Philanthropy doesn't have to be only about giving money but can be part of something greater than itself when it creates new investments and expands opportunities well beyond the initial amount. Donating money is important but donating money that keeps on giving is a gift that can be felt throughout generations. The long-term impact of resources should be of consideration.
Philanthropic and business interests can work well together. Major failures of revival have occurred because there wasn't enough time or escape velocity to change the fabric of an area. Uncoordinated efforts that don't truly change the fundamental platform or only short-lived changes that end when the resources dry up.
Changing the foundation and structure of an area changes its nature forever. Philanthropy can be about investing in schools, landscape, oversight, clean up, child-care, health-care, training, recreational facilities, or any other contribution. Yet something like reinvestment in new business ventures, property development, and other profit oriented activities is equally philanthropic.
People make the assumption that is is wrong to profit off of philanthropic activities. It isn't. If investment can be considered philanthropic then it is possible that a profit would leave more money for future philanthropic investments in other areas. What is better? Investments that leads to more investments or a one time influx of money?
Monday, September 28, 2015
Take Some Time for Yourself-Go to the Beach!
Taking time off to relax and get your focus with the other side of life helps to enhance your current performance. How? It encourages you to maintain you focus, raise your enthusiasm, and get creative. It lets you step back from your current happenings and gain another perspective.
Sitting back from our daily schedule gives us a better perspective because we are able to see the bigger picture. When we are engrained in our busy lives we can see the trees but neglect seeing the larger forest. In essence, we can't see that many of the things we do are unimportant.
Take some time for yourself and gain a better perspective that will help you maintain your motivation and see what is really important for you to work on. Working yourself to the bone without respite isn't going to do you any good and is likely going to lead to burn out. Make sure work hard but also take time to play as well for life fulfillment.
Sunday, September 27, 2015
How to Balance Work, Study and Play
Work, study and play is the simple story of those who want to succeed in life. People have goals and they have to balance between making income, studying during college, and getting their recreational time in. Each can be a compliment to the other but requires a level of planning and balance in order to achieve. For those studying online and trying to take care of other responsibilities it is a necessity.
Life if full of all type of distractions. If you are the type of person that has lots of hopes and dreams but not enough time you should seriously consider the merits of narrowing down those goals to those that matter the most. Start prioritizing! Conquering the world will need to wait until you are out of school and cleared the big things off your plate so you can focus.
Once you have your main objectives narrowed into something feasible which should of course at least include school and work you can then figure out how you are going to achieve them. For some, this will require at a minimum a few hours a day studying and a number of hours a day working to fulfill your financial needs. Recreation will need to take a back step and be squeezed in when time allows.
When you get good at balancing all of your core goal requirements start to incorporate in your recreational activities. This will keep you sane as you work maintain your grueling schedule. People need down time and fun like going to the beach, sports, working out and having fun just as much as achieving their other life objectives. When you get old and look back it won't be all the money you will think about but your memories. Try and ensure a healthy balance so you have memories and a retirement.
Life if full of all type of distractions. If you are the type of person that has lots of hopes and dreams but not enough time you should seriously consider the merits of narrowing down those goals to those that matter the most. Start prioritizing! Conquering the world will need to wait until you are out of school and cleared the big things off your plate so you can focus.
Once you have your main objectives narrowed into something feasible which should of course at least include school and work you can then figure out how you are going to achieve them. For some, this will require at a minimum a few hours a day studying and a number of hours a day working to fulfill your financial needs. Recreation will need to take a back step and be squeezed in when time allows.
When you get good at balancing all of your core goal requirements start to incorporate in your recreational activities. This will keep you sane as you work maintain your grueling schedule. People need down time and fun like going to the beach, sports, working out and having fun just as much as achieving their other life objectives. When you get old and look back it won't be all the money you will think about but your memories. Try and ensure a healthy balance so you have memories and a retirement.
Collaborating Stakeholders to Build Better Online Universities
Stakeholders in higher education can and do collaborate together to create new and unique products. Universities, publishers, writers and artists along with technology companies can work together to create supperior online educational platforms. This process will become more powerful as decentralization occurs but could eventually challenge traditional models.
According to an article in Crains Chicago online publishers, education companies, and other important stakeholders are working together to develop stronger models (1). If this is a foreshadowing of investor interest in higher education a big battle is brewing.
This is the wave of the future as traditional ground based systems are challenged by more nimble online companies that can do more at a cheaper price. They will progress and innovate faster than others making them industry leaders.
Industry is known for being faster than government.
Of course there is huge regulatory interest in ensuring this doesnt happen. What would be the outcome if elite ground school were matched in prestige and quality of developing elite online schools? The foundations of higher education as we know it would shake. The battle of regulation is just getting started.
According to an article in Crains Chicago online publishers, education companies, and other important stakeholders are working together to develop stronger models (1). If this is a foreshadowing of investor interest in higher education a big battle is brewing.
This is the wave of the future as traditional ground based systems are challenged by more nimble online companies that can do more at a cheaper price. They will progress and innovate faster than others making them industry leaders.
Industry is known for being faster than government.
