Like many other top college administrators, Jo Ann M. Gora, president of Ball State University, is practically addicted to her hand-held computer, which keeps her hooked into campus e-mail wherever she goes.
Ms. Gora uses a BlackBerry Model 7250, weighing 4.9 ounces, to respond to e-mail messages, check her calendar, and read documents. “You’re never out of touch,” says Ms. Gora. That is a huge boon to her because her days are chock-full of meetings and events, not to mention out-of-town trips. “It enables me to be a lot more efficient.”
Ms. Gora is not alone in her enthusiasm for a personal digital assistant, or PDA. Administrators at many colleges are increasingly turning to the devices to help them do their jobs while they are away from their desks, whether in a meeting down the hall or on vacation half a world away. (The Chronicle, subscription required)
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