Archive for June, 2009
Just for Grins: Academic Phrases Translated
You may have heard a collegue use these terms in discussing his or her latest research (or perhaps your major professor). You may have used these terms yourself without understanding their true meaning. Consider this a brief lesson in “academic-speak.” The term is followed by the real explanation.
“In my experience…” (Once.)
“In case after case…” (Twice.)
“In a series of cases…” (Thrice.)
“It is believed that…” (I think.)
“It is generally believed…” (A couple of others think so, too.)
“Correct within an Order of Magnitude…” (Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.)
“According to standard statistical analysis…” (Rumor has it.)
“It has long been known…” (I didn’t look up the original reference.)
“A definite trend is evident..”‘ (This data is practically meaningless.)
“Three of the examples were chosen for detailed study…” (The other results didn’t make sense.)
“Typical results are shown below…” (This one made the prettiest bar chart.)
“A careful analysis of the obtainable
data would indicate…” (Three pages of critical notes were obliterated
when I knocked over my glass.)
“A statistically-oriented projection of these findings…” (A scientific wild guess.)
“A highly significant area for exploratory study…” (A totally useless topic selected by my academic degree committee)
“Additional study will be required for
a more complete understanding of this phenomenon…” (I didn’t understand
this, and probably never will.)
Source: nope
Summer Reading Review: God’s Harvard by Hanna Rosin
One of the best things about my particular position at my
institution (a 10-month, residence life coordinator post) is that I do not work
in June or July. I use this time
to recharge and plan for the fall, and I also find myself reading a great deal
for pleasure, a luxury that sometimes falls by the wayside during the academic
year. Being the geek that I am,
sometimes this reading for pleasure overlaps with my interest in higher
education and students.
Last week I read God’s Harvard: A Christian College on a
Mission to Save America by Hanna Rosin.
Rosin details the experiences of students at Patrick Henry College, an
institution founded in 1998 to serve students who are primarily home-schooled
for elementary and secondary school and come from conservative evangelical
Christian homes. PHC offers
degrees in government and classic liberal arts, and does not receive any
federal financial support. Patrick
Henry has quickly developed a reputation as a proving ground for students who
are interested in working in the federal government for conservative members of
congress, or within other political roles. Patrick Henry College aspires to be an Ivy League – quality
institution for conservative Christian students.
In the name of full-disclosure, I am not a particularly
spiritual person, and I am skeptical of most organized religions, especially
fundamentalist Christian sects. I
picked up God’s Harvard because I am always interested in learning about
different kinds of institutions, and Penn State is certainly a polar opposite
of Patrick Henry College. I was
also interested in what the student experience would be like at an institution
where religious faith and doctrine are valued above all other attributes.
Rosin does a good job of painting a picture of what it is
like to learn and work at Patrick Henry College. The students that she chose to
follow are diverse (by PHC standards) and have unique experiences and reasons
for choosing Patrick Henry College.
Rosin really illustrates the tensions that exist when some students want
to push their limits and explore who they are at PHC. She also brings to life what it is like to teach at an
institution where evangelical principles must permeate all aspects of the
curriculum and secular perspectives are intentionally ignored (and in my
opinion, academic freedom is severely limited).
In all, God’s Harvard was an eye-opening read that I would
very much recommend to others in student affairs. It made me think about the importance of the work we do in
student affairs and how our unique perspective and training is very much
lacking at Patrick Henry College.
Source: nope
Pre-order Your School’s Unique Facebook Username
Starting at 12:01 am EDT on Saturday, June 13th, Facebook will open up registration for a new feature that allows people/organizations to own unique usernames (e.g. facebook.com/tom.krieglstein) but it’s on a first come first serve basis.
You can read more on the Facebook blog.
Schools and school departments will also be able to create unique usernames (e.g. facebook/columbia.college) for their Facebook Pages. To avoid another possible Facebook Gate in Higher Ed, usernames can be pre reserved here if the trademark registration number is furnished. Finding the registration number for your school’s name is easy with a quick Trademark seach.
A simple Facebook username for your school or school department will make for much cleaner marketing material. Consider this your PSA for the day and go reserve your name now!
Source: nope
A case for introspection
“You should withdraw inwardly and search for the ground upon which you stand, thereby you will find out what truth is.” Yun-Men Wen-yen
Like many in the career advice field, over the past year I’ve been researching and incorporating the concepts of personal branding and the use of social media in the job search. Those two concepts have been joined at the hip by many, since often the focus of personal branding is on the communication of that brand, especially through the use of new media.
As I have probed, explored, and, in fact, become a voice for proactive use of them, I have simultaneously felt the need to make the case that personal branding still begins with thorough and on-going exploration of the self. Digital natives and even those somewhat-more technologically challenged are drawn to the relative ease with which one can begin reaping benefits from the use of social media. It’s easy to just roll up your sleeves, create some accounts and begin projecting oneself out into the world.
What seems to be undervalued, or at least under-discussed, in this wave of personal branding coverage is the process of introspection that should be the genesis of any person’s “brand.” That isn’t to say that there is no value to be had simply by, for example, setting up a Twitter account and having conversations with people of interest. Indeed, those conversations can be a valuable part of the exploration process. But, I think it’s important that we, as student affairs professionals, make sure we’re helping students to learn and utilize the tools of the day without skipping over the processes of contemplation that should drive so much of their decision making about jobs, careers and life.
What tools are you using to help students be both introspective and extrospective?
Source: nope
Higher Ed Employment Indicators
HigherEdJobs.com has posted an interesting report at their site, examining recent trends in job postings by colleges and universities. Job seekers in higher ed will find this enlightening.
Key findings of the report include:
- Despite a dramatic fall-off in general U.S. employment over the last 18 months, the total number of
jobs in higher education has remained relatively stable. - While
higher education employment has remained relatively stable, the number
of advertised job openings in the sector has decreased significantly. - During Q1 2009, colleges and universities shifted their hiring towards faculty and away from administrative hires.
- Colleges
and universities continue to hire an increasing percentage of part-time
employees, decreasing their percentage of full-time employees.
An interesting read and certainly something to know if you are in the job market, or thinking about it right now. You can also follow HigherEdCareers on Twitter.
Source: nope
Higher Ed Empolyment Indicators
HigherEdJobs.com has posted an interesting report at their site, examining recent trends in job postings by colleges and universities. Job seekers in higher ed will find this enlightening.
Key findings of the report include:
- Despite a dramatic fall-off in general U.S. employment over the last 18 months, the total number of
jobs in higher education has remained relatively stable. - While
higher education employment has remained relatively stable, the number
of advertised job openings in the sector has decreased significantly. - During Q1 2009, colleges and universities shifted their hiring towards faculty and away from administrative hires.
- Colleges
and universities continue to hire an increasing percentage of part-time
employees, decreasing their percentage of full-time employees.
An interesting read and certainly something to know if you are in the job market, or thinking about it right now. You can also follow HigherEdCareers on Twitter.
Source: nope
Tuesday Tally: How do you spend your summer in Student Affairs?
We’re excited to facilitate conversations within the Student Affairs blogging community that really matter to community members. We want to know what you care about, what you think about, and what you want to hear about. With that in mind, please take a minute to complete the following poll so that we can craft our writing to fit what’s on your mind.
Source: nope