I want to study abroad. What should I do?

A Teacher Remembers Fondly What it Means to Teach

Mr. Arshad Nissar is a Senior Design Engineer atAdvanced Micro Devices in Boston and wrote the following piece in response to one of my discussions on LinkedIn.

Dear Uma these are very inspiring words..!
Having been a teacher myself and having been born to a father who was a great teacher, I can very well understand the noble emotions behind your words. I once did travel the path that you are exhorting. I am still enjoying the tremendous bliss that I found along this path. I want to share some of my own experiences.

I finished my BE from REC Srinagar (now NIT Srinagar) in 1989. That was actually a water-shed year in the history of the valley. Everything changed forever in this year. Insurgency broke out and was at its peak in early 1990's. A meek person like me would have promptly moved out of the valley and pursued higher education or employment elsewhere. However I had an ailing father to care for and he was reluctant to move out of the valley. In addition to this emotional consideration, I found a practical way of contributing to my beloved valley. In retrospect it was time well spent until 1996, when I moved to the United States.

While being a student I almost always had discovered some easier and more interesting way of understanding difficult concepts in Math and Science. I used to make a mental note of what would have been the ideal approach to teach some of those concepts during student days when I was at the receiving end. I would dream-up a whole different way the teacher could have treated the same concept. This helped me to look with introspection into my student’s mind when it was my turn to be a teacher.

Also a teacher MUST challenge the understanding of the students. It is so important. In Indian class rooms, students usually are always found nodding their heads in agreement out of respect for their "revered teacher". Respect for a teacher is in order, but when that becomes too overwhelming it can affect the teaching/learning process. This is mostly culturally driven. Very rarely will you find students who challenge their teachers. Not because the students can’t, but mainly because of cultural mores.

I took a lecturer's job (while still being a BE) at REC

Srinagar

. Having a good a merit and due to the shortage of staff, they let me teach at undergraduate level. I enjoyed it immensely. Since I had been a careful student myself and tried to learn things thoroughly the hard way, teaching was a pleasure. We had to face countless curfews, crack-downs, bandhs and hartals and sometimes simply could not venture out in main parts of the town for fear of my dear life. Against this backdrop, I started a teaching center in my home basement. I taught Physics and Math to high school kids, with emphasis on practical learning. This was something strange at that time as most of the teaching that happened or still happens in Indian schools, colleges and universities emphasizes learning by rote. My approach was to combine the traditional rote method but introduce hands on practical demonstrations and thereby reinforce the theoretical fundamentals.

I had a workshop where I used to devise physics experiments out of wood, wires and other junk that never ceased to surprise my father and my students. Borrowed tuning forks with water level controlled air columns to do experiments on sound, blocks of wood and marbles to do experiments with mechanics, circuits with wires and magnetic needles to do experiments on electricity, medical syringes and tubes to do fluid-mechanics and so on. No experiment was superfluous. Everything was designed to reinforce some concept from course work. I did this work for a short period of about three years.

Eventually I had to leave the valley to pursue my MS at SUNY Buffalo.

This was all about twelve years ago. Some of my students of those days have come quite far. This approach of looking at things beyond the traditional rote method made a difference in the way the graduates of Newton’ Center for Learning (my teaching academy) looked at learning itself. Some may argue there are laboratories in Indian high schools. My argument is, the way these labs are used and how accessible they are to an ordinary student is pathetic. Also the way you could bring the white-board and the lab-desk together presents enormous possibilities. And finally from the brief teaching assignments here in the US and watching my teen-age sons study, doing the experiments hands on has a stronger imprint on the student's mind. Computer simulations as some critics suggested as alternatives to the hands on experiments, do not go far as a learning tool, in my opinion.

My heart yearns to go back and do it all over again, but on a bigger scale.

College is not for everyone, but wisdom and financial success are within reach

Recently, there is a growing debate about the worth of a college degree, particularly an expensive college degree. Burdened with college loans that suck the life line out of our young graduates, many are now questioning the real value of a college degree.

