Tech Therapy

Scott Carlson, a Chronicle reporter, and Warren Arbogast, a technology consultant who works with colleges, talk about the headaches, anxieties, and general problems you might be having with technology on your college campus. File sharing, security, dealing with vendors, figuring out how to talk to your president, or how to talk to your CIO -- it's all fair game for a therapy session. The podcast is interactive. Scott and Warren will take your questions at techtherapy@chronicle.com. Look for new installments every other Thursday.

Warren Arbogast and Scott Carlson (Photograph by Ron Aira)

Archives

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Why is changing an organization so hard? Warren Arbogast, a technology consultant, talks with Scott Carlson, a Chronicle reporter, about how to make change happen on your campus.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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