Podcast Archive

Interviews

How Colleges Can Weather the Economic Storm

Cash-strapped colleges will have to make tough choices in the coming years about staffing, student aid, recruitment, and a host of other fundamental issues. Janice M. Abraham, president of United Educators Insurance, and Peter N. Stearns, provost of George Mason University, describe the courses of action that many institutions will consider. —July 1, 2009

Adam Smith: What's Next for Google Book Search?

Google has scanned millions of books and made snippets available online through its ambitious Book Search program. The project has taken heat from authors and publishers, but Adam Smith, Google's director of product management, says it's a good thing for academe. —June 12, 2009

How Florida's Budget Woes Affect Faculty Members

The state's top public universities face one of the nation's worst budget challenges but have largely managed to cope with the money shortages, for now. —May 27, 2009

Richard D. Legon: Staying Strategic During the Recession

The recession is presenting college governing boards with big challenges, says Richard D. Legon, president of the Association of Governing Boards of Colleges and Universities. In a conversation with The Chronicle, Mr. Legon describes how boards can be strategic in tackling financial-planning problems. —May 18, 2009

Brian C. Rosenberg: Can Liberal-Arts Colleges Survive?

Residential liberal-arts colleges are expensive to run, so the flagging economy has forced them to take a close look at how they do business. Brian C. Rosenberg, president of Macalester College, describes which liberal-arts institutions will survive and thrive in a newly cost-conscious era. —May 8, 2009

U. of California President Says Public Colleges Can't Go On Like This

Mark G. Yudof, president of the University of California, believes the budget structures of public universities are unsustainable. He talks about how federal and state governments could change their approach to financing higher education and the shifts colleges themselves should consider in how they operate. —April 24, 2009

U. of Alaska Just Says No to Earmarks

Mark R. Hamilton, president of the University of Alaska Statewide System since 1998, has dramatically reduced the number of FEDERAL earmarks the system receives. Mr. Hamilton, a retired Major General in the U.S. Army, explains why in this interview. —March 11, 2009

To Reach Obama's Goal, Colleges Should Get Billions From U.S., Cal State Chief Says

Charles B. Reed, chancellor of the California State University system, wants the federal government to provide direct aid to four-year colleges based on the number of students they enroll who are eligible for Pell Grants or who are from underrepresented minority groups. He says that such a program, which he estimates would cost $12-billion to $14-billion, would help institutions meet President Obama's goal for the United States to have the world's highest proportion of college graduates by 2020. It would do so by covering some costs of remediation and other support services for students who need extra help to remain in college and earn a degree.—March 3, 2009

James R. Zanewicz: Marketing Academic Inventions in a Tough Market

With the economy on the ropes, moving academic inventions from the lab to the marketplace is increasingly important — and increasingly challenging. James R. Zanewicz, director of the Office of Technology Transfer at the University of Louisville, says universities need to be more flexible in the deals they negotiate and more realistic about the money they expect to earn.—February 20, 2009

Biddy Martin: How to Talk About the Recession

College chiefs have to be careful to adopt the right tone when discussing the recession with trustees and professors. Carolyn A. (Biddy) Martin, new chancellor of the University of Wisconsin at Madison, describes how she navigated a series of public forums on the university's financial situation. —February 13, 2009

Northeastern U.'s President: Finding Opportunities in the Recession

Joseph E. Aoun, Northeastern University's president, explains how the financial struggles of the middle class will lead to shifts in the traditional model of higher education — and how his university is coping with the economic downturn. —January 30, 2009

2 Economists Explain How Colleges Can Make Strategic Cuts

As colleges pare down their budgets, it's important that they focus on "cuts that will actually reduce their long-term expenditures," rather than simply putting off needed spending, says Sandy Baum, an economist and a senior policy analyst with the College Board. Ms. Baum and another economist, Michael S. McPherson, president of the Spencer Foundation, spoke with The Chronicle about how the recession could affect both colleges' costs and the price of tuition. —December 18, 2008

Debra Rowe: How to Understand What the Sustainability Movement Means

We don't just want our students to be educated about solar panels and more-efficient light bulbs, but about the sustainability movement in technology and its importance as a whole, says Debra Rowe, a professor of renewable energy, energy management, and psychology at Oakland Community College, in Michigan. —December 9, 2008

Are Professors' Politics Too Prevalent in the Classroom?