Unlike some nations where not every high school graduate is expected to go to college or earn a four-year degree, corporations in the United States require or prefer a college degree for many entry-level positions. When you probe this somewhat indiscriminate requirement, hiring managers often confess that the reason they look for at least a college degree is because students, particularly high school students, and now even college students, are not adequately prepared to meet the demands of the workforce.

So does this mean that if you don’t have a college degree you cannot make a decent living? Be a part of the American dream? Become an entrepreneur? Far from it!

You can – provided you invest time and effort in developing the right skills for the workforce and the right attitude for success. So what are a few important skills for the workforce (with or without a college degree)?

• The ability to read, write, and speak. In short, communications. We may not all be perfect at all three, but it is important to have above average skills when it comes to communications.
• Critical thinking and problem-solving: Can you take a problem, analyze it thoughtfully, and come up with a meaningful and comprehensive solution? Or, do you expect your boss to hand hold you every step of the way?
• Understanding of the fundamentals of the business world: one may not all be terrific in accounting, but one should have some understanding of business functions. A holistic understanding of the business world is important.
• Can you speak a language other than your own? If you plan to serve more than your street corner, language skills become vital.
• Good ethics: what will you do when no one is watching? Do you have an understanding right and wrong?

These skills can be honed, with or without a college degree and for those who do, success is assured.

Managing Change in Turbulent Times

We all know that change is the only constant in our lives. Many of us even welcome change in our lives. Still when unexpected change happens to us, it becomes personal and depending on the magnitude of the change, it can even be difficult and traumatic. Unexpected layoffs, loss of a loved one, financial setbacks, health issues, and other such events can derail our best laid plans and cause a great deal of anxiety and stress. At times such as this, it becomes important to practice the timeless principles of hope, faith, courage, and resilience. In addition, there are four strategies that have proven to help people get over the difficult times in their lives.

1. The Power of Optimism: Research shows that an optimistic outlook, even in the face of insurmountable challenges, helps people overcome the setbacks in their lives. Optimism generates positive energy, reduces anxiety, and as a bonus has great health benefits. While some may consider optimism as “soft, touchy-feely stuff,” there is both anecdotal and evidence-based research that shows the extraordinary benefits of optimism. It is the greatest gift that one can give to oneself. Be optimistic that you will get through your difficulties. Remind yourself that life is full of ups and downs. As Wayne Dwyer said, “Even God cannot make a storm last forever!”
2. Be action-oriented: It is easy and tempting to engage in self-pity and cuddle up in a dark corner when we find ourselves in a tough spot. We feel the weight of the world on our shoulders and sometimes there seems to be no way out. It is temporarily comforting to withdraw from the world. However, this approaches long-term damage. Stand up. Act. Move. Connect. Engage. Do your part. Reach out. Believe in yourself. Accomplish small things. Be biased toward action, rather than inaction. Action generates energy. Inaction destroys even existing energy.
3. Focus on your Strengths: In times of difficulty, people tend to focus on their weaknesses, rather than their strengths. The strengths that took you to the top of the mountain are still yours and yours alone. Traumatic experiences may sometimes make these strengths dormant, but you still have them. Tap into your strengths. Work on your weaknesses, but do not make them the focal point of your day.
4. Revisit your concept of happiness: We live in a society which continues to perpetuate the notion that happiness is tied to materialism, corporate titles, and fancy houses and cars. Revisit your concept of happiness. Stay true to yourself. Research shows that happiness is rarely tied to external things, but often is a state of mind, a firm determination to capture and live in the present moment.

Dr. Uma G. Gupta is the President and CEO of Global Cube Consulting, a consulting firm that focuses on leadership development, communications, and project management. She blogs at www.umagupta.com and can be reached at gupta@globalcube.com

Not the fruit, but the effort

Unwearied and ceaseless effort is the price that must be paid for turning faith into a rich infallible experience.

