportunities and challenges associated with first generation college students, and the issues of financing higher education for economically disadvantaged students. Through these interviews we will also examine how staff and faculty at our colleges and universities manage these key issues today.

Expert:

Neil Horikoshi
President & Executive Director, Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund

This month, we welcomed Dr. Margaret Merrion, Dean of the College of Fine Arts at Western Michigan University, to discuss issues related to the area of fine arts and her thoughts on the future of this culturally important area to higher education and our communities. Budget issues, curriculum relevancy, the connection of K-12 arts education and higher education, employment statistics and the highlights of working in this field are all discussed in this month's interview.

Expert:

Dr. Margaret Merrion
Dean, College of Fine Arts, Western Michigan University

As our campuses continue to become more racially and ethnically diverse, the subject of respect in the classroom becomes increasingly more important.

Expert:

Dr. Shari Saunders
Clinical Associate Professor, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

There are many varying definitions of the terms adult learner and non-traditional student. A fact that can be agreed on, however, is that the number of students falling into these categories has been on the rise over the past several years and at most institutions, this demographic outweighs the number of traditional students who enter directly after high school. Are colleges and universities recognizing this change, and what are staff and faculty doing to help adult learners and all students succeed with the increasing pressures of balancing personal and academic lives?

Expert:

Karen Haley
Assistant Professor, Adult and Higher Education at Northern Illinois University

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are relevant and play an essential part in today's higher education. However, how has the role of HBCUs changed over the past several decades? This month, we had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Alvin Thornton, the Senior Advisor to the President for Academic Affairs at Howard University, who addresses issues related to HBCUs. Dr. Thornton discusses the significant role these institutions have played, and will continue to play, in local communities and higher education communities throughout the United States.

Expert:

Alvin Thornton, Ph.D.
Senior Advisor for Academic Affairs to the President of Howard University

Working in the fraternity and sorority system has numerous rewards, such as fostering a student's academic achievement, helping in their personal growth, and guiding them in their career path, but it can also come with challenges, such as drinking and hazing on campus. Our guest this month, Monica Miranda Smalls, the Director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs at the University of Rochester, addresses some of the key topics on campus today and tips on enhancing your career in Fraternity and Sorority Affairs. Also discussed in our HigherEd Careers Interview are initiatives taking place in Greek Affairs through the Association of Fraternity and Sorority Advisors.

Expert:

Monica Miranda Smalls
Director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs

The daily life of a college student may be filled with numerous tasks, from attending class, studying, socializing, sports, work and often much more. In the hustle and bustle of juggling all of this, health issues may be not always be in the forefront, but are obviously important. In this month's HigherEd Careers interview, we are fortunate to discuss health issues on campus with Michelle Burcin, Director, Healthy Carolina, University of South Carolina, Columbia. She shares her thoughts on top health concerns, from stress, to nutrition, to alcohol and smoking on campus, and offers ideas for staff and faculty on how to recognize and address these issues.

Expert:

Dr. Michelle Burcin
Director, Healthy Carolina

Accreditation can be compared to a litmus test for the quality of a higher education institution. Since the facets of accreditation are many -- from legitimizing institutions to determining eligibility for funding -- should it feel guilty about the strong role it plays in quality assurance? This month we talk with Associate Professor, Kevin Kinser, Ph.D., from the University of Albany, State University of New York about the history, current functions, and the future of accreditation in both the nonprofit and for-profit worlds of higher education.

Expert:

Kevin Kinser, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Educational Administration and Policy Studies, University at Albany, State University of New York

This month we speak to Tim Ranzetta, founder and president of Student Lending Analytics (SLA), about student loan reform and student debt. In the news and on the Senate chamber’s floor, the topic of student loan reform and mounting student loan debt has been front and center. The future of higher education and careers in higher education depends greatly on how institutions and Congress handle student loans in the coming years...

Expert:

Tim Ranzetta
Founder and president of Student Lending Analytics (SLA)

Is online learning the wave of the future? How are proprietary institutions different than traditional universities? What is all the recent press regarding for-profit institutions? The answers to these questions, the addressing of misconceptions and much more are discussed in this month's conversation with Gary E. McCullough, the President and CEO of Career Education Corporation. The colleges, schools and universities that are part of the Career Education Corporation offer education to over 116,000 students across the world in a variety of career-oriented disciplines. We examine the aspects of online education and for-profit education and how it affects students, faculty and administrators in today's market.