In their new book, Closed Minds?: Politics and Ideology in American Universities, three professors at George Mason University argue that colleges are not saturated in politics, as some critics charge. In fact, the authors say, professors often shy away from political debate.—November 4, 2008

Bobby Fong: Making the Most of College Rankings

Recently Butler University has moved up the rankings in several college guides. The university's president, Bobby Fong, explains how the new rankings have given his institution a boost, and why he refrains from bragging about them too much.—October 7, 2008

Peter Welch: A Lawmaker Keeps Tabs on Tuition

Democrat, has sought the attention of higher education officials on college costs and endowment spending. He has succeeded, but he has also left some college administrators wondering why a Democratic fan of higher education has assumed such a role. The Chronicle spoke with Mr. Welch at his Capitol Hill office.—September 29, 2008

Jim Belvin: More Than Just Awarding Money

Duke University's longtime financial-aid director discusses the state of his profession—and its future. —September 16, 2008

Vance Fried: College For $7,376 a Year?

Vance H. Fried, a professor at Oklahoma State University, has produced — on paper, at least — a model institution that could provide students a well-rounded education for just $7,376 a year.
To view the full report on his model institution, follow this link: http://www.collegeaffordability.net/
Vance_Fried_Report_Final.pdf—September 9, 2008

Hal Abelson and Harry Lewis: Making Sense of the 'Digital Explosion'

A new book, "Blown to Bits," offers engineer's-eye views on copyright infringement, digital censorship, and "why we lost our privacy, or gave it away." Two of the book's authors —Hal Abelson, a professor of electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Harry Lewis, a professor of computer science at Harvard University — weigh in on what they call "the digital explosion." —August 12, 2008

Aisha Labi: Reporting From Tehran

Aisha Labi, The Chronicle's correspondent in Europe, discusses her recent trip to Iran to report on the Iranian government's efforts to suppress activism on university campuses. —July 29, 2008

What's Online Learning Really Like?

After covering distance education for more than a decade, The Chronicle's Goldie Blumenstyk finally took the plunge and enrolled in an online course through the University of Phoenix. She shares tales from the cyber-classroom with Paul Fain, a Chronicle reporter. —June 9, 2008

Keeping Track of Transfer Students

The University of North Texas has about 35,000 students, but many of them didn't start their academic careers there. Gretchen Bataille, president of North Texas, talks about how the institution manages the flow of transfer students. —June 2, 2008

Gordon Gee's Guidelines for a Successful Presidency

Ohio State University's president, E. Gordon Gee, is one of the nation's most veteran university chiefs. He describes how to weather challenges as a president, including how to deal with hostility from Capitol Hill. —April 29, 2008

Student Loan Companies Seeking Federal Help

Carl C. Dalstrom, president and chief executive of USA Funds, the nation's largest guarantee agency, describes why companies involved in federally subsidized student lending need even more government assistance before they can continue making loans for this coming academic year. —April 22, 2008

How International Outreach Helps Undergraduates

David W. Leebron, president of Rice University, describes why his institution is focusing on "the foreign experience" and why he'll appear next month at a U.S. Department of State summit about globalization.—April 18, 2008

Is the Internet Stifling Innovation?

Jonathan Zittrain, a professor of Internet governance and regulation at Oxford University, argues in a new book that people's growing intolerance for viruses, spam, and other computer maladies will end up crippling technological advancement.—April 8, 2008

Preparing for the Pope

The Very Rev. David M. O'Connell, president of the Catholic University of America, describes how his institution is getting ready to welcome Pope Benedict XVI, who has planned a visit this month. —April 7, 2008

Imagining Our World as a Virtual Reality

Brian Whitworth, a researcher at the Centre for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science, talks about his recent research paper that poses the question: What if the physical world we live in is a virtual-reality construct inside a giant computer? —April 1, 2008

Keeping Researchers and Undergraduates Happy

Mark A. Emmert, president of the University of Washington, describes how his institution balances research priorities with the experience it offers undergraduates. —March 4, 2008

Google Sees College Audience as Ideal Focus Group for Its Products

Marissa Mayer, vice president for search products and user experience at Google, talks about the company's efforts to get colleges to adopt its e-mail service and responds to critics of the company's partnership with college libraries.—February 29, 2008

Educating for Profits

Robert Silberman, chief executive officer of Strayer Education Inc., and Sondra Stallard, president of Strayer University, discuss how their for-profit institution works to grow and be profitable without compromising on quality. —February 22, 2008

Does Free Trade Favor Rich Countries?