-Mahatma Gandhi, 1936 (www.beliefnet.com)

We tend to focus on the great accomplishments of great leaders. We know of their struggles and sufferings, but what we remember most are their accomplishments. History has a way of focusing on the end result, and not always on the journey. Yet great leaders also endured great suffering. They persisted in the face of great odds; odds that a weaker human being would have concluded as insurmountable. So what kept them going? In the case of Gandhi, it was his incredible faith in humanity - that people will eventually gravitate toward good, rather than evil. More important, he was always focused on the journey; those little steps and the giant steps that would lead him to his destination of freeing India. But the journey was equally important - sometimes more important than the destination. He suffered a great deal in private and public when his dreams died or got derailed, but he persisted. I suppose another word for that is faith - the ability to perservere against all odds, when even reasonable people declare it time to quit - faith and the faithful persevere.

Uma Gupta writes about a book that is changing lives

If you believe in serendipity, it is everywhere, isn't it? If you don't believe in serendipity, then life is full of coincidences - random, insignificant coincidences. I for one believe in serendipity. I have believed in it all my life. People, events, situations, conversations, thoughts, actions - when I look back - everything had a purpose; Everything. I may not have seen it then, but I do now when I look back upon my life.

Let me give you an example. Last week I was flipping channels and paused on Oprah as she introduced a new book for her Oprah Book Club. It was The New Earth by Eckhart Tolle. Long time ago, I read Eckhart. I did not make a mental note or the book nor did I make a decision to buy the book.

Then the next day I was in Barnes&Noble on their buy two books - get-one-free table. And I see The New Earth. I was in a hurry and so quickly selected three books, including Eckhart, and left. I started on the book the same evening and I thought it was pretty boring. The first few pages were pretty difficult and abstract and I thought the book was going nowhere. Then as I read on, I could not put it down. It drew me in like a whirlpool. It challenged my thinking on life and its many dimensions in extraordinary ways. I plan to re-read the book. It will probably become my everyday Bible. Now that's what I call serendipity!!

Uma Gupta writes About Courage, Conviction, and Confidence

Courage, conviction, and confidence:

Fear and worry is one of the most prevalent emotions in our every day lives. It is such an insidious emotion that sometimes we do not even recognize how it quietly finds a permanent corner in our emotional space and makes itself comfortable, knowing that it will be a part of the fabric of our lives for a long time to come. Replacing fear with hope and faith requires courage, conviction, and confidence. It is more easily said than done, but with attention and practice, it is possible. By no means is this an easy or short journey, but it is a journey well worth taking. At the end, each one of us can find peace and know that we will be okay. Very okay.

Whether in our personal or professional lives, fear is an inhibitor. It inhibits us from reaching our full potential, from being true to ourselves and to others, and from remaining true to our core values. This is the first in a series of articles that I will write about courage, conviction, and confidence both in the workplace and at home.

A simple exercise is to jot down every emotion you feel for one full day. Start in the morning from the time you get out of bed till you go to bed. If you are good at counting and if you have a great memory, you don't even have to write it down! So make a note of your range and frequency of emotions: fear, (worry is fear), anxious, depressed, distressed, angry, jealous, guilty, uncertain, unsure, neglected, disappointed, joyous, hopeful, pessimistic, overwhelmed – just make a note.

Read a New Earth by Eckhart Tolle. A powerful book that speaks to how each one of us has the potential to rise above the fray, every day.

Uma Gupta writes: Dont Stay Married

Staying married to your partner. Love is a gift to be cherished and nurtured. But, writes Uma Gupta, Do not Stay Married to your ideas and assumptions.

That is deadly. Deadly for the birth of creativity and innovation. Try this exercise. Every time you jump into a certain problem-solving mode or you think you know the perfect solution to a problem ask yourself, "How many years have I used this approach? How old are my assumptions?" You will be startled. Many approaches and assumptions are as old as we are, writes Uma Gupta. Even just being aware of the age of your ideas will force you to revisit creativity.

PS: An excerpt from Uma Gupta's upcoming book on Shift Your Perspectives. Uma Gupta can be contacted at guptaguma@gmail.com

Uma Gupta shares her personal story

When we go through a traumatic event, we are often forced to explore our perspectives, our assumptions, our core values, and our abilities to "press on." It is not a choice. It is a force that pushes you to rise from your fall, to persist, to stand tall. When someone experiences trauma, they don't say, "Oh! let me now check my perspectives!" Instead, when we are swept off our feet by trauma, by a difficult event, by a divorce, a betrayal, an unjust act, slowly, but steadily, those strong at heart seek the T word - T for tenacity. We shift our perspectives from individual hurt to leaving the world a better place; to ensuring that what happened to us does not happen to another. Talent combined with tenacity is power.

