Call to Innovate

The 2010 Campus Technology Innovators Awards

  • By Geoffrey H. Fletcher
  • 02/01/10

Innovation is in. Innovation has always been in, but it really is in these days: According to economists, innovation will be America’s hedge in an increasingly competitive global economy, but only if our education system is good enough—and innovative enough—to foster the same creativity and inventiveness in our students.

The signs are everywhere. The federal Department of Education is investing $650 million in new grants that foster innovation. And according to a recent New York Times article (www. nytimes.com/2010/01/10/business/ 10mba.html), business schools are encouraging innovation by revising their curricula to include “multidisciplinary approaches, an understanding of global and historical context and perspectives, a greater focus on leadership and social responsibility and, yes, learning how to think critically.”

On the technology side, reviews of the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) raved about all the cutting-edge tech, and gearheads were drooling over cool 3D televisions, new smart phones and apps, touchscreen slate tablets, and just plain gadgets.

We at CT have long supported the innovative use of technology within the higher education space, but our view goes a little farther than just cool gadgets. We can salivate over bright and shiny things with the best of them, but we really get excited about inventive uses of technology that create positive change for students and institutions. Our stories strive to look for the place where people and technology and change all meet—to us, that’s true innovation.

Another way we encourage innovation is through our Campus Technology Innovators Awards. Again this year we are looking to honor exemplary colleges and universities and their visionary technology-project leadership who have deployed creative technology-based solutions to meet campus challenges.

This year, a judging committee of national technology leaders, many of whom are former Campus Technology Innovators Award honorees, will help us choose the winners. We are seeking innovators in the following categories: 1) Teaching and Learning; 2) Student Systems and Services; 3) Administrative Systems; 4) Leadership, Governance, and Policy; 5) IT Infrastructure and Systems; 6) Education Futurists. Winners will be recognized with:

  • A special feature in our August issue and on our website
  • An awards ceremony at the Campus Technology 2010 conference in Boston, MA, July 19-22, 2010
  • One free registration to CT2010 for the project lead
  • Discounted registration for up to four additional team members
  • Other special recognition for vendor partners and project contributors
The nomination process is open now.

To learn more and submit your entry, head to www.campustechnology.com/ innovators. The deadline: March 10. We hope our showcasing innovative technology implementations in higher education will spur more game-changing practices and other innovations as well. Our country needs it, and our students deserve it.

About the Author

Geoffrey H. Fletcher is the deputy executive director of the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA).

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