Fake U on SecondLife

While real bricks-and-mortar universities are experimenting with creating virtual campuses in Second Life, some fans of the online RPG are creating a make-believe cyber-university all their own, complete with coffee shops, pizza joints, a sports center, a library and classrooms. The Chronicle’s Wired Campus blog reports that Kindly State University set up earlier this month on Second Life. “Tuition is 200 Linden dollars (virtual money), and admission comes with a virtual laptop. Financial aid is available to qualified candidates.”


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No fear of the “Freshman Fifteen” at Kindly State University. Image via Kindly State U co-creator Roberta Beauchamp‘s Flickr images.

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Now playing: Manu Chao – Besoin de la Lune
via FoxyTunes

Advanced PR Institute: ‘Developing a Technology-Savvy Communications Approach’

I’m honored to be presenting at Academic Impressions‘ 2007 Advanced PR Institute, “Developing a Technology-Savvy Communications Approach.” The institute will be held Dec. 3-4 in Austin, Texas. I hope you’ll join me. I’ll be alongside three excellent co-presenters:

  • Joe Hice, associate VP of marketing and public relations for the University of Florida. I had the pleasure of working with Joe in 2006 at the CASE Annual Conference or Senior Communications and Marketing Professionals, where he talked about the importance of passion in marketing and PR.
  • Charlie Melichar, VP for public relations and communications at Colgate University and a fellow blogger at Intermedia.
  • Mary Stagaman, associate VP for external relations at the University of Cincinnati.

Here’s a bit about what to expect, straight from the conference website:

This discussion- and planning-intensive program will help you and your team:

  • Identify current technology-based communication tools and determine how each may align with your communication needs
  • Develop a decision-making framework to assess the usefulness of various technologies for your institution by identifying resources and establishing a timeline for implementation
  • Draft a basic plan for incorporating relevant technologies into your current and future communications initiatives

The institute should be informative, instructional and fun. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be seeking input on what you think should be addressed in the program.

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Now playing: Manu Chao – Besoin de la Lune
via FoxyTunes