Yes, this world is not always fair or just or sane or loving, but we as individuals have a choice to take the high road, to be tenacious in our belief that good will overcome well, not-so-good.

When I was the President at Alfred State College, I had to make a tough personnel decision about two employees. They started an anonymous blog filled with lies, slander, and libel. As a leader of an institution of higher learning I had a choice to make: write to the blog and address the lies (ump into the dirt) or take the high road. There were days when it was tempting to jump in, but friends reminded me that true power lies in refrain. Graciousness has unequaled elegance.

Tenacity - to keep going when the going gets tough. Tenacity is like the oak tree that sweeps with the winds, but keep its roots hidden so firm and so deep that those who wait for it to fall will have to wait for a long, long, time.

Tenacity - to believe in oneself. After all, it is easy to believe in oneself when it is smooth sailing;

tenacity is believing that truth will prevail; that this too shall pass; Tenacity - is to look back so that we learn about human frailties and follies, but then to focus on the future - to know that a great future is yours because you are well, you.

Be tenacious. Talent and tenacity is power - not the kind of power that you have when you are an anonymous blogger - but the kind of power you have when you are an oak tree with deep roots or when God is driving and you are in the passenger seat looking out the window!

Uma Gupta writes:Shifting Our Perspectives on Our Problems

In her previous post, Uma Gupta wrote about the importance of shifting perspectives in order to be creative and innovative. Uma wrote about five dimensions on shifting perspectives for her upcoming book:

• Problems
• Solutions
• Ourselves
• World
• Assumptions

Shifting perspectives on a problem that we are confronting is a huge challenge for most of us. The problems arrives at our door step in a certain shape, size, color, and dimension. Our training, both professional and social, immediately forces us to look at the problem in "a pre-determined way." We quickly assume that the problem facing us is one that we have confronted before. We assume that we know the right solution to the problem, writes Uma Gupta. Or, we "almost know" the solution to the problem and we simply have to pull the pieces together. Unfortunately, this is the first step toward closing tightly and firmly the door to creativity, innovative thinking, and ah! ha! moments. Writes Uma Gupta, "If each of us forced ourselves to say every time that we confront a problem that the problem is NOT what we think it is, we will experience incredible bursts of creative energy."

PS: All material copyrighted for an upcoming book. Please contact author for permission to reuse materials.

Uma Gupta writes: Be a Top Dog

In her previous post, Uma Gupta wrote about the importance of shifting perspectives in order to be creative and innovative. Being the Top Dog is not easy. It requires taking risks and viewing the world from the edge.

Uma wrote about five dimensions on shifting perspectives for her upcoming book:

• Problems
• Solutions
• Ourselves
• World
• Assumptions

Shifting perspectives on a problem that we are confronting is a huge challenge for most of us. The problems arrives at our door step in a certain shape, size, color, and dimension. Our training, both professional and social, immediately forces us to look at the problem in "a pre-determined way." We quickly assume that the problem facing us is one that we have confronted before. We assume that we know the right solution to the problem, writes Uma Gupta. Or, we "almost know" the solution to the problem and we simply have to pull the pieces together. Unfortunately, this is the first step toward closing tightly and firmly the door to creativity, innovative thinking, and ah! ha! moments. Writes Uma Gupta, "If each of us forced ourselves to say every time that we confront a problem that the problem is NOT what we think it is, we will experience incredible bursts of creative energy."

PS: All material copyrighted for an upcoming book. Please contact author for permission to reuse materials.

Uma Gupta writes on Shifting Perspectives

The best solutions to the most complex of problems arrive at our doorstep when we shift perspectives, writes Uma Gupta. Shifting perspective requires five different elements. Some or all of these elements may be in play at any given time, writes Uma Gupta.

