Higher Ed Social

Episode 32 congratulates new first-time dad Tom Southard, Director of the Wolfington Center at Cabrini College. We talk about birthdays and zodiac signs, but on a more interesting note, about civic engagement and social justice on campus. Cabrini College has a unique program for all students, encouraging them to become involved throughout their time in undergrad. Although a lot of in includes lobbying (oh, yeah, Tom was a lawyer at one point), we talk about the potential that students have when it comes to the surrounding community, and the world. Naturally, our conversation devolves from a large higher education topic to a random discussion of Serial, from the eyes of a Baltimore native and lawyer.

Links to Cool Stuff: 

* The Undisclosed Podcast

* The Black Tapes Podcast

Episode 31 features Tim Nekritz, Associate Director of Communications and Marketing/Director of Digital Communications at SUNY Oswego. Tim tells us how he got his current job wearing many hats, all thanks to this thing called "the internet" that got really big a while back. Naturally, we talk about using social media on campus, and interestingly enough, Tim describes how social media works to break down departmental silos that exist at so many institutions across the country. Oswego is in the midst of a website redevelopment initiative, and we talk about content, "front end" and "back end," and the most effective use of time with a new project like this one. We mention Slack for a second, but then Lougan and Tim dive into a deeply passionate conversation about children's television shows. There's singing. You don't want to miss it.

Links to cool stuff: 

* Gumption Cider

* Lunkenheimber Craft Brewing

* Drink with Jackie on Untappd

* The flight at DuClaw Brewing

* Toddler TV, Tim's review blog

Super Why - Hip Hip Hooray Song

(because you need it stuck in your head)

We're back from vacation with episode 30, welcoming the hosts of the Professional Reputations Aside Podcast; Matt Bloomingdale, Assistant Director of Residence Life at Georgia Tech, and Valerie Heruska, Assistant Director for Residence Life for Academic Initiatives and Services at Indiana University Bloomington. We talk a lot about the United States, especially the New England area along the coast, discussing seafood of all kinds (chowder, pronounced chow-dah, too). Naturally, our conversation weaves its way down a path of comparing the Higher Ed Social Podcast to the Professional Reputations Aside Podcast, both of which you should download and subscribe to, right now. We discuss preparation, recording, flounders, and successes, and reveal some behind-the-scenes info about the show. On a higher education related note, we talk about weird state laws that effect our students, and Lougan has a seriously innocent slip of the tongue, doesn't realize it and meant absolutely nothing by it.

Links to cool stuff: 

* Professional Reputations Aside Podcast

* Penn State Myths

Matt podcasting in a closet: 

Episode 29 kicks off with Dr. Tom Priester, Director of Transitional Studies at Genesee Community College, talking about a fun new way to use all those free college shirts we get from campus events. Coming off the Fourth of July holiday weekend, we chat about summertime, BBQ, and research laws regarding owning fireworks and firing them off. We do talk Higher Ed, though, when Tom brings up his summer project: the final edits on his textbook, Foundations of Academic Success: Words of Wisdom, which will be released soon as an open-source textbook through Open SUNY. We end the show with an incredibly interesting story from Tom, as he explained how he ended up in Attica Correctional Facility, and will be heading back.

 

Links to cool stuff:

* Project Repat

* Information about Open SUNY

* ACE at Genesee Community College

Lougan with a D:

Episode 28 has an intense start with Marci Walton, Assistant Director for Academic Support and Learning Communities for Loyola University Chicago Residence Life, about why living off campus is so expensive. Although she now has to pay rent, it's clear that her bingo winnings cover the cost. Don't worry, we talk about the strategy of having multiple bingo cards - and yes, there is one. We also talk about what it's like to live in Chicago (bad weather and all), and discuss Marci's experience with four new directors in her department, while exploring a new initiative with Learning Communities on campus.

 

Link to cool stuff: 

* S'more Dog Biscuits

Episode 27 welcomes Tom DiRoma to the show, and to higher education! Tom just began his new job as Assistant Director of Student Involvement at Lynchburg College. Tom attended SUNY Oswego during his undergraduate years, which naturally inspires a conversation about snow, cold, and even science, as Jackie continues to brave harsh winters while Tom and Lougan have other weather patterns to endure. Tom explains how exactly he landed at Lynchburg College by loosening his search requirements. We talk about orientation and Lynchburg's unique "Hornet Days,” introducing new students to campus. We also talk about time management, something that is important not only for our students.

 

Links to Cool Stuff: 

* Lynchburg's Hornet Days

* What is Radiative Cooling?

* The "lake effect" on Great Lakes weather

Episode 26 is with Jon-Stephen Stansel, Social Media Coordinator at Texas State University. JS just started this new job, and had a very interesting journey bringing him to Texas. We chat about this unique path, and get a language lesson along the way. Lougan geeks out a little bit about Japanese culture and language, and we also talk about JS' introduction to social media in his previous position while discussing its evolution. In his new job, JS works with a larger team, allowing him to focus on social media strategy, something that we decide has both pros and cons. We close the podcast with a mini Apple Watch review, getting JS' take on it as well.

 

Links to cool stuff:

* Texas State's May the 4th AT-AT photo

* Texas State's May the 4th Millennium Falcon photo

Episode 25 features Lacy Paschal, Director of Web Communications at Vanderbilt University, even though it takes some time to formally introduce her. In this episode, Jackie's soul dies a little because she has nothing, at least when it comes to children (both which Lougan and Lacy have adorable ones). We talk about college sports, specifically in Nashville, and Jackie continues to learn about sports teams in the south. Lacy reveals that she is adjusting to a big switch in her department, growing from 3 to 14 members, due to a reorganization on campus. We also chat about personalized customer service, and what the best method for teaching software is.

 

Links to Cool Stuff: 

* The Vogue Rapid Questions Video

* Jackie as a small child

This is a special mini-episode of the podcast.  Jackie headed off to Ithaca, NY this weekend for the HighEdWeb New York regional conference. The podcast was recorded via cellular phone from the post-conference Pancake Tweetup. You'll hear from some new voices and some old friends as well. The audio quality isn't great, but it's worth a listen.  Thanks for the photo Dave Cameron!

 

Links to cool stuff: 

* Link to Jackie's Presentation

* Info about HighEdWeb NY

* Info about HighEdWeb National Conference

* Check out the conference tweets!

Episode 24 kicks off with Lougan and our guest, Tiffany Broadbent-Beker, Web Developer and Social Media Coordinator at the College of William and Mary, acting as the Higher Ed Social bartenders for the evening. We first chat about Tiffany's experiences living near Colonial Williamsburg, as many of the actors break character on a regular basis. In her position, Tiffany monitors some of the social media accounts for the college, sharing the responsibility with other team members. We chat about this unique practice, and how much anxiety monitoring social media accounts can cause, when it's for a large institution. This leads us down the path of welcoming incoming freshman and transfer students to campus, with orientation surprisingly jsut around the corner. Amongst other topics, spanning from which Hogwarts house is the best to WWDC predictions, Tiffany reveals Jackie's favorite new app.

 

Links to cool stuff:

* The Dress the Griffin App

* Apple's WWDC Keynote

The Griffin