Graduation -- A Master's Degree Completion

A minor miracle has happened. I have survived graduate school.

What a complex and challenging two years it has been, learning concepts and frameworks that I never would have dreamed existed. The MSIM degree at the University of Washington's Information School has been a growing and learning experience. I've been exposed to people and ideas that have allowed me to see problems and the world from new perspectives and within many different contexts.

When I graduated from my undergraduate program at The American University, there was a certain way that I viewed the world, and my time there shaped my skills and abilities, including giving me a strong foundation in research. Shifting to the field of "information" has actually been a natural progression for me.

I've discovered I am an information gatherer.

Whether trying to build a case for a peace program in Kashmir or developing a content strategy for a company, having the right information is critical. I find it incredibly satisfying to solve problems using rigorous and robust information.

And I am looking forward to the next step of finding a career that isn't just a job, but will allow for finding engaging and dynamic solutions for how to connect people with the information they need.

The Knowledge Economy - Don't Kill the Education Budget

An article on the BBC News website yesterday was titled "Graduates - the new measure of power". The main take was from an education perspective, looking at the shift from raw resources as sources of power within nations to knowledge and intellectual resources. This is not a new topic - scholars have been exploring the shift to the "knowledge economy", but perhaps I've been abnormally exposed to the school of thought since I'm getting a degree in information. Nevertheless, it is a recognized fact that measuring the "power" of a nation must calculate the innovation, information, and knowledge that is being generated within its borders and its citizens. This article emphasized the role that formal educational institutions play in this generation of value, and how all across the globe governments are heavily investing in their future through students and schools.

Maybe the numerous states in the US, such as Washington, should consider this fact before they continue to viciously slash at the state-supported education budget for schools such as the University of Washington.  As the Governor's new budget presents a worst-case scenario of an additional 40% slash, it is important to understand what has come already (from a letter to the State legislative from Interim President Phyllis Wise).


The steepest decline in state funding for the UW came in 2009-2011, when the state and the nation entered the Great Recession.  Over a two-year period, the University of Washington lost over $132 million in state funding, roughly 30% of its state appropriation.  Even with two 14% tuition increases, over $57 million in cuts were still necessary to balance our core education budget. 


Major cuts included: 
• Eliminated 950 jobs 
• Froze enrollment for resident undergraduates 
• Closed/eliminated 12 degree programs; 14 MA programs now self-sustaining 
• Increased advisor load by 180 students per advisor 
• Closed 384 undergraduate lecture sections and 130 small group sections 
• Decreased number of lab sections by 20%, while average lab size increased 38% 
• Closed 4 writing/tutoring centers and 2 computer labs (loss of 1/3 student workstations) 
• Closed 1 library, reduced library hours, and canceled subscriptions to over 1,200 journals 
• Reduced hundreds of hours of student counseling services (advising, financial aid, health)  


As I'm preparing to graduate in June from a program that is not state-supported at all, I'm still concerned as a citizen of Washington about the future of education systems if these huge cuts are continued. Economies recover, but it is likely going to take years and years for educational institutions to recover from the hemorrhaging of funds out of their budgets. It seems awfully short-sighted for any government to pull money from the one resource that is almost guaranteed to reward the economy handsomely in the future.

A Plethora of Words - An Update

I've started out this Winter quater term with a very full but wonderful plate. I have a fantastic internship with Annie Searle & Associates (ASA) as a research associate. I am able to research and write on risk and crisis management issues, something I am increasingly excited about as a career path, which has been an ongoing concern in my head. While I love what I'm learning at school, it has been difficult to not know exactly what I want to do after the degree. And so I'm quite pleased that I've found an area that I am interested that has a name and recognized professionals out there. Secondly, I'm working on my final-year Capstone project, the culminating part of the program. We are challenged to put our knowledge into practice, which is sometimes daunting but oh so exciting. This is also going to be implemented at ASA, which makes things a lot more enjoyable since I am settled there already.

I look forward to seeing some topical overlap in my information security class as well, which is focusing on risk management for the most part through an IT lens. And I must say, I have quite enjoyed our "Policy, Law and Ethics in Information" class so far. It reminds me of my undergrad days - getting to read and discuss Hobbes and Rawls is almost nostalgic. But the best thing really is that it is an application of knowledge from my BA degree into my master's work. That hasn't happen very often, so it is quite fun for me.

