Posts from — May 2010
For profits on Frontline — a must watch for marketers in higher education
Anybody who follows HiceSchool knows I like to preach about the impact for-profit universities will have on our business. Well, I’m doing it again.
Last night Frontline on PBS featured “College Inc.” The program was all about the growth of for-profit universities. Unfortunately, it was not a balanced report. IMHO, the reporter went in with an agenda and it was evident throughout; For-profit universities aren’t real universities and they are taking advantage of the huddled masses yearning to breath free. He also seemed to pooh pooh the need to spend money marketing higher education. God help us.
The for-profit institutions are filling a need that is unmet by today’s state and private universities. All told, they have millions of students and they spend hundreds of millions of dollars promoting the importance of higher education in today’s economy. I don’t understand what’s wrong with that.
There are issues, to be sure, but it’s a young industry and it will change the face of higher education in our lifetimes. It will get better. The bad will disappear and the good will prosper. Take that PBS.
If you didn’t have a chance to see the show, check it out below. It’s worth a watch, but remember, don’t believe everything you see on TV. Don’t believe everything you read at HiceSchool.com either.
Passion Rules!
1 of Many
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/collegeinc/
May 5, 2010 1 Comment
Professors use Social Media . . . to teach!
Those who have followed this blog know I believe social media will dictate the way we communicate with each other in the future. In fact, I’d go so far as to speculate that Facebook will rule the world by 2020 with YouTube at its side.
Why is social media so important? It’s the best way to communicate with individuals, it’s the best way to communicate with large groups. No, it won’t replace interpersonal communications, but it will surpass traditional media in its influence.
And isn’t it all about influence. You use Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Linked-in, Foursquare, TriOut, and other social media tools to build your network. Your influence is directly related to the size of your network. So, the more friends, the more followers, the more people you have following you, the more influence you — and your institution — will have in the future.
Now on to the obvious; from today’s Inside Higher Education — professors tweet; who’d a guessed.
Passion Rules!
1 of Many
May 4, 2010 No Comments
Flash mob. Not circus dogs, but pretty cool! I’m Bummed I missed it
I love our students. Here’s another reason why:
N.C. State University students marked the start of finals week early this morning with a flash mob that drew as many as 3,500 people onto Hillsborough Street, Raleigh police said.
Students began gathering for the rave at the Brickyard on campus but began moving toward Hillsborough Street when campus police told them they couldn’t gather there, police said.
Raleigh police were called shortly after 12:30 a.m. About 35 officers watched the students as they walked toward the Capitol, closing off intersections as the crowd moved forward.
At St. Mary’s Street, Lt. Doug Brugger told the students they couldn’t go any further. He told them video of the crowd had been posted on YouTube and it was time to go home.
The crowd dispersed peacefully, police said. No injuries or property damage were reported. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2DVZzt_pts
Passion Rules!
1 of Many
May 3, 2010 3 Comments