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You would be hard pressed to find someone these days who doesn´t use some sort of social media platform; from blogging to Flickr, Facebook and Twitter, it is popular with businesses, print media, celebrities and and everyone in between.   Universities too are all over the social networking scene, with Facebook profiles and daily Twitter “tweets” about things that are happening on campus.  Here are some of the ways that Universities are interacting with their audiences online

Publishing Student Work

It is common for universities to have large numbers of fans and followers, including their students and teachers.  Prestigious universities, such as Stanford in the USA who have just under 48,000 fans on their Facebook page, publish photographs and Youtube videos of student work.  For example, there is a Youtube video of some Stanford engineering students who achieved the altitude record for tiny, autonomous airplanes that they shot at a NASA facility.  This is a great way to share the work of students within the Stanford community, and also works as publicity for the university itself, bringing the student life into a public arena.

Blogs

Blogs are a great way to promote two-way communication.  The University of Texas ran a blog where two students from each year level blogged about their experiences at the school, and they encouraged people to leave comments.  Other students and community members  interacted with the blog which has benefits for the students, potential students and their families and other interested members of the community, and is a great public relations exercise for the university.

Broadcasting Events

For those who cannot make it to class, universities can publish lecture notes, or stream videos on their websites.  Stockholm University provided a live streaming video on its website for those who could not attend a seminar on environmental issues, and they also utilise other networking sites such as Twitter in both English and Swedish.

There are really many benefits to universities and other educational institutions utilising the mediums of social marketing.  It is a cost effective way to promote the institution, it provides a way for current, former and potential students to share knowledge and is a new way to play in the ever-expanding world of virtual communication.

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Google recently took to their blog to post about recent issues with their Chinese counterpart Google.cn.  Apparently, hackers originating from China have broken into the Gmail accounts of human rights activists in China.  They succeeded in a couple of cases and Google is not happy about it.  Their post is quite unusual given the fact that they are sharing this type of information with the general public. They decided to post about it “not just because of the security and human rights implications of what [they] have unearthed, but also because this information goes to the heart of a much bigger global debate about freedom of speech.”  They will now officially reevaluate their business operations to see if they will continue in China.

Google’s presence in the country has never been an easy one, with strong governmental censorship and control.  Other websites like Youtube, Twitter and Facebook have already been completely blocked due to anti-government content.  Google.cn has only survived until now because of their ability to adapt to Chinese regulations.

Although people are leaving flowers outside Google.cn’s office, we will have to wait and see if there will be a funeral.

Reference |

Official Google Blog

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California – A Change in Priorities

California Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger announced this week that there would be a shift in state funding, with less money going to prisons and more going to higher education.  The governor also stated that he would propose a constitutional amendment that would prohibit the state from shelling out more money to prisons than what is allocated for the Public University System.  In recent years, approximately 11 % of the state budget went to prisons, and only 7.5 % went to universities.  State budget deficits have led to tuition increases, professor lay-offs, larger class sizes and other serious problems for the universities in California.  Perhaps this new shift in priorities will appease the thousands of student protesters who in the past year have been outraged at the state´s attitude  towards higher education (oh, and the 32% increase in tuition policy).

University students in California protest the increases in tuition.

Reference |

New York Times article

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A gang bashed and robbed 21-year-old Melbourne student Sourabh Sharma on a train. Photo: Penny Stephens

Attacks on Indian students are on the rise in Sydney and other parts of Australia.  A series of serious assaults against Indian students in a one-month period resulted in street protests and a highly publicized media storm in India, including a popular satellite news program called NDTV.

A community leader has said that there were at least 20 bashings of Indian students in Sydney in the past month,  but many went unreported out of fear.  He estimated over 100 attacks on Indian students in the last 12 months.

Why so many attacks?  Why so focused on Indian students?

A contributing factor could be the increasing population of Indian students who choose to study in Australia.  In 2002 there was just over 11,000 Indian students in Australia, and by 2005 this number had grown to over 27,000.  Another reason may be the situation many of these students find themselves in.  Some are forced to work part-time jobs during odd hours in questionable neighborhoods.  They often become victims because they travel home late at night and alone after working to support their studies.

Students at a Melbourne private college participate in the city’s ‘Harmony Walk’, held in response to attacks on Indian international students. Photograph: Christopher Ziguras

The violence has some questioning why they chose to come to Australia.  Unless authorities act to reduce these attacks, Australia´s multi-billion dollar education industry is at risk of losing a portion of its foreign student body.

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Lincoln University has recently received quite a bit of attention for their required exercise courses.

But here´s the kicker: each student is physically evaluated and only those who are considered overweight (body mass index higher than 30) are required to take the exercise classes. Those who must take the classes and do not show up cannot graduate.  The university claims that as educators it is their responsibility to educate students on their health and enforce healthy habits.  Obesity is known to increase the risk of heart disease, Type II diabetes, stroke and some cancers.

Critics of the fitness policy say that it is intrusive and extreme.   Some students feel singled-out by the fact that the courses are not required for all students.   Others applaud Lincoln University for stepping up to the plate and addressing the increasingly prevalent obesity problem that many young Americans face.

Should universities be so involved in such private matters?  If health care does indeed become a governmental entity in the U.S., does that give public universities the right or responsibility to enforce such programs?

What do you think?

Reference |

CNN Article