Higher Ed Social

Episode thirteen starts with a pop as Michael Fienen, Senior Developer at Aquent and CTO for nuCloud, cracks into a new bottle. In this episode, we talk a lot of tech, but we talk higher ed, too. Michael used to be the one-man web team, bringing us down a long winding road of figuring out how to prioritize tasks alongside putting out fires. We also talk about the importance of face-to-face interaction, especially across departments, and how being a "translator," or at least having one in your office, is key to collaboration. We also do a lot of tech talk, discussing UX and UI, website design fads, and skeuomorphism, a new phrase you can use to make you sound smart.

Links to cool stuff: 

* Michael's Website

* An infographic about skeuomorphism

* What is card sorting?

* What is Material design?

Episode twelve features Dustin Ramsdell, Resident Director at Husson University and co-host of The Student Affairs Spectacular Podcast. Lougan kicks off the podcast by geeking out, or nerding out, with Dustin about science fiction, as Jackie sits silently in the background, because her nerd-ism is fitness. These passions lead to interesting metaphors about higher ed, and a discussion about how to stay fit when working in higher education. We close by discussing the recent events at the University of Oklahoma, and how social media plays a bigger role than it seems.

Links to cool stuff:

* Subscribe to Dustin's podcast

* Read about the recent events regarding Sigma Alpha Epsilon at the University of Oklahoma

Episode eleven features another guest from Ithaca NY, Dave Cameron, Recruitment Marketing Web Content Producer at Ithaca College. We start off by chatting about getting used to the strange world of higher education, and how even though we want to be productive all the time, none of us can ever really do it. Higher Ed Eats makes a comeback, with Dave giving us some unique recipes and cooking techniques. We play another fun round of "what were you doing when," noting that Jackie is too young to think about a time when she didn't have an email address, and the incoming class was born right around the time of Lougan's laser jet printer. We sum up the podcast with things that make Jackie cry, and listing the things we have to do, but maybe don't want to do.

Links to cool stuff: 

* Eating Ithaca: http://www.eatingithaca.com/

* Anova Sous Vide cooker

* Sous Vide Pork Belly Buns recipe

* Dave: dave-cameron.com

Episode ten brings some more severe wind chill with Nicole Lentine, Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Champlain College. Nicole has been at Champlain for a long time, and it all started with a VHS tape; the one she received as marketing material from the college. She applied there, and only there, and has worked there ever since! We chat about the changing landscape of admissions and student applications, breaking down silos, and the shackles we wear each day; our Fitbits.

Links to cool stuff:

Do you own your Fitbit? Or does your Fitbit own you? Read more

Be friends with us on FitBit, and challenge us!

Nicole: Follow her

Jackie: Follow her

Lougan: Follow him

Episode nine may leave you hungry, very very hungry. We chat with Mark Anbinder, Web Communications Manager at Cornell University and food enthusiast, among other things. Mark introduces us to his two adorable pitbulls and chats with us about Cornell hockey, which are two of his other passions. In the higher ed realm, we discuss the difference between a good app and a good mobile site, and how to figure out what the best decision is. Most of all, we talk about food; all types of it. Come hungry!

Links to cool stuff:

* A picture of the First Degree Burger: click here

* A picture of Lougan's Southern Benny from Biscuit Love in Nashville: click here

Mark's Slow Cooker Pulled Pork recipe:

1/2 a beer

some molasses

some worcestershire sauce

splash of cider vinegar

Optional: add an orange rind or apple slices for fruitiness, or hot sauce for a kick!

Mark's Slow Cooker Chili recipe:

Ground Beef

Pork loin, London Broil or some other cut of meat

Diced Onion

Diced Red or Orange Pepper

Minced habanero or similar hot pepper of your preference

Can of Diced Tomatoes

Can of Tomato Paste

Canola Oil

Half a Beer

Quarter cup of cocoa powder

Chili Powder

Cumin

Black Pepper

Sweat a diced onion, a diced red or orange pepper and a minced habanero or similar hot pepper of your preference in a little canola oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef and half-inch to 3/4-inch chunks of pork loin, london broil, or other cut of meat that works well low-and-slow. Cook, stirring occasionally, until all the meat is browned.

Drain any excess fat, and transfer to a Crock-Pot. Add a can of diced tomatoes, a can of whole tomatoes drained, a can of tomato paste, and a half a beer, plus chili powder, cumin, cocoa powder and black pepper to taste. Cook on low all day.Top with sour cream and shredded cheddar, and serve with fresh corn bread.

