Presidents who blog... University of Calgary
Unexpected benefits often come along after events such as yesterday's web conference on web writing for Academic Impressions.
Adam Zakreski, eCommunications Specialist at the University of Calgary, was visiting this blog after the conference, noticed the master list of college and university presidents who blog, and sent along a note that his president, Harvey Weingarten, has just started a blog in early September.
In his first entry, the president offers three reasons for starting to blog. The second one, about the value of regular communication from the president's office, was especially strong:
- "Universities continue to go through times of change (or, more accurately, the U of C is going through a period of considerable change) and nothing is more important during such times as regular and effective communication about what changes are happening and why. One of the occupational hazards of senior administration at universities, especially large ones, is an almost obligatory distancing from the rank and file – students, staff and faculty, among others. I try to communicate regularly with the university community but it just seemed sensible to try blogging as a way of keeping in better touch. We talk a lot about being at the cutting edge of technology – I thought I might as well try to use some of this technology to help on the communication side."
Since that first post, two more have come along in September. That's a pretty good presidential pace. Follow new postings from President Harvey Wiengarten in "Notes from the President" at http://www.ucalgary.ca/news/blog/harvey
The full list of 21 college and university presidents who blog is at http://bobjohnsonconsulting.com/blog1/2007/07/15_presidents_who_blog_saint_v.html