The author states that in earlier pieces (O'Neill, 2002, 2010, 2012), he chewed on and tried to digest newspaper advertisements made by universities. Byproducts did not come out smelling like roses: universities are scarcely able to present themselves without boasting, crass displays of salesmanship, and brazen invocations of virtue. This article…

The alumni relations profession has undergone profound changes in the past century. Alumni officers have responded to opportunities and threats presented by advancing technologies, shifting cultural norms, and unstable world economies. Innovations such as Facebook and smartphones have changed everything, and in a flat world, alumni relations…

The role of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) in higher education is continuously changing, and the career path to becoming a CIO is not always well defined. As campuses consider succession planning, and as CIOs and those who hope to become CIOs think about filling the IT leadership "pipeline," the transformation both of information…

The invitation to write an updating commentary on my 1984 paper came as a considerable surprise. As I have been retired for nineteen years during which time I have consciously distanced myself from my profession, partly in the interests of my successors who have had no need for intrusions by an echo of the past, and partly because I have been able…

School program evaluation researchers face a set of overlapping questions concerning our roles in the field: For the sake of "the data" and in quest of "the truth," am I a shrewd researcher before all else? For the sake of community-building and establishing respectful, reciprocal relationships with my school partners, am I first a gracious school…

Beginning in the late 1990s, international corporations began hiring Chief Privacy Officers (CPOs). By 2002, large universities responded to this trend by creating this distinct position or modifying an existing job description to include CPO responsibilities. While not every registrar assumes the role of CPO, increasing practical and legislative…

Presents a discussion among several distinguished educators and attorneys intended to demystify the office of university general counsel and to explain just what the counsel does and for whom. (EV)

Looks at medical writing as a career. Provides information about types of jobs available such as pharmaceutical manufacturing, textbooks, trader journals, indexing and abstracting, hospital publications, and online editing; salaries; job growth rate; and education needed. Offers job search tips. (JOW)

Discusses the role of a college or university's chairman of the Board of Trustees. Identifies common problems, such as a lack of a clear job description, lack of training, and unrealistic expectations. Also suggests some solutions, including a job description, limited term for the board chair, and training in conducting board meetings. Offers…

Details the evolution of the status of "academic professional" developed at Dickinson College to fill the need for a professional category for librarians and others who are neither administrators nor faculty. Faculty status, contract status, the tenure crunch, noncompetition, and arguments for the integrity of the category are…

Discusses the job market for technical communication graduates and the process for setting up a college degree program in technical communication. (AEA)

A national survey of the individuals who serve as college governing board secretaries revealed highly varied institutional characteristics, job responsibilities, and overall roles in the organization. (MSE)

Noting recent efforts to introduce public relations courses into the MBA curriculum, this public relations counsel gives his perspective on the real-world demands of the job. Available from City News Publishing Co., Box 606, Southold, NY 11971; sc $1.25. (PD)

Examines trends contributing to a high attrition rate among academic library directors: (1) growth of enrollment; (2) changes in the university presidency; (3) proliferation in university management; (4) changes in the world of learning and research; (5) inflation; and (6) technology. Other pressures and possible solutions are also discussed. (10…

Describes the roles and responsibilities of Chief Information Officers (CIOs) in research universities and presents five models of the position. Future trends and needs for management of converging information technologies are then discussed with attention to implications for libraries. Qualifications of the CIO and the future outlook of the…