Mark's Cornbread recipe:

1-1/2 cups of pancake mix such as Bisquick

1/2 cup of corn meal

1/4 cup of sugar

1 stick butter, melted

1 cup milk

2 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, with a cast iron skillet inside.

In a mixing bowl, mix all of the ingredients by hand, starting with the dry ones. It'll all dissolve easily, and mix into a smooth batter with just a spoon.

Caution! Cast iron sitting in oven gets hot! Remove skillet with a potholder, place it on a trivet or stove burner, and lightly grease it with a little butter or a natural butter or oil spray. Spoon the batter into the skillet all at once; it will start to cook pretty much as soon as it hits the hot cast iron. This is the point; it makes a nice crust. (Don't have cast iron? Get some. It's cheap. Meantime, use a glass baking dish instead.)

Caution! Cast iron is still hot! Place the skillet back in the oven with a potholder, and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden. Lick spoon. (If you trust your eggs' freshness. I do.)

Caution! Cast iron is very hot! Remove the skillet with a potholder and test that the cornbread is done by sticking a thin knife or a toothpick in, and seeing if it comes out clean. If so, it's done. Allow to cool. The cast iron will stay hot for quite a while. Really. Don't touch it. (No, I didn't! Just making sure you don't.)

Episode eight is in NO way sponsored by anything in, around, or related to Portland, Oregon. We promise. Lougan loves it, and Matt is visiting, so we talk about it. Matt Herzberger is heading to Portland for some fun, but will also be going on a campus visit as the founder of Aligned Path, a digital marketing consulting organization. Aside from food in Portland, we chat about Matt's decision to start his own business, what it's like to be a vendor who does no evil, and of course...snow. We also left you a special gift in this episode. See if you can find it.

Links to cool stuff: 

Aligned Path: click here

Web Leaders EDU: click here

Lougan's favorite Portland Coffee Place: click here

Lougan's favorite Portland Ramen Shop: click here

Jackie's shattered bumper: click here

Episode seven features the closest thing we could get to a celebrity, Chris D'Orso, Assistant Director of Enrollment Communications at Stony Brook University. Aside from being "the Twitter guy" on campus, Chris co-hosts Admissions Live, part of the newly rebranded Higher Ed Live Network. We chat with Chris about breakfast foods, but more interestingly about social media on campus and how to balance the love for the place you work with the love you have for your alma mater. We also do a little digging and find something out about Chris that may be a little less known.

Links to cool stuff: 

* Teddy Bear the Porcupine Video: click here

* Bob Skipper Video: click here

* Higher Ed Live: click here

* Admissions Live Episode about Sexual Assault on Campus: click here

* Chris' Blog Post About his Experience on Jeopardy: click here

Episode six invites Donna Talarico, Director of Integrated Communications at Elizabethtown College, to talk about her work outside of Higher Education. Donna dreamed and founded Hippocampus Magazine, an online non-fiction magazine with content contributed by writers on a monthly basis, with its first issue going live in May 2011. Since then, Donna has worked to not only grow Hippocampus Magazine, but work to create its first-ever conference, HippoCamp. Naturally, Donna is busy; something we can all relate to. We chat with Donna about her adventure outside of Higher Education, as well as tactics to stay focused and organized when juggling multiple projects.

Here's Hippocampus Magazine: click here

Want to help support HippoCamp? Check out Donna's IndieGoGo Campaign: click here 

Oh, and if you're interested in learning about seahorses, here's a video:  click here

Episode five welcomes Kristin Burns, Marketing Writer at University of California Davis. Even though none of us work in Admissions, we spend a lot of time chatting about the department, thanks to Lougan and Kristin walking down memory lane. We highlight the pros and cons of "class of" groups, while realizing that the incoming class was born right around the same time Happy Gilmore was released. We also talk about the value of the fresh-outta-college opinion Jackie and other current students offer to the workplace, the power of hashtags for incoming students, and studying abroad.

Check out One UC Davis: http://ucdavis.edu/one/

Episode four is all about community colleges, Kristen Mruk's speciality. Now serving as the Assistant Director of Student Activities at Genesee Community College, Kristen gives us a little insight about what it's like to work at a two-year institution, and plan winter orientation for a wide range of students and their guests. We also discuss President Obama's recent announcement of his proposal to make the first two years of community college free for all students, and investigate what that could mean for higher education.

Click here for info on Tennessee Promise

Check out some articles related to President Obama's Community College Plan

The Atlantic

NPR

CBS News

The Chronicle of Higher Education