5 career resources you may not know about
Harvard Extension School has great career resources for students, whether you are a degree candidate or simply taking a course for pleasure. Maureen Worth, a special projects associate in Academic and Student Services shares a few of the career services here.
1. Career counseling
Linda Spencer talking with a student
The Extension School offers career counseling for all registered students. Linda Spencer, assistant director of the Office of Career Services (OCS), holds drop-in counseling hours. You can get advice and constructive tips on searching for jobs, cover letters, resumes, or any other career-related inquiry. Appointments are about 15 minutes long and are available Mondays from 1 to 4 pm, September 12 through May 7. For distance students, Linda can have an audio-only meeting with you via Skype. You can call the undergraduate office at (617) 495-9413 or stop by the office (located at 51 Brattle Street, Room 501) to book an appointment. (more…)
Opportunities and threats in higher education
Guest post by Margaret C. Andrews and Dayna J. Catropa, co-instructors for the spring Harvard Extension School course Strategy and Competition in Higher Education.
A core part of strategy is responding to opportunities and threats. Many organizations operating in the higher education industry are finding themselves on high alert, bombarded with opportunities and threats from all sides.
Michael B. Horn
As we thought about which threats are most powerful, we spoke with Michael B. Horn, co-founder and executive director of education at Innosight Institute, a not-for-profit think tank devoted to applying the theories of disruptive innovation to problems in the social sector.
3 things you didn’t know about community journalism
Guest post by Liz G. Mineo, a freelance journalist, former Nieman Fellow, and instructor for the spring 2012 course Community Journalism
Local news is thriving
Despite talk about the demise of the press, community journalism is thriving. And it will continue to do so because, in the words of veteran journalist Ken Byerly, “a dogfight on Main Street is more important than a revolution in Bulgaria.” People are more interested in what hits home: They want to know about what their children are learning at school, which neighborhoods have more crime than others, and who was promoted, who got married, and who died. (more…)
How well do we weigh risk?
Post by Lauren B., assistant editor at the Harvard Extension School
David Ropeik, a former science journalist, has written 2 books on the science and emotion of risk: RISK! A Practical Guide for Deciding What’s Really Safe and What’s Really Dangerous in the World Around You and How Risky Is It, Really? Why Our Fears Don’t Really Match the Facts. Ropeik synthesizes research from psychology and neuroscience to explain how people assess risk, and how those assessments may distort reality.
His spring course, Critical Thinking about Environmental and Public Health Issues, applies this research, as well as aspects of psychology, epidemiology, toxicology, and other disciplines to give students a more nuanced view of public health concerns. (more…)
