Super Model Kelly LeBrock and Mark Sarver at #MommyTech #CES
Photo courtesy of www.thecubiclechick.com

I was invited to speak at the HigherEdTech Summit as part of the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show. What a great gathering of the most tech-savvy educators discussing how technology is and should be changing higher education. While there, I had the opportunity to attend an event from the Mommy Tech Summit where I met Kelly LeBrock, supermodel and star of the 80’s movie, “Weird Science.”  I remember watching this movie as a teenager in 1985; I would have chopped off my left arm, or any appendage for that matter, just to be near Kelly LeBrock, much less put it around her!  As it turns out, I got my wish and got to keep all my appendages, but only because I was willing to wait 28 years.

It was at this event that I had the pleasure to meet three ladies, Danyelle, Kitty and Raijean, whose immediate appreciation of my camouflage bowtie clearly indicated their status as fashionistas.  Danyelle Little is a blogger and the digital debutante of TheCubicleChick.com and Kitty Bradshaw of KittyBradshaw.com gives her perspective on her New York Life from a California viewpoint. Raijean promotes both of these ladies and has her own fashion blog at Swa-Rai.com. You might be asking right now, what does fashion and blogging have to do with higher education? When Kitty, a self-professed “small blogger” told me she only had about 30,000 followers, I began to wonder how many of our educational institutions would love to have 30,000 followers?

Our conversation reminded me how far behind higher education is on so many fronts, especially social media and current marketing practices. Admissions departments are still doing the same marketing today that they did back in 1985 when I was being recruited (and watching Weird Science on VHS tape), mailing out tons of printed material and view books.  Higher education, which has served as the catalyst for so many advances in our society, is today in crisis causing a few of my bravest peers at the HigherEdTECH conference to suggest the current model should be scrapped so we can simply start over.

So in an effort to put my blog where my mouth is, I am committing to a weekly post, mostly about higher education but I can’t promise there wont be an occasional rant outside of the industry. Thank you Kitty, Danyelle and Raijean for the inspiration.  Thank you Kelly LeBrock for the hug.  But as much as I want to see higher education change, I’m not willing to wait 28 years for this dream to come true.