• Shifting perspective requires that we look at the problem in a whole different way.
• Shifting perspective requires that we look at solutions in a whole different ways.
• Shifting perspective requires that we look at ourselves in a whole different way.
• Shifting perspective requires that we look at our assumptions in a whole different way.
• Shifting perspective requires that we look at our world in a whole different way.

It is only when we shift our perspectives can we be creative and innovative. Out-of-the-box thinking is all about shifting perspectives. Women can shift perspectives easily when it is a "good problem." A good problem, writes Uma Gupta, is one that is not personal, does not affect her in a personal way. An example of a "good problem" may be, "How do we keep children safe in a crowded mall?" On the other hand, a "negative problem," writes Uma Gupta can get us in knots easily. A "negative problem," is when we are treated in an unfair, unjust manner; or when we face betrayal, or marginalized. To shift perspectives when we deal with negative problems requires tenacity, writes Uma Gupta, a skill that can be developer.

PS: This material is copyrighted as it is part of an upcoming book by Uma Gupta. Please contact me for permission to use this material.

Courage to Do the Right Thing

We are told from a young age to do the right thing. Yet doing the right thing is the hardest thing to do. Doing the right thing can have negative consequences. You can be punished, penalized, and destroyed because the status quo is sometimes affected when you do the right thing. People like status quo. It makes them feel safe. It makes them feel invincible. It makes them feel powerful.

Yet, the greatest movements in the world and the most dramatic change in socieity have always been brought about by those who believed that what they stand for is much bigger than what they may lose by doing the right thing.

I think a lot about Mahatma Gandhi these days. I saw the movie a couple of years ago and was moved to tears by his courage, strength, and determination. In his simple mind and in his own simplistic way, he saw something that was terribly wrong and decided to do what was right. Many thought he was an idiot to think he could change the world - yet he did.

I could not imagine what it must have been like to take on an entrenched and sophisticated British system. Yet he did: in his own, quiet, persistent, courageous way. He just wanted to right a wrong. He simply wanted the world to know that the number of people who have been wronged or the length of time for which the wrong has been perpetuated does not make it right. Yeah, this has gone on for a long time - is not a reason to continue to perpetuate a wrong.

Life throws so many unexpected curves at us. Thank God for these curves. The curves and the slippery slopes are platforms for doing the right thing.

Trash Talk

The Wall Street Journal on Monday, March 19, 2007 carried an Opinion piece titled, "Trash Talk," by Miss Wurtzel, a student at Yale Law School. She writes about AutoAdmit - a website of postings where law students can post whatever they like. Anonymously, of course! Rings a bell?

Most of the postings are mean-spirited - a signature of anonymous blogs. Rings a bell? That's what cowards do - they do and say mean-spirited and untrue things about others while they hide behind the First Amendment. I could not but help think about the anonymous Alfred State blog. There were too many parallels. Both educational institutions (of course there is no comparison between Yale and Alfred State!). Both anonymous blogs. Both mean-spirited, filled with lies and innuendos.

Do Blogs Help or Hurt Careers?

My name has become associated with a now infamous and anonymous blog. Believe me, it was not by choice. As many of you in academia can attest, very little in academia is by choice, especially if you are an administrator in the middle of a controversy! I was not seeking fame or notoriety. I was the President of a small rural college (Alfred State College) and made a decision that almost any Presidents in my situation would have made. The few individuals who were affected by my decision vowed to make life difficult and they did. A blog was started on May13, 2005 (yes, Friday the 13th!) I received an email over a weekend that carried the first posting of the blog. It was under the name of Brewster Pennybaker.

