University Business - October 2011 - (Page 15)

22% DATA POINT —Administrators who say that using technology to enhance the learning process is one of their top priorities. —CDW-G fourth annual 21st-Century Campus Report Future Shock Coming of Age in Mississippi: State of Higher Learning For many years, mississippi ranked near the bottom in higher learning aspiration, academic attainment, and state support—but times have changed. today, the state’s economic and workforce development organizations are teaming up to launch a new collaboration between businesses and the mississippi public system of higher education—a dynamic plan aptly named blueprint mississippi 2011. Who better to serve as blueprint’s chair and chief spokesperson than hank bounds, the state’s commissioner of higher education? as commissioner, bounds championed an impressive series of reforms—making courses, programs, and even textbooks more affordable to the citizens. equally impressive, these reforms have improved student academic success and raised college-bound aspirations, retention, persistence, and graduation rates. over time, these initiatives have created a seamless public education system, from early childhood through college. bounds puts it nicely: “mississippi’s eight public universities play a vital role in the state’s economy. Collectively, they enroll more than 76,000 students and prepare them to be the workforce leaders for the future. ... public universities conduct research [that] helps bring new industries, quality jobs, and higher wages to mississippi. [they] partner with local developers and state agencies to recruit new business, provide highly-skilled employees, and train tomorrow’s entrepreneurs and innovators.” the work of blueprint mississippi has already increased the state’s public higher education national rankings and international recognition—yet there is somewhat less awareness of mississippi’s newest rising stars, like Alcorn State University. Located in Lorman, alcorn first opened its doors in 1871. once known as alcorn a&m, the university hosts the school of agriculture, research, extension and applied sciences, as well as the mississippi small Farm development Center. today, alcorn works with local businesses to develop workforce education partnerships that benefit students, industry, and the state. Commissioner bounds summed up mississippi’s public higher ed agenda this way: “if you look at the economic impact of making small moves like increasing graduation rates at high schools by just a few points and increasing the number of students graduating from college by just a few hundred students, we will have billions of dollars of impact on our economy.” since the arrival of the new millennium, higher learning has helped to transform the magnolia state into an economic and workforce development powerhouse. and with that transformation, mississippi’s public universities are now “coming of age”—preparing the next generation of business and civic leaders in concert with the shared vision of blueprint mississippi. For more on this topic, see this column online at www.universitybusiness.com. —James Martin and James E. Samels, Future Shock columnists, are authors of turnaround: leading stressed colleges and universities to Excellence (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009). Martin is a professor of English at Mount Ida College (Mass.) and Samels is president/CEO of The Education Alliance. New Best Workplace Report IN August, glAssdooR.com, AN ANoNymous workforce review site, created a “Best universities to Work For” report based on user-submitted information. The University of Kansas came out on top with a score of 4.2 (very satisfied) and a president approval rating of 100 percent. Iowa State, Brigham Young (utah) and Georgia Tech were all hot on Kansas’ heels with scores of 4.1. the ratings were determined by reviewing information on institutions with 20 or more anonymous employee reviews submitted between July 2009 and August 2011, explains glassdoor spokesman scott dobroski. site users rate factors such as work/life balance, fairness and respect, benefits, communication, Anonymous employee and employee mo- reviews from The University of Kansas reveal rale. Free response high satisfaction with comments were their employer. also considered. While higher ed budgets have taken a battering in the recession, glassdoor research shows most employees are still satisfied. yet, says dobroski, “we did notice that furloughs affected employee morale.” For campus leaders hoping to improve their standings, he suggested reviewing the available data and discussing whether the issues raised should be addressed. For the full list of rated institutions, see www.glassdoor .com/blog/glassdoor-reveals-universities -colleges-work. —Ann McClure A HORBURN SAN FRANCISCO LOS ANGELES A SSOCIATES ORLANDO RALEIGH-DURHAM HELPING DESIGNERS AND PLANNERS IMPLEMENT TODAY’S TECHNOLOGY www.TA-Inc.com/planning universitybusiness.com October 2011 | 15 kU University relations/office of University relations http://www.GLASSDOOR.COM http://www.universitybusiness.com http://www.glassdoor.com/blog/glassdoor-reveals-universities-colleges-work http://www.glassdoor.com/blog/glassdoor-reveals-universities-colleges-work http://www.glassdoor.com/blog/glassdoor-reveals-universities-colleges-work http://www.TA-Inc.com/planning http://www.TA-Inc.com/planning http://www.universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - October 2011

University Business - October 2011
Contents
Editor's Note
College Index
Ad Index
Behind the News
Sense of Place
Viewpoint
Human Resources
Cloud Email
Tuition Setting
Campus CFO
Independent Outlook
End Note

University Business - October 2011