Expert:

Gary E. McCullough
President and Chief Executive Officer, Career Education Corporation

This month, we speak to three experts on the topic of "cool." How can an institution's image impact faculty recruiting? The panel is comprised of Paul Baldasare, President of St. Andrews Presbyterian College, a small liberal arts college in Laurinburg, North Carolina; Jason Cook, Vice-President of Communications and Marketing for the Texas A&M University System, a large research university with tens of thousands of students all across the state of Texas; and Tom Gariepy, District Director of Marketing and Communications for Maricopa Community Colleges, which has ten campuses throughout central Arizona with nearly 250,000 students.

Expert:

Paul Baldasare Jr.
President, St. Andrews Presbyterian College

Expert:

Jason D. Cook
APR, Vice President - Marketing & Communications, Texas A&M University

Expert:

Tom Gariepy
District Director of Marketing and Communications for the Maricopa Community Colleges

HACU is a national organization that represents more than 450 colleges and universities that collectively serve two-thirds of the more than two million Hispanic students in U.S. higher education across 32 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. HACU works to advocate for increased access to higher education for Hispanics, as well as working toward improving the quality of higher education that people receive. HACU is active in helping Hispanic higher education professionals network, interact, and work toward improving both their careers and the institutions in which they work.

Expert:

Antonio R. Flores
President and Chief Executive Officer of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU).

It seems every year that state funding of higher education becomes an even more critical part of the operation of our state-supported institutions and programs. This year is no different, with so many states facing critical budget issues due to decreased revenue from the recession. What does this mean for higher education and your career?

Expert:

Paul E. Lingenfelter
President, State Higher Education Executive Officers association (SHEEO)

The privilege of having a career in higher education is helping students learn. The enrollment management professionals at your school are responsible for formulating and implementing a plan that attracts the best students to your institution. This month, we were able to gain many insights into this critical role by sitting down with an accomplished professional in the field, Steven Klein, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management at Angelo State University.

Expert:

Steven D. Klein
Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management, Angelo State University (TX)

An important step in the career of many higher education professionals starts with a postdoctoral position. These positions provide the necessary experience, mentoring, and networking opportunities for a person's career. For this career topic, we reached out to Cathee Johnson Phillips, executive director of the National Postdoctoral Association for a conversation regarding "postdocs" and advice for people who are looking to obtain a postdoctoral position...

Expert:

Cathee Johnson Phillips
Executive Director of the National Postdoctoral Association

The second session of the 111th Congress does not suffer from a lack of legislation. It is obvious that any health care legislation from this Congress will affect all careers. The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act may not receive the media attention of its health care counterpart, but it may be no less important to careers in higher education. It appears on Sunday, March 21, these two bills will collide and be jointly voted on...

Expert:

Representative Rubén Hinojosa
United States House of Representatives

Most scientists agree that being a successful researcher is a very challenging career. We know careers in Academia can be challenging. What happens when you try to do both? This month we chat with one of the leading Tuberculosis researchers in the world, Dr. Scott Franzblau at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Franzblau shares his insights on funding his institute's scientific research, working in Academia and how to best position yourself to participate in the research process...

Expert:

Scott G. Franzblau, Ph.D.
Professor and Director, Institute for Tuberculosis Research, University of Illinois at Chicago

Twitter. Blogger. LinkedIn. A few short years ago, none of these Social Media sites would have been at the top of your list as career tools. However, many people today include them on their lists but still are not sure how exactly they fit into their academic job searches, let alone their careers. We spend some time this month with Rick Klau who heads up Google's Blogger product. In addition to learning about Rick's "Niner" love and how he was a blogger for a future President, we were privileged to get Rick to share his deep knowledge about how people communicate on the internet and his insights into how it can help you in your career and job search....

Expert:

Rick Klau
Business Product Manager for Blogger at Google

This month's HigherEd Careers focuses on a topic that is vital to every person on campus - Emergency Preparedness. At some point in your career, your professional skill in handling an emergency situation may be required...

Expert:

Michael Schultz
President of ACUHO-I, Director of University Housing at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

We are delighted to offer a very thoughtful HigherEd Careers chat this month with David King. Dr. King has been a faculty member of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government since 1992 and is the faculty director for its Newly Elected Members of the U.S. Congress program. We had the pleasure of chatting with him about the Obama Administration and Higher Education. His thoughts are very practical insights into what we might expect from our federal government over the next four to eight years and its impact on our colleges and universities. We think it will help you appreciate the career path you have chosen...

Expert:

Dr. David C. King
Faculty Lecturer, Harvard University