This morning, the Michigan State University Board of Trustees approved the recommendation to name Rich Czarnecki as chief information officer. Interim Executive Vice President for Administration Thomas Glasmacher recommended Czarnecki, a member of MSU IT’s leadership team for over a decade, for the position following a 10-month stint as interim CIO. Glasmacher praised Czarnecki’s leadership in the interim role when he announced his recommendation in early October, stating, “Rich has

Cyber Goose lands on the banks of the Red Cedar to promote cybersecurity awareness  Cyber Goose is the newest member of the Spartan community, here to help raise awareness about online safety and help keep the Spartan community secure. You’ll spot him spreading the word about cybersecurity throughout the year.   Understanding standard cybersecurity practices is the best way to safeguard against potential cyber threats. Even if you don’t think

How is higher education enrollment changing? Today the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center published its first analysis of student numbers for fall 2024.  This is important data, as ever, and I’ll dig into it with this post. tl;dr version – it’s a mixed bag. Total enrollment rose, but a key indicator fell. One caution: this is the first such report for the semester, representing just over one half of

How might a Donald Trump election victory impact higher education? Last week we explored this on the Future Trends Forum through an interactive session.  With the help of colleagues I created a scenario in two parts: first, the week after the November 5th election; second, the week after Trump’s re-inauguration.  My goal was to make this story credible in order to encourage participants to think and plan ahead, should such

If you are an educator using iClicker, to ensure connectivity while using iClicker on campus, please consider the following: Make sure your personal device (e.g., phone, tablet, laptop) is registered and connected to the “MSUnet 3.0” Wi-Fi network. iClicker may not work properly when using MSUnet Guest 3.0, MSUnet 5Ghz, or eduroam networksPlease also advise your students with this information when using iClicker in the classroom. How to

Photo by Arthur Lambillotte on Unsplash Critical perspectives on educational technology (edtech) are more important than ever. Just in recent days, I’ve seen an AI-education entrepreneur claiming that Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot demonstrates how AI could “save a troubled education system”. I’ve read a lengthy post about the “buttonification” of AI in education, as new interfaces make it possible for educators to design and create lessons “at the push of

For the past several years I’d focused much of my research capacity on forecasting how the climate crisis might impact higher education, and what academics might do in response.  That work appeared in many blog posts, presentations, meetings, Future Trends Forum sessions, and my 2023 book, Universities on Fire. Today I’m delighted to announce that this work has received some splendid recognition.  The American Association of Colleges and Universities is

The Digital Learning Practice team is hosting a practice sharing event on Wednesday 11 December 2024 from 10.00am to 4.00pm. In October 2023, UAL launched the Social Purpose Implementation Plan which aims to: • power the cultural experiences that bring joy, meaning and purpose to human societies, • build inclusive societies in which difference of all kinds is celebrated and valued, • stabilise our climate and regenerate the environment on which

Many labs at Duke are stocked with beakers and test tubes, but Learning Innovation & Lifetime Education (LILE) is launching a new “lab” filled with ideas, questions, and the potential to change education for learners of all ages: the Center for Applied Research and Design in Transformative Education (CARADITE) is Duke’s new think-tank and living laboratory for innovative research and design about transformative education.  CARADITE envisions broadly

MSU IT is extending the submission deadline for the AT&T Excellence in Teaching with Technology awards to 5 p.m. (EDT) Monday, Oct. 28 to give educators more time to apply. The AT&T awards are given to instructors who use technology to support student success and enhance their teaching with impactful, accessible, and engaging practice. Anyone teaching a course at MSU is eligible to apply. For application details and information about