But people are fascinating regardless of context. I am doing an independent study with a professor over at the business school, and I am getting to track and map out the people over the years that have influenced Boeing and the Puget Sound area. It is fascinating to see how all the brilliant people came together, and how they seem to have drawn other smart people and the companies that want smart people to them.

All in all, quite an overwhelming plate. But it is all so good! I just have to be careful not to get sick off of all the lovely bounty of information before me. I am writing and reading so much these days I am a bit overwhelmed by even trying to keep up with the news some days. But words are powerful, and it seems that I have to take advantage of the opportunity to both consume and produce as many as I can.

Changing the World With Design

Since starting my graduate degree in Information Management, I've discovered an entire new and fantastical world called "design" that has entirely changed the way I think and view the world. The principles that make up the foundation of "user-centered design" can also serve not only to design better systems and stuff, but provide a framework through which to view the world.

One of the cooler applications of design to "everyday" life is the work that is being done by Emily Pilloton in North Carolina. Co-founder of ProjectH, a nonprofit design organization, Pilloton has taken on one of the scarier systems ever formed in the US - formal education - and has begun to tackle it with design.

Thinking about how to "fix" our underfunded, outdated, bureaucracy-laden public education system is a difficult, convoluted and systemically heartbreaking effort. But Pilloton has armed herself, and works to create "Design initiatives for Humanity, Habitats, Health, and Happiness". And it's working. They are doing some really awesome things over in North Caroline.

Check out her TED talk on "Teaching Design for Change". It is one of the most inspiring TED talks I've seen in a while. Often the people who speak for TED have these wonderful insights, challenges, and ideas, but this one is particularly strong because this a snapshot into work that is creating sustainable change in behavior and attitudes. And that's just cool.

More About Emily Pilloton:

A visit with Stephen Colbert on The Colbert Report (1/18/2010)

Writing for Design Mind about the need for design to "Get Local", a reflection around the one-year mark of their project in Bertie, NC.

The Walking Schoolbus

A short column in the Seattle Times this morning by Nicole Brodeur made me hopeful about small changes that will hopefully have a lasting impact. The only information here is really the coordination efforts – I simply wanted to share something I thought was really nifty.

The article covered the “walking schoolbus” that goes to West Woodland Elementary school in Phinny Ridge every morning, coordinated by one man (a Mr. Glen Bradburn) and 18 families. Parents are in charge of “driving” the bus – they walk their kids to meet other parents and children, and eventually get all 22 children to school. Then they do it on the way back.

It’s a clever solution – it gets kids walking more (challenging the rising obesity levels in kids), also letting them work off some of that seemingly endless energy that makes it difficult for them to pay attention in school. It is a great opportunity for families to get to know each other in neighborhoods, helping people see beyond their own little bubble that is so comfortable to stay in. It saves on busing costs and petrol, is better for the environment, and is simply just a cool thing.

Going strong since 2005, this walking bus will hopefully continue to run and inspire other families/communities. There are apparently 18 other walking buses in the Seattle area – I hope they continue to grow.

Education and Innovation

Today the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced the Next Generation Learning Challenges, which is "a collaborative, multi-year initiative, which aims to help dramatically improve college readiness and college completion in the United States through the use of technology."

Sounds like a great initiative to me. Education is one of the issues that I feel very strongly about, but it doesn't get a lot of my energy, mostly because it often depresses me. But this is quite relevant for me right now, because I'm working with a colleague on refining a case study we wrote together about this very issue - how can the educational system benefit from the integration of technology, and successfully see that happen? How does an institution keep it's educational mission at the forefront of any initiative that brings about change? I think it's an interesting and critical problem, and it has to be taken seriously by parents, students, legislators, business owners, educators, and pretty much every citizen in the country.

In the press release, Bill Gates says “American education has been the best in the world, but we’re falling below our own high standards of excellence for high school and college attainment ... We’re living in a tremendous age of innovation. We should harness new technologies and innovation to help all students get the education they need to succeed.”

I think Mr. Gates has it right - we're at a pivotal moment in our education system's history, and how we deal with this is going to set the tone for the next few decades. We're not talking frivolous or secondary issues - we're talking about the education of generations of kids. The policy and investing choices we make today are going to have repercussions, and so we all had better take them seriously. I hope this movement from the Gates Foundation will help stimulate further dialogues about this issue.

Read more at: http://www.gatesfoundation.org/press-releases/Pages/next-generation-learning-challenges-101011.aspx