The University of Cambridge economist Ha-Joon Chang discusses his new book, Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism, with Tyler Cowen, a professor of economics at George Mason University. —February 12, 2008

A Story Waiting to Come

Chinua Achebe, author of "Things Fall Apart," reflects on the 50th anniversary of the acclaimed novel. —February 8, 2008

Getting Research to the Market

Larry E. Penley, president of Colorado State University, speaks about the innovative ways his university is seeking to improve technology transfer. —January 31, 2008

A New Generation of College Presidents

Two college presidents in their 30s -- Elizabeth Fleming, of Converse College, and Kevin Ross, of Lynn University -- discuss the advantages and perils of being young and running an institution. —January 15, 2008

Evaluating Scholarship

Rosemary Feal, the executive director of the MLA, says a task force's report on promotion and tenure has sparked plenty of discussion. —January 8, 2008

Private Colleges as Local Economic Engines

Marvin Krislov, president of Oberlin College, explains why it is staking its future on the economy of northern Ohio and discusses Oberlin's commitment to sustainable development. —December 18, 2007

Examining Ph.D. Completion Rates

Debra W. Stewart, president of the Council of Graduate Schools, discusses its report on Ph.D. completion rates and the National Research Council's forthcoming rankings of graduate programs. —December 12, 2007

How the Internet Is Changing Education, One 'Tinkerer' at a Time

John Seely Brown, a computing pioneer who focuses on learning, the social role of information, and innovation, argues that in the Internet age, tinkering is back, and that's good for education. —December 10, 2007

NIH Director Evaluates Agency's Peer Review and Grants Process

Elias A. Zerhouni, director of the National Institutes of Health, discusses the agency's wide-ranging review, now under way, of how it awards grants. —December 3, 2007

Sustainability on Campus: Separating Rhetoric From Reality

David E. Shi, president of Furman University, talks about the university's commitment to green projects, an effort he says has been pushed primarily by administrators, rather than students. —November 27, 2007

How Presidential Politics Play on a Campus

Gregory S. Brown, an associate professor of history at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, talks about how presidential candidates are taking their messages to campuses. —November 23, 2007

Changes Planned in How Colleges Must Report Executive Pay

Marcus S. Owens, a Washington lawyer who formerly ran the IRS division that oversees private colleges and other nonprofit organizations, talks about the agency's plans to ask for more details from those groups about how they report compensation for their presidents and other executives. —November 16, 2007

Gauging Student Learning

George D. Kuh, who directs the National Survey of Student Engagement, talks about the importance of measuring student learning and what to do with the results. —November 9, 2007

Technology in Plain English

Lisa Trubitt, assistant to the CIO for policy and communications at the State University of New York at Albany, talks about how to translate technology for the various constituencies on campus. —October 30, 2007

Tech Talk: Security, Gadgets, Campus Piracy, and More

Brock Read, a Chronicle reporter who covers technology, discusses some of the latest issues being covered on the Wired Campus blog. —October 23, 2007

The Future of the Library Profession

Jessamyn C. West, who runs Librarian.net, talks about what libraries and librarians are doing right and what they are doing wrong as they adapt to a digital age. —October 16, 2007

A Gay President Speaks Out

Charles R. Middleton, president of Roosevelt University, one of 11 openly gay college presidents in the United States, talks about discrimination in the presidency. —October 9, 2007

An Unusual Plan to Boost Enrollment

When Jeffrey R. Docking took the helm at Adrian College two years ago, enrollment was falling and the small institution's future was in question. Hear how his turnaround plan increased freshman enrollment by 91 percent since his arrival. —October 2, 2007

Measuring the Universities' Performance: What Works?