To the Editor: Brock Read's "Attack of the Blog" (The Chronicle, September 15) states that the unknown blogger was "mad as hell" at my performance as the president of the State University of New York College of Technology at Alfred. My report card includes, to list just a few items, an outstanding accreditation report from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and high praise from the accreditation team for my leadership; a double-digit increase in funds raised; ... a 35-percent increase in international students; several first-time community-outreach initiatives; Intel recognition as one of the top-50 "most wired" campuses; and the largest building boom on the campus since the 1960s. The full credit for the above accomplishments should go to a highly ethical, dedicated, and visionary team of senior leaders that I was privileged to be a part of. The Chronicle's article has a few errors and omissions. First, it states that "more than 20 college officials had quit or been fired." Human- resources records show one termination, four nonrenewals requested by direct supervisors, and eight reassignments.Second, SUNY did not conduct an investigation "of the tension between administrators and faculty members at the college." The administration and the Faculty Senate jointly invited an arbitration team — which, by the way, found serious flaws with the way the senate conducts business — to do so.Third, Robert Albrecht, another target of the blog who was mentioned in your article, is a SUNY distinguished teaching professor, who has served with distinction for four decades. .Finally, the bloggers targeted not just the president, but many others, including the chancellor, senior SUNY administrators, community members, and even young children of senior administrators. These attacks are still occurring. Other presidents before me, and their families, have also been viciously attacked by this group. The article omitted two important facts: First, public documents show why James Grillo was reassigned from his administrative post, a decision enthusiastically hailed by internal and external stakeholders as long overdue, and, as your reporter noted, an event "seen by many professors as a catalyst for the blog's formation." Second, the administration incurred Mr. Grillo's wrath when it took a principled stand against a bar he owns a few yards from the campus, which places students at high risk through its questionable practices. Anonymity is an aphrodisiac for cowards who perpetuate lies and slander to destroy hard-earned reputions, and sacrifice the common good for their personal gain. Confusing it with "free speech" is an insult to our forefathers.

Uma G. Gupta
Senior Adviser to the State University of New York for Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
State University of New York
Brockport, N.Y.

To the Editor: Brock Read's "Attack of the Blog" (The Chronicle, September 15) states that the unknown blogger was "mad as hell" at my performance as the president of the State University of New York College of Technology at Alfred. My report card includes, to list just a few items, an outstanding accreditation report from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and high praise from the accreditation team for my leadership; a double-digit increase in funds raised; ... a 35-percent increase in international students; several first-time community-outreach initiatives; Intel recognition as one of the top-50 "most wired" campuses; and the largest building boom on the campus since the 1960s. The full credit for the above accomplishments should go to a highly ethical, dedicated, and visionary team of senior leaders that I was privileged to be a part of. The Chronicle's article has a few errors and omissions. First, it states that "more than 20 college officials had quit or been fired." Human- resources records show one termination, four nonrenewals requested by direct supervisors, and eight reassignments.Second, SUNY did not conduct an investigation "of the tension between administrators and faculty members at the college." The administration and the Faculty Senate jointly invited an arbitration team — which, by the way, found serious flaws with the way the senate conducts business — to do so.Third, Robert Albrecht, another target of the blog who was mentioned in your article, is a SUNY distinguished teaching professor, who has served with distinction for four decades. .Finally, the bloggers targeted not just the president, but many others, including the chancellor, senior SUNY administrators, community members, and even young children of senior administrators. These attacks are still occurring. Other presidents before me, and their families, have also been viciously attacked by this group. The article omitted two important facts: First, public documents show why James Grillo was reassigned from his administrative post, a decision enthusiastically hailed by internal and external stakeholders as long overdue, and, as your reporter noted, an event "seen by many professors as a catalyst for the blog's formation." Second, the administration incurred Mr. Grillo's wrath when it took a principled stand against a bar he owns a few yards from the campus, which places students at high risk through its questionable practices. Anonymity is an aphrodisiac for cowards who perpetuate lies and slander to destroy hard-earned reputions, and sacrifice the common good for their personal gain. Confusing it with "free speech" is an insult to our forefathers.

Uma G. Gupta
Senior Adviser to the State University of New York for Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
State University of New York
Brockport, N.Y.

Quote

I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed but I am bound to live the best life that I have. I must stand with anybody that stands right and part from him when he goes wrong.

