Guest Blogger: Angelica Quicksey, Campus Liaison for Claremont McKenna College

In a 2007 New York Times article, Thomas Friedman, author of The World is Flat, called green the “new red, white, and blue.”  He claimed that environmental awareness and activism has become a central topic on Main Street but that we, particularly my generation, still need a greater understanding of and commitment to truly being green.

Start a Green Initiative on your Campus!

On the contrary, the green movement has been gaining momentum on college campuses around the nation for some years now, and today it continues to grow stronger. The next generation is in fact doing more than ever before to create a greener campus and graduating students carry this ideology into the world.

Since its introduction in 2006, 657 institutions have signed the American Colleges and University Presidents Climate Commitment. These institutions have agreed to completing an emissions inventory, creating an action plan and target date for becoming climate neutral, and taking immediate steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Often times, such commitment does not stem from the president’s office but originates among student’s themselves. Most schools have environmental clubs, which spearhead many of the initiatives taken at their respective institutions. Going tray-less in dining halls; reducing energy and water use in dorms; bike sharing programs; these are only a few examples of the slew of environmental-friendly activity that is taking place on college campuses around the U.S.

In addition to these more standard methods, some students have taken more creative approaches:
•    Students at the University of Cincinnati for example, set up an entire farmers market on their campus to promote local food.
•    Claremont McKenna Students took a particularly interesting approach and hosted a party called “Save the Ales,” in hopes of having a positive impact on the decrease in hops growth due to global warming.

Indeed, students play a vital role in increasing the movement to “Go Green.” Beyond these examples, students participate in panels to give long-term direction to their campuses. Such plans integrate sustainability into long-range models for campus development. Today, as campuses continue to grow, build, and expand, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification seems to be almost an epidemic. Such commitment to sustainable structures on campuses serves to show that students not only have a dedication to a green present, but a sustainable future.

Image originally found at UCSB Sustainability.

Guest Blogger: Ashley Noel, Campus Liaison for the University of Wisconsin at Stout

Students can use the Netter's Anatomy Flashcards iPhone App to study for an exam!

Not just a fad, iPhones are rapidly proving themselves to be a successful tool for students in the classroom. Introduced back in Summer of 2007, Apple’s new and innovative cell phone was quickly named “Invention of the Year” by Time Magazine.

In an article written by Simmi Aujla, Abilene Christian University gave an iPhone to every first-year student in 2008 to increase the quality of communication between students and professors. Students admitted to using the technology at least once a day for their school work. Executive Vice President of the University had nothing but rave reviews on the students behalf for the new program. In addition, it was acknowledged that with the given time frame of how new the program is, there is not enough conclusive data to prove that the success rate of students has risen; but that the first step of getting students enthused has been accomplished.

As a devout BlackBerry user, I had to investigate further as to what applications the iPhone offers that would benefit students such as myself. Mental Case, an interactive application that begins with a Mac computer, allows flashcards to be created and synced to your device. I can see this application being most popular, as this is a great tool to cram in the last bit of studying while riding the never-ending bus ride to school.  Record a Lecture is a fantastic way to share class lectures with your fellow absent peers; another app feature allows the recording to be sent via email. Lastly, iHomework, is an assignment calendar allows you to stay organized using your iPhone and eliminates the need to carry around the obnoxious day-planner. This application allows the user to stay on top of deadlines by sorting assignments by day, week, and specifically by course.

iPhone is currently skimming the surface with all of the opportunities to reach the student demographic and to add value to the education system.  In my opinion, Apple is off to an incredibly engaging start!  Check out more Apps for Students!

Michael Coomes, Ed.D.

I have had the privilege of knowing, learning from, and working with Dr. Mike Coomes for 2 and a half years now. Mike was my graduate school adviser for the College Student Personnel master’s degree program. The scope of what I learned from Mike is not easily stated because of his years of experience, dedication, and passion for college student development and higher education.  He brings to every conversation a fountain of knowledge that informs all those who encounter Mike. It cannot be denied or disputed that Mike is seen as a preeminent scholar and leading figure within the Student Affairs community and that is why I asked him to take part in a Q & A session regarding a varying range of topics. These include: the evolution of higher education, the importance of student involvement, and the use of technology to help in the management and facilitation of all of this.

This is the first part in a two part series, with the second set of questions and answers to be posted within the next few weeks.