Mark G. Yudof, chancellor of the University of Texas system, talks about why taxpayers, students, and parents have a right to know how well colleges are doing. —September 25, 2007

Finally Allowed In

Waskar T. Ari Chachaki, a Bolivian historian and an Aymara Indian, was one of the first indigenous people from Latin America to earn a Ph.D. at an American institution. Yet for two years the U.S. government wouldn't allow him into the country to teach, only relenting when the University of Nebraska sued. Mr. Ari talks about his long road back to American academe. —September 18, 2007

Saudi Arabia Adopts Western Models of Higher Education

The Chronicle's Middle East correspondent, Zvika Krieger, talks about Saudi Arabia's plan to overhaul its higher-education system and the challenges it faces in introducing Western-style universities to one of the most conservative countries on earth. —September 11, 2007

Public Intellectualism in the Web 2.0 Era

Henry Jenkins, co-director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Comparative Media Studies Program, talks about why scholars should look beyond their academic fields in their work. —September 10, 2007

Keeping Score on Affirmative Action in College Admissions

Keeping Score on Affirmative Action in College Admissions Peter Schmidt, a Chronicle editor, talks about his new book, Color and Money: How Rich White Kids Are Winning the War Over College Affirmative Action. —September 4, 2007

Lousiana's Governor Weathers Storms

Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, the governor of Louisiana, talks about rebuilding after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and why higher education is key to the state's future. —August 28, 2007

Graduate Student Unmasks Suspicious Wikipedia Authors

Virgil Griffith, a graduate student at the California Institute of Technology, talks about the online database he built that lets anyone hunt for Wikipedia authors who are trying to hype themselves, or bash their enemies. —August 21, 2007

The Science Behind the Bible

University-trained archaeologists and historians are scared to take on the Bible, says Eric H. Cline, an associate professor of classics at George Washington University. He talks about his new book, From Eden to Exile: Unraveling Mysteries of the Bible, in which he argues that Bible studies have become dominated by "junk science" (Noah's ark found in Turkey!) because academics have yielded the field. —August 14, 2007

An Anthropologist Goes Native in a Virtual World

Tom Boellstorff, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of California at Irvine, talks about his research and forthcoming book about the virtual world Second Life. —August 7, 2007

Building Partnerships at Home and Abroad

James L. Oblinger, chancellor of North Carolina State University, talks about relationship-building with corporations and about his recent trips to India and China. —July 31, 2007

A Campus Murder Leads to a President's Ouster

Sara Lipka, a Chronicle reporter, talks about the aftermath of a student's murder at Eastern Michigan University. —July 24, 2007

A President in Waiting

Steven Knapp, provost of the Johns Hopkins University, will become George Washington University's president on August 1. He talks about the transition and the challenges ahead. —July 17, 2007

Learning With Sound

Shea Shackelford, an independent radio producer in Washington, talks about how professors can incorporate audio projects into their courses. —July 10, 2007

Journalism in the Arab World

Lawrence Pintak, director of the Center for Electronic Journalism at the American University in Cairo, describes the changing face of journalism and journalism education in the Arab world. —July 3, 2007

Updating the Land-Grant University in Arizona

Robert N. Shelton, president of the University of Arizona, talks about how to make the public university truly relevant to the public. —June 26, 2007

U. of Florida Grows Up

The University of Florida's president, J. Bernard Machen, talks about the university's continuing needs on the undergraduate side despite its strong surge in applications, research grants, and extraordinary success in athletics. —June 19, 2007

A Doctor Brings His Bedside Manner to a University

Lloyd A. Jacobs, president of the University of Toledo and a vascular surgeon, talks about the challenges of merging a university with a hospital. —June 12, 2007

A Guide to College Podcasts

Daniel Colman, director and associate dean of Stanford University's continuing-studies program, runs a blog tracking podcasts made by colleges and professors. He talks about the pros and cons of putting recordings of lectures online, and lists his favorites. —June 5, 2007

Writers Experiment With Electronic Literature

N. Katherine Hayles, a professor of English at the University of California at Los Angeles, talks about novels and poems created to take advantage of hypertext and multimedia. —May 29, 2007

Handicapping the Rankings Game

Elizabeth F. Farrell and Martin Van Der Werf, reporters for The Chronicle, give highlights of their analysis of U.S. News and World Report's college rankings during the survey's 24-year history. —May 22, 2007

Temple U. President: Being Both Local and International

Ann Weaver Hart, president of Temple University, talks about the challenges and opportunities faced by urban universities. She also describes how Temple has maintained its ties to Philadelphia while growing and branching out nationally and internationally. —May 15, 2007

For Art Schools, the Best of Times and the Worst of Times

Roger Mandle, president of the Rhode Island School of Design, talks about the challenges of attracting students at a time of reduced support for art education in public schools ~~ even as job opportunities for art graduates expand. —May 8, 2007