Abraham Lincoln

Lack of Credibility of Anonymous Blogs

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Bloggers vs. College Administrators

To the Editor:

Brock Read's "Attack of the Blog" (The Chronicle, September 15) states that the unknown blogger was "mad as hell" at my performance as the president of the State University of New York College of Technology at Alfred. My report card includes, to list just a few items, an outstanding accreditation report from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and high praise from the accreditation team for my leadership; a double-digit increase in funds raised; ... a 35-percent increase in international students; several first-time community-outreach initiatives; Intel recognition as one of the top-50 "most wired" campuses; and the largest building boom on the campus since the 1960s. The full credit for the above accomplishments should go to a highly ethical, dedicated, and visionary team of senior leaders that I was privileged to be a part of.

The Chronicle's article has a few errors and omissions. First, it states that "more than 20 college officials had quit or been fired." Human- resources records show one termination, four nonrenewals requested by direct supervisors, and eight reassignments.

Second, SUNY did not conduct an investigation "of the tension between administrators and faculty members at the college." The administration and the Faculty Senate jointly invited an arbitration team — which, by the way, found serious flaws with the way the senate conducts business — to do so.

Third, Robert Albrecht, another target of the blog who was mentioned in your article, is a SUNY distinguished teaching professor, who has served with distinction for four decades. ...

Finally, the bloggers targeted not just the president, but many others, including the chancellor, senior SUNY administrators, community members, and even young children of senior administrators. These attacks are still occurring. Other presidents before me, and their families, have also been viciously attacked by this group. ...

The article omitted two important facts: First, public documents show why James Grillo was reassigned from his administrative post, a decision enthusiastically hailed by internal and external stakeholders as long overdue, and, as your reporter noted, an event "seen by many professors as a catalyst for the blog's formation." Second, the administration incurred Mr. Grillo's wrath when it took a principled stand against a bar he owns a few yards from the campus, which places students at high risk through its questionable practices.

Anonymity is an aphrodisiac for cowards who perpetuate lies and slander to destroy hard-earned reputions, and sacrifice the common good for their personal gain. Confusing it with "free speech" is an insult to our forefathers.

Uma G. Gupta
Senior Adviser to the State University of New York for Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
State University of New York
Brockport, N.Y.

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http://chronicle.com
Section: The Chronicle Review
Volume 53, Issue 8, Page A63

Unleashing the Vitriol

In his article "Unleashing the Vitriol" in the Chronicle of Higher Ed, Dennis Barden at the executive search firm of Witt Kieffer discusses his perspectives on the role of blogs in executive searches. "Character assassination has gotten a lot easier, leadership a lot more dangerous, and administrative searches a whole lot harder."

David shares his recent search experience about a senior administrator who was in the job market and under attack by bloggers. He focuses on the balancing act search committees must perform in order to get to the truth. The real truth. Yes, blogs cast a shadow on candidates, sometimes a long shadow. However, most search committees for senior level positions can sniff a rat.

David writes, "Whether or not accusations made on a blog are true, they undermine the effectiveness of the person under attack simply by spreading tales directly to the community. No spin. No context. And very frequently no truth. Just damage.

To Blog or Not to Blog?

Professors at Wharton share their views on blogs and ask the Shakespearian question: To Blog or Not to Blog? Several Wharton professors use blogs to update their curriculum and bring innovative ideas and controversial views into the classroom. Read the full article.

Wharton's Professor Werbach's blog identifies himself as a technology analyst and policy wonk, while Professor Steele uses his blog to teach "a statistics course committed to honest data analysis." There are several discipline-based blogs on this site, all worth taking a look at!

However, not all Professors are high on blogs. A direct quote from the article follows:

Attack of the Blog - Lessons Learned

Alfred State College is famous for many things, the most recent being a message board (inaccurately classified as a blog) that attracted national attention because of its relentless and vile attacks on system and campus administrators, faculty, staff, and family members. I was the President of Alfred State College when the board was first launched by two campus administrators who were reassigned to faculty. The story was covered in the popular media. 

I learned some important lessons through this experience and would like to share my experiences with other Presidents and PR Directors who may face similar challenges. I don't have all the answers, and I invite your comments and insights about what an educational institution must do when staff or students with questionable motives use social media software to create communciations that appear to be legitimate forums.