Cleaning out the basement

Finding all kinds of interesting things.  Like the fact that I freelanced for the University at Buffalo in 1998, long before I ever started working here in 2006.  The assignment for Buffalo Physician was Roswell Park focused, and since I started working at RPCI around this time, I guess I just figured it was a part of that job. Turns out it was not. I found the UB contract over the weekend.  I guess I was meant to be here :)

Here is a PDF file from the Buffalo Physician Winter 1999 issue with my three articles extracted. Kind of a fun weekend. Now I have more sorting, scanning and cleaning to do. But perhaps soon my basement will be organized and the stuff I want to keep will be safe. 

Books and Work and NCAA

Update on the reading (three more done). Am tracking all of them on this Pinterest board cause I'm lousy at the running count ! It says 21 so far, so I'm well ahead of the goal. I am sure real life will stop me at some point LOL.

• 700 Sundays by Billy Crystal
• The Blessing by John Trent
• League of Denial: The NFL, Concussions and the Battle for Truth by ESPN reporters

I tried to read a Rex Stout mystery but just could not bring myself to sort through the old-fashioned language and sexist attitudes. I know that noir literature is like that but I just was not in the mood.

So, next I'm going to read the Divergent series. We have a rule in my house that you are not supposed to see a movie until you have read the book. As Maggie points out regularly, I have not held Matthew to that standard all the time. But he was a baby when we started reading Harry Potter and I wasn't going to stop him from enjoying those movies. However, I am enforcing that rule with the Hunger Games, Enders Game and Divergent. So, now I have to read those books!

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Off Peak Update
I am in the process of launching some new initiatives for the Tri-State Consortium including surveys to help with their research, an experts roster and expanded LinkedIn options. I'm excited to work on their materials because it is such a great way for me to connect all of my marketing and highered experience.  Plus, it helps me to start new projects because it keeps me current. I find sometimes that we just let things ride until we are forced to change. By continuing to expand my skills, I can bring new ideas to work and vice versa. Grateful for these opportunities. 

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Just a note about the NCAA.  Boy, the brackets are broken. I don't recall any other tourney where there have been so many upsets. But the basketball has been amazing to watch. I love March Madness !

Sadness

I am just sad about all the news that is coming out of Penn State.

I don't know the details and I don't want to know the details. What I have heard makes me sick. I hope that somehow the boys who were harmed have managed to get help and break the cycle of abuse. I am sure that they will be found and the media will keep feeding on this story. But I am not sure that tearing down people and rioting and putting good people in danger is going to help improve this situation. I think that those boys/men need to be supported and helped and they deserve no blame for what happened and continues to happen.

The verse from Romans (12:21) keeps popping into my head today "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

There are really good people at Penn State – good employees (I've met some), good alumni, good parents and good students. Their story has to be told. They should not feel tarnished by this. The only people who are tarnished are the ones who knew and did nothing. But today, the good people feel the shame and the sting of the abuse. It is because they are good that they suffer.

I really hope that sanity comes back to Penn State. That the University figures out how to teach through this moment. That joy can return to Happy Valley. That the people who need help get it and those who did evil accept their responsibility. And that everyone learns how to be a force for good in this world.

heweb11

Ok, I know a week after the event is late to be sharing.... but I needed time to process what I learned at higheredweb. You can read some of my key thoughts here: http://storify.com/cpd623/heweb11 and see a lot of the presentations here http://link.highedweb.org/.

I spent pretty much every moment in Austin in session or talking to someone who was teaching me something. Four solid days of learning. It was incredible and intense. I distilled all the info into 20 "golden nuggets;" five books to read and 15 things I should think about doing. Upon further reflection I picked seven action items. I started working on three of them today and it was a wonderful morning... still doing my job but doing it in a new light. Really energized and excited to keep learning and making things better. The most illuminating idea I had was this: (and if I ever get to do a presentation I'm going to call it this) Who, What, Where, Why and When... new definitions in today's online world.

• Who: Everyone really, you are no longer limited to the people physically in your space or who can buy your newspaper or get your press release
• What: need to sort what is of interest in new ways... don't tell stories the same way to all your audiences
• Where: again, no limits, if you can connect online you can share with all
• Why: make it meaningful so others help share stories
• When: NOW, is better, but after the fact might be OK if can bring insight and illumination along with it. The past is no longer an excuse... have your audience help tell story if you are strapped.

Thanks to the heweb11 world for invigorating me again. Once I'm over this cold I caught on the plane I'll be busier than ever!

NOTE: Storify no longer exists as a platform. Which is sad, I used to love that. Found my story on the WayBack Machine: https://web.archive.org/web/20180104100906/http://storify.com/cpd623/heweb11 

Going to HigherEd Web in Austin

My first conference since joining UB and my first professional conference in years. Roswell used to send me to work the booths for their conferences (not that I fit the classic definition of a booth babe by any stretch of the imagination) but I don't think I've traveled for learning in over seven years, maybe longer. I am truly looking forward to a chance to think outside of the box.

Let me know if you're going to be there too!

Be careful of word choices

Well, I had no idea how using the word crash to title my first blog for the month would come to signify the whole month of August for me.

My home computer is still getting repaired. They fixed the first issue I sent it in for, but broke the fan in the process. So, when we booted it up, it sounded like an airplane was landing. Back to the store and back to another two weeks of warranty repairs. So glad I had the extended warranty, but getting annoyed that we still don't have it back and school starts next week.

But in the rest of the month I've been affected by road crashes (one solid hour on thruway in middle of nowhere due to a major accident in front of us), emotional crashes (leaving my oldest at college) and bone "crashes" that sent my Mom to the hospital for surgery. It has been a roller coaster of a ride. I am glad to see September at the end of this week.

Global Learning

I work for a university... and my son starts at one in the Fall.

He's going almost seven hours from home for the experience. Makes me wonder, do we need classrooms if the students can connect online from different locations?

Should the goal be to teach students a series of tasks/topics or to teach them how to learn so they can stay ahead of the learning curve? I'm thinking the latter. Time will tell.

I believe that shared experiences and collegiate life are important to adults in today's world, but I also want to be sure that the costs we're going to pay to give him this experience prepare him for a modern career.