· Please tell us a little about yourself.
I am currently an Associate Professor and the Chair of the Higher Education and Student Affairs Department at Bowling Green State University (BGSU). I have been a faculty member at BGSU since 1986. I hold a BA in Education from Western Washington University (Belllingham, WA) and an Ed.D. from Indiana University (Bloomington, IN). Prior to doing my graduate work I was the Director of Financial Aid at St. Martin’s University (Lacey, WA) and Seattle University. I have also taught 7th & 8th grade language arts. My scholarly interests include the history and philosophy of the student affairs profession and the generational characteristics of college students. I am married and the father of two adult children, one a BGSU graduate and the other a current student at BGSU.

· How has higher education changed during the time you’ve been involved in the field?
As someone who tends to take the long-view (befitting a faculty member with an interest in history), I believe in the adage that “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” The fundamental aspects of higher education in the United States are relatively timeless and include the quest for knowledge; facilitating the growth, development, and learning of students; and maintaining a place that is an important cultural institution. Having said that, there are changes, including:

(1) The growth of new student populations, most specifically adult learners (students age 23 and above) and students of color. The college campus is much more diverse than it was in 1973 and will become increasingly diverse in the future.

(2) In keeping with its role to respond to changing societal conditions, the curriculum of the university has become more extensive. New areas of inquiry and new majors (e.g., environmental studies, women’s studies, photochemistry, hazardous waste management) abound.

(3) The means of learning have changed. While much teaching is still done through “sage on the stage” pedagogies, new technologies, new philosophies of learning, and new approaches to teaching have made the learning experience deeper and more interesting. From totally on-line universities like the University of Phoenix to blended courses offered at most colleges, students are availing themselves of a wide-range of learning modalities. Perhaps more importantly, a new vision of education has emerged. This vision puts student success at the center of the educational enterprise and is predicated on the belief that constructing knowledge with students in more effective than simply asking students to memorize and regurgitate facts.

(4) Colleges have become less distinctive and more similar. Statewide mandates, federal legal requirements, and accrediting board standards, have forced colleges to adhere to similar sets of expectations. Those expectations have resulted in a homogenization of institutional processes and purposes.

(5) Policy makers at the institutional, state, and federal level have abrogated their responsibility for making college affordable and assessable. In the 1970s, in an attempt to broaden participation in student aid programs to the middle-class, the burden of financing was shifted from public to individual resources. In the past 30 years, this has resulted in a shift from funding education through grants and scholarships to student loans. Coupled with increasing costs (According to the College Entrance Examination Board, since 1979, average, public, 4-year tuition has increased by 222% in constant 2009 dollars. For the same period, private, 4-year tuition has increased by 178%), the redirection of financial aid is making it very difficult (if not impossible) for low- and lower, middle-class students to afford a college education.

· What are some of the challenges facing higher education today?
The obvious one is linked to #5 above—it is the combination of increased cost coupled with decreasing federal, state, and external financial support for higher education. The recent recession has played havoc with all state budgets and that has impacted public college and many private college budgets. Until other revenue streams can be developed, the public college will find it increasingly difficult to meet its social responsibilities.
 
I also believe that, even though a college education is still a large part of the American dream, we are at a low-point in public support for education in general, and college education in particular. This may be part of a large skepticism about public institutions, but regardless of the reason, that lack of public support is resulting in budgetary tentativeness at the state level—tentativeness that is having deleterious effects on higher education.

· Can technology play a role in alleviating some of those problems?
Many problems can only be solved with the application of technology. However, all new technologies come with unanticipated costs. The advent of the automobile gave people much greater mobility; it opened up new ways of interacting, new ways of doing business, and new forms of recreating. That said, it has also led to environmental degradation, the decline of urban centers, a sense of personal disconnection, and an increase in accidental death rates. In informally doing the cost-benefit analysis of automobile usage, most people would say the benefits outweigh the costs—that doesn’t make the costs disappear, however.

When technology is applied to education, most people think of how computer-mediated environments can make the provision of education more effective and efficient. Frequently, this assumption is grounded in an understanding of student learning that sees learning as the transmission of knowledge from sender to receiver. While computer-mediated learning environments can be much richer than this (I can see a future where SecondLife has morphed into something akin to the Starship Enterprise’s holodeck), as I noted above, we have rethought how students learn best, and computer mediated environments may not be particularly adept at fostering the construction of knowledge. I do not believe the computer (the next generation of technology) will replace bricks and mortar colleges. I believe this for no other reason than colleges play an important maintenance function. The national culture is not prepared to have young adults (i.e., traditional-aged students) on their own nor are most parents inclined to have their children stay at home longer than necessary. Residential colleges provide useful holding areas for young adults to develop a wide-range of personal and inter-personal skills.

· Should technology play a role in alleviating some of those problems?
If it does not, then it is part of the problem.