The New York University Hospitality Conference advances green initiatives and sustainable solutions for the lodging industry. NYU used new online strategies, such as Twitter, to promote the program.

Photo courtesty of NYU

Online video conferencing and collaborations are expanding and enhancing—but not replacing—the way we like to meet. According to a new study by the American Society of Association Executives, participation among association members in online media events jumped from 30 to nearly 36 percent this past year. And their use of social media rose from nearly 10 to 16 percent. The 7,000 survey responses included associations of lawyers, doctors, pharmacists, counselors, architects, accountants, scientists, engineers and meeting professionals—representing both the corporate and nonprofit sectors.

CE conferencing is on the vanguard of employing new web-based networking technologies, vastly expanding a university’s reach. At a time when just about any computer can serve as a video conferencing tool, movement into the digital world has fundamentally changed the way workers interact. It has also greatly changed functionalities and preferences in conferencing. Collaborative technologies—university sponsored blogs, wiki’s, YouTube channels and other grassroots video and text uploads—can now quickly capture and disseminate the collective intelligence shared at conferences—something that used to take months or even years to produce in written proceedings. Moreover these reports no longer need to remain stagnant. They can be updated online with ongoing commenting.

Developing Quality Teachers

Early childhood teacher education programs, such as Fort Hays State University's Bachelor of Science degree in Education–Early Childhood Unified, are essential in preparing teachers for work in quality pre-K programs. Left: Breanne Davis, education degree candidate at FHSU, works with two children on a fall activity.

Photo courtesty of Fort Hays State University

Attending a high-quality pre-kindergarten has a lasting impact on a child’s success, both in school and later in life. Mounting evidence makes the case that investing in children’s early education is a wise economic development strategy. According to research by the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank, investing dollars in high-quality pre-K can yield more than $8 for every $1 invested.

President Obama is among those who believe that investing in early learning makes good economic sense. The federal stimulus package introduced in February this year appropriated billions of dollars for the funding of children’s programs.

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View a Table of Contents for Past InFocus Stories

UCEA Marketing Seminar

February 10-12, 2010
Tampa, FL

Conference Website

UCEA 95th Annual Conference

Leading Innovation in
Higher Education

April 7-10, 2010
San Francisco, CA

Conference Website

Letter From Kay Kohl,
UCEA Chief Executive Officer

Women Now Comprise Half the U.S. Workforce

Letter From Patricia Book,
UCEA's President

An Endless Adventure

Other Resources

2009 Edition
of

Lifelong Learning Trends

Now Available

Order Your Copy Now

The 10th edition of UCEA'sLifelong Learning Trends focuses on The New Face of Higher Education. The publication includes graphics, analyses, and the latest statistics of relevance to college and university professional and continuing education. Learn more.

Download an Order Form

Visit the website:
http://newfaceofhighered.org

UCEACONNECT

Visit the Association's professional and social networking portal for members:

http://connect.ucea.edu.

Trends & Announcements

Degree Completion Hindered by Work
and Family Responsibilities

The prevailing wisdom as to why most students start but do not finish college is because they cannot afford it, are not prepared for the academic rigors, or do not value education as much as those students who complete college. Yet a report by the nonprofit, nonpartisan Public Agenda reveals that the primary reason students cite for leaving college is balancing work and school. The challenge of simultaneously juggling work, family, and education is more daunting for most of these students than being able to pay for college – and has implications for the benefits and services that students need to complete their degrees.

Alternative Teacher Certification
Programs Are Burgeoning

Alternative teacher certification programs, which offer a route to the classroom other than the traditional four-year education major, are flourishing, with about one-third of new teaching hires coming through alternative routes to teacher certification. All 50 states and the District of Columbia have some type of alternate route to teacher certification, with nearly 500 alternate teacher certification programs spread across the country.

According to the National Center for Alternative Certification, the number of teaching certificates issued to people who completed an alternative route program grew from roughly 20,000 in 2000-01 to approximately 59,000 in 2005-06. This period of rapid growth has been characterized by a shift away from emergency and other temporary routes prevalent in the 1980’s and 1990’s, to new routes designed specifically for non-traditional candidates who have already earned bachelor’s degrees, many of whom come from other careers.

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