Teaching Soldiers in the Field

Arthur F. Kirk Jr., president of Saint Leo University, in Florida, talks about his institution's long history of providing distance-education opportunities to military personnel, as well as Saint Leo's growing campus and online offerings. —May 1, 2007

The Most Pressing Business Issues at Colleges

John Walda, in his first year as president and chief executive of the National Association of College and University Business Officers, talks about where he wants to take the organization, the problems facing his members today, and where the next generation of college business officers is going to come from. —April 24, 2007

A Professor Turns His Academic Experience Into Stand-Up

Jack Rothman, a UCLA emeritus professor turned stand-up comedian, talks about what he finds funny and why comedy was so natural after 30 years of research and teaching about public affairs. —April 17, 2007

Tech Therapy

Building Teams — and Trust

In higher education, collaboration is often held up as an ideal. But in reality, working as a team can be awfully difficult. Warren Arbogast and Scott Carlson discuss how to get different personalities to mesh — and what that has to do with Star Trek

Are Colleges Still Gatekeepers of Knowledge?

Ravi Pendse, chief information officer at Wichita State University, tells the Tech Therapists that education in the Internet age is all about finding human connections — and doing everything possible to engage the "digital natives" who are now dominating college campuses.

Why Not Outsource E-Mail?

Plenty of colleges have already decided to let Google or other companies take over their e-mail services. But the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee remains committed to handling e-mail on its own. Bruce Maas, chief information officer, explains why.

How to Handle the Online-Learning Boom

Charles A. Wight, associate vice president for academic affairs at the University of Utah, talks with the Tech Therapists about the growth of online learning and how his university plans to accommodate that growth.

Going From Campus Mail to Gmail

In an episode of Tech Therapy recorded live at The Chronicle Technology Forum, Warren Arbogast and Scott Carlson talk with Paul Turner, the manager of academic technologies at the University of Notre Dame, about how his institution managed the switch to Google's Gmail service.

Learning to Love 'IT Rationing'

How do you make tech money go further? Scott Carlson and Warren Arbogast say it might be time to try "IT rationing" — a strategy that's about responsible spending and knowing when to say "no."

What Does the CFO Know About Technology Anyway?

Scott Carlson and Warren Arbogast talk about the chief financial officer's role in prioritizing and budgeting for technology with Steve Bragg, vice president for finance and planning at Illinois State University.

How to Thrive (Not Just Survive) in Dismal Times, Part 2

In the second episode of this two-part series, Tech Therapists Scott Carlson and Warren Arbogast discuss how to focus on priorities in an economically stressful time.

How to Thrive (Not Just Survive) in Dismal Times

Afraid for your job? In Part 1 of this two-part episode, Tech Therapists Scott Carlson and Warren Arbogast talk about attitudes people should take in an economically stressful time.

Second-Class Citizens, Speak Up

Tech Therapists Warren Arbogast and Scott Carlson discuss how information-technology professionals can take leadership roles on collaborative projects at their colleges.

How to Start Talking About Green IT

One of the hardest parts of getting a Green IT movement started is making people realize that there is a problem. Scott Carlson and Warren Arbogast talk about ways that colleges' technologists, campus-facilities staff members, and sustainability advocates can get on the same page to save energy and resources devoted to information technology.

How Green Is Your IT? (Encore)

There's a good chance your college already boasts a couple of green buildings, but does it have a green technology department? Scott Carlson and Warren Arbogast explain what campus chief information officers can do to save energy and resources on IT.

All Your Tech Questions Answered

In a year-end episode, Scott Carlson and Warren Arbogast read from and discuss some of the letters they have gotten following episodes about librarians, online sex, the costs of IT, hiring tech staff, and more.

The Future of College Libraries

Tech Therapists Scott Carlson and Warren Arbogast discuss what college libraries mean to campuses, the buildings' changing aesthetics, and how they will be designed for future use.—November 20, 2008

The Trouble With Online Sex, Part II

Your technology is not your technology. Tech Therapy's co-hosts, Scott Carlson and Warren Arbogast, tell you why. And they'll also read some letters that came in since the last discussion on this topic.—November 6, 2008

A Conversation With Diana Oblinger

Scott Carlson and Warren Arbogast talk with Diana Oblinger, the president and chief executive officer of Educause, about where the organization is going under her leadership, what issues it will address, and what people will see at next week's conference.—October 23, 2008

Libraries vs. IT Departments

Librarians and IT staff might share more similarities than they would like to admit. Scott Carlson and Warren Arbogast, Tech Therapy's hosts, talk about the rift between the two groups.—October 9, 2008

Technology: The Lawyer's-Eye View

The Tech Therapists talk about the basics of technology, higher education, and the law with Michael B. Goldstein, Kenneth D. Salomon, and James M. Burger, three lawyers from Dow Lohnes. Part 1 of a two-part episode.—September 25, 2008

What to Look for in Tech Staff

Communication skills often trump computer savvy when colleges go looking for tech-staff members. But sometimes hiring the guy who only talks to machines is a good move. Scott Carlson and Warren Arbogast list qualities to look for in the applicant pool.—September 11, 2008

Know How Much Technology Costs? Probably Not.

Few colleges and universities have a handle on the comprehensive costs of their technology operations. Scott Carlson, a Chronicle reporter, and Warren Arbogast, a technology consultant, discuss some of the things to tally — and the consequences for not adding them up.—August 28, 2008

Dandelions and Decentralization (Encore)

In this episode from the archive, Scott Carlson and Warren Arbogast discuss the Big Question: Are large technology departments, including those at colleges, really "the most regressive and poisonous force in technology today," as Walt Mossberg insists?—August 14, 2008

How Green Is Your IT?

There's a good chance your college already boasts a couple of green buildings, but does it have a green technology department? Scott Carlson and Warren Arbogast explain what campus CIOs can do to save energy and resources on IT.—July 31, 2008

How to Be a Leader, Even If You're Not the Boss

Ann Kovalchick, the deputy chief information officer at Tulane University, talks with the tech therapists about the qualities that make a good leader in IT — and in higher education generally.—July 17, 2008

Talk to Me Like I'm a Child (Encore)

How do you talk about technology on campuses? Is the message getting through? In this discussion from the archive, Scott Carlson, a Chronicle reporter, and Warren Arbogast, a technology consultant, talk about the communications lessons you can learn from children and TV Guide.—July 3, 2008

Hiring a CIO, Part II: Do You Take the Job?

In Part II of this two-part Tech Therapy miniseries, Warren Arbogast and Scott Carlson discuss what chief information officers should look for when interviewing at a college. What are the good and bad signs?—June 19, 2008

Hiring a CIO, Part I: Looking for the Elvis Candidate?

In Part I of this two-part Tech Therapy miniseries, Warren Arbogast and Scott Carlson discuss the qualities that colleges should look for when hiring a chief information officer. Part II will address what a prospective CIO should look for in a college.—June 5, 2008

The Web and the Changing Admissions Game

When it comes to recruiting students, college Web sites can be just as important as viewbooks and campus visits. So why don't colleges do more to put admissions directors and IT officers in the same room? Warren Arbogast, a technology consultant, talks with Scott Carlson, a Chronicle reporter. —May 22, 2008

Graduates Need Jobs. How Can Technology Help?

Students don't search for jobs like they once did: Now, for better and for worse, they're using the Web. How can campus officials keep up? Andrew Ceperley, director of the Career Services Center at the University of California at San Diego, shared advice with Warren Arbogast, a technology consultant, and Scott Carlson, a Chronicle reporter. —May 8, 2008

Adventures in Extreme Outsourcing

Utrecht University, in the Netherlands, has saved money and improved quality by outsourcing nearly all of its central IT services. Could your institution do the same? Peter Schelleman, the university's chief information officer, shared his thoughts with Warren Arbogast, a technology consultant, and Scott Carlson, a Chronicle reporter. —April 23, 2008

Professors and Technology: Helpless or Hopeless?

Professors complain that they can't get technology to work the way they want it to. Warren Arbogast, a technology consultant, and Scott Carlson, a Chronicle reporter, talk about the "learned helplessness" that pervades technology use on campus. —April 10, 2008

Should You Outsource Your Technology Services?

Colleges can benefit from putting companies in charge of IT services -- as long as they go about it the right way. Adrian Sannier, the university technology officer at Arizona State University, shared outsourcing advice with Warren Arbogast, a technology consultant, and Scott Carlson, a Chronicle reporter. —March 27, 2008

How Can Technology Keep a College in Business?

Can smart IT investments lead colleges to long-term stability? Warren Arbogast, a technology consultant, and Scott Carlson, a Chronicle reporter, got advice from Robert E. Dunker, the president of Western Iowa Tech Community College. —March 13, 2008

The Tech Guy Doesn't Know What I Want!

Professors complain that technology staffers don't understand their needs. Warren Arbogast, a technology consultant, and Scott Carlson, a Chronicle reporter, talk about how to stop the IT witch hunt. —February 28, 2008

The Trouble With Online Sex

Looking at porn and sending racy e-mails at work means trouble  — especially for college leaders who do it. Tech Therapy's Scott Carlson, a Chronicle reporter, and Warren Arbogast, a technology consultant, talk about keeping your data private in the electronic age. —February 14, 2008

The View From the Top

Do college presidents spend much time thinking about technology? Warren Arbogast, a technology consultant, and Scott Carlson, a Chronicle reporter, asked Steven J. Kopp, the president of Marshall University, and Jan I. Fox, the institution's chief information officer. —Janurary 31, 2008

How to Control Your E-Mail In Box

Overwhelmed by the volume of your e-mail? Warren Arbogast, a technology consultant, talks with Scott Carlson, a Chronicle reporter, about how to manage electronic messages.—Janurary 3, 2008

Setting Professors Right on Rights

Faculty members are posting class resources online, and they may be violating copyrig ht in the process. William Shell, director of academic technolo gy and computing services at Eastern Michigan University, asks: How can a university make faculty members aware of copyright law?—December 13, 2007

Emergency Notification: Not Just a Technology Issue

Colleges are struggling with establishing better emergency notification systems. Jan I. Fox, vice president for information technology for Marshall University, talks with Scott Carlson and Warren Arbogast about the many issues involved.—November 29, 2007

Are College Presidents Talking About Technology?

Are college presidents involved in discussions about technology on your campus? Robert E. Cernock, the chief information officer from Central Connecticut State University, joins Scott Carlson, a Chronicle reporter, and Warren Arbogast, a technology consultant, to talk about college leaders and their interest (or lack of it) when it comes to technology.—November 15, 2007

Colleges Ask the Recording Industry: Why Us?

The recording industry has pressured colleges to do more about campus music piracy, but college leaders feel that they are being unfairly targeted. Cary H. Sherman, president of the Recording Industry Association of America, responds in an interview.—November 1, 2007

Handling the Growing Pressure on Tech Leaders

Dwight Fischer, CIO of Plymoth State U., joins Scott Carlson and Warren Arbogast to talk about how the job of college tech leaders is getting increasingly difficult.—October 25, 2007

Fitting Technology Into New Campus Buildings

Technology can be a key component in any building on the campus, but technology experts and other stakeholders are not often involved in early phases of planning. Mark Maves, an architect who has worked with colleges, joins Scott Carlson, a Chronicle reporter, and Warren Arbogast, a technology consultant, to offer advice on campus planning.—October 18, 2007

Talk to Me Like I'm a Child

How do you talk about technology on campuses? Is the message getting through? Scott Carlson, a Chronicle reporter, and Warren Arbogast, a technology consultant, talk about the communications lessons you can learn from children and TV Guide.—October 4, 2007

Flying a Plane While Building It

You want to plan a grand technology strategy for your campus, yet you find yourself putting out fires and making 11th-hour decisions. Sound familiar? Scott Carlson, a Chronicle reporter, and Warren Arbogast, a tech consultant, tell you how to get your department in order. (Bonus material: How is technology like a drug?)—September 20, 2007

Gazing Into the Crystal Ball

Predictions. College IT officials are often asked to prognosticate, but it's easier to be wrong than right. Scott Carlson, a Chronicle reporter, and Warren Arbogast, a tech consultant, talk about how to predict the future of technology -- and whether that's even possible.—September 6, 2007

How Much Is Enough?

Have you ever had the feeling that your college is behind the curve when it comes to technology? You might not be. Scott Carlson, a Chronicle reporter, and Warren Arbogast, a tech consultant, talk about keeping up with the pack, and about how much colleges should spend on technology.—August 23, 2007

Dandelions and Decentralization

Scott Carlson and Warren Arbogast discuss the Big Question: Are large technology departments, including those at colleges, really "the most regressive and poisonous force in technology today," as Walt Mossberg insists? —August 9, 2007

Security: More than Machines and Software

Scott Carlson and Warren Arbogast talk about secure information technology and how college leaders can make their computer networks more secure by working to change campus culture. —July 26, 2007