Of course there is huge regulatory interest in ensuring this doesnt happen. What would be the outcome if elite ground school were matched in prestige and quality of developing elite online schools? The foundations of higher education as we know it would shake. The battle of regulation is just getting started.
(1): http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20150926/ISSUE01/309269992/higher-education-signs-online-program-management-firms-for-digital
Painting: Cherry Blossom Beach
Cherry Blossom Beach is a painting that seeks to connect the sunset to the cherry tree. Not a normal spot for such a tree to grow but who cares. It is ore of an experimentation of color. The point of the picture is ore surreal that everything in this world is reliant on something else. Simply because it normal in our environment doesn't mean that it isn't beautiful, acceptable, or even an enhancement.
California Higher Edu Master Plan-When is Outsourcing Good? Bad?
Education has an important function in society. It helps feed our industries, governments, and intellectual capital by developing highly skilled individuals that can succeed on the international market. Outsourcing services and learning do have benefits but comes with a few caveats. As with all outsourcing, it is important to keep a few things in mind that include performance, cost, integration, and decision making.
Outsourcing should enhance the current abilities of public institutions at a cheaper price. Higher education has a cost and when we outsource it much be to a more innovative, flexible, and cost-effective partner. If the outsourcing options cannot consistently outperform government in effectiveness and cost it should be reconsidered.
Outsourcing options should be well integrated into the overall government system. Sometimes entities outsource, and the services become disjointed level thousands unable to fully utilize the system due to lack of knowledge, gaps in services, and ineffective integration plans. The way public universities and outsourcing services integrate together should be as seamless as possible.
Core processes must be held by the University. Outsourcing should be an enhancement to core processes not making business decisions over those main processes. The mission and core decision-making processes are to be held by the public institution in order to ensure control over the services.
Outsourcing has possibilities to save money and improve services. It doesn't always do this as sometimes the management of such systems is ineffective. Outsourcing public institutions requires deep thought and adequate strategic planning before implementation. Vendors should enhance current capacities through superior performance when compared to keeping the service in-house, should be cost effective, well-integrated, and should be reliant on the main entity and the mission of the public institution.
Outsourcing should enhance the current abilities of public institutions at a cheaper price. Higher education has a cost and when we outsource it much be to a more innovative, flexible, and cost-effective partner. If the outsourcing options cannot consistently outperform government in effectiveness and cost it should be reconsidered.
Outsourcing options should be well integrated into the overall government system. Sometimes entities outsource, and the services become disjointed level thousands unable to fully utilize the system due to lack of knowledge, gaps in services, and ineffective integration plans. The way public universities and outsourcing services integrate together should be as seamless as possible.
Core processes must be held by the University. Outsourcing should be an enhancement to core processes not making business decisions over those main processes. The mission and core decision-making processes are to be held by the public institution in order to ensure control over the services.
Outsourcing has possibilities to save money and improve services. It doesn't always do this as sometimes the management of such systems is ineffective. Outsourcing public institutions requires deep thought and adequate strategic planning before implementation. Vendors should enhance current capacities through superior performance when compared to keeping the service in-house, should be cost effective, well-integrated, and should be reliant on the main entity and the mission of the public institution.
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Who is Likely to Succeed in Online Education?
College is a right-of-passage to turn the uninitiated into the initiated of higher knowledge. Students are attracted to online education because of its convenience will soon be exposed to a heavy workload that leads to greater awareness. The difference between those who succeed, from those who don't, is the “grit” that comes forth from self-motivation.
Students are not all the same and gravitate to virtual or traditional based on their personal preferences. The online world attracts people who are slightly older, English speaking, prolific Internet users, internally motivated and engaged in a career (Kahu, Stephens, & Zepke, 2013; Johnson, 2015). Student’s unique situation and personal characteristics are often evaluated before taking a particular course.
Online students are highly motivated and often lifelong learners. Like traditional college students they attend a higher education institution to get ahead in life and choose the best path that helps them achieve their ends while balancing other responsibilities. The online approach requires a high level of commitment and internal motivation.
Upon entering a higher education institution the individual student’s personality and abilities begin to take precedence in determining their performance. Separating the wheat from the shaft occurs through the retention and persistence rates from course to course. Convenience meets hard work and some students may not be adequately prepared for the challenge.
Persistence is where online students show their ability to be succeed in school and life. Those who overcome life challenges are persistent with their goals and don’t give up are often those who become successful. Those that make it to the end are a cut above the rest as they managed their lives, careers, and school work load without the same level of social support as other programs.
Differences between virtual and traditional education does exist even though the ultimate need to grow and progress is the same. The online student may be initially attracted to the convenience of remote education but will soon need to tap their internal motivations to succeed in a virtual modality. The online graduate is a highly motivated independent thinker that can keep going even when no one is cheering them on.
Kahu, E R, Stephens, C, Leach, L & Zepke, N 2013. The engagement of mature distance students. Higher Education Research & Development, 32,(5).
Johonson, G. (2015). On-Campus and Fully-Online University Students: Comparing Demographics, Digital Technology Use and Learning Characteristics. Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice, 12 (1).
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