Chad Nuttall.com Blog

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2010-04-17T22:00:00.001-04:00

Helpful Links: Writing Academic Conference Proposals

2010-01-03T18:38:00.005-05:00

This weekend I spent some time crafting a proposal to present at an academic conference. I've presented at a number of professional conferences but I've not had the opportunity to present at an academic conference. Before I started putting together the proposal I found a couple of helpful articles.

- Writing Academic Proposals: Conferences, Articles, and Books

- How to Write an Academic Conference Proposal

- How to Write a Proposal for a Conference

Good luck with your proposals!

C

ACPA Technology Advisory Committee

2009-12-18T23:34:00.001-05:00

Hey all,

Wanted to make a quick post to let you know that I have been selected to be on the ACPA Technology Advisory Committee (TAC). I am very excited!

I am looking forward to interacting with the my colleagues on the committee. The call for members stated specifically that they weren't simply seeking tech experts. Which was questioned by some. I don't work in IT - but I am excited about the how those of us in Higher Ed can use technology for our work.

I hope my involvement on TAC will build nicely on the technology initiatives I have introduced during my time on the Ontario Association of College and University Housing Officers (OACUHO) board of directors.

from Gavin W. Henning
to Chad Nuttall
date Thu, Dec 17, 2009 at 10:48 AM
subject ACPA Technology Advisory Committee

Dear Chad,

Congratulations. As chair of the ACPA Technology Advisory Committee (TAC) I am excited to welcome each of you to TAC.

There were a number of committed, skilled applicants and we thought you would be an asset to the committee.

We have a lot of work ahead of us. As you know, we are tasked with developing the association's long term Information Technology (IT) strategic plan and evaluating and recommending technology initiatives aimed at furthering the association's strategic initiatives. In addition, TAC is tasked with evaluating large-scale IT project requests to determine their applicability to long- and short-term association goals and, when necessary, to priority rank IT initiatives. We already have project request on our docket to evaluate.

Thanks for your commitment to ACPA and I am looking forward to working with you.

Sincerely,

Gavin

**************************************************************

Gavin W. Henning, Ph.D
Associate Director for Assessment
Office of Institutional Research
Dartmouth College

Happy Holidays!

C

Book: The Effective Executive

2009-12-17T23:18:00.004-05:00

This is in no way a review. Just a post to recommend the purchase and consumption of Peter F. Drucker's The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done.

My first exposure to Drucker was one of my first supervisor's in Higher Ed - Todd Coomber. Todd was one of my most valuable mentors and is now a very close friend. In Todd's e-mail signature he had the following quote:

"A practical education must prepare (...) for work that does not yet exist and cannot yet be clearly defined." - Peter F. Drucker

I remember seeing it once when he sent me an e-mail and Goggling it. I knew then how iconic Peter Drucker was in the world of management. At the time I didn't spend a lot of time reading books in management because I was knee high in books to read for my undergrad.

Now that I am a Manager and also a Master's student studying Management in Higher Ed - I do spend some time reading books on management. One such book is the Effective Executive.

Drucker wrote this definitive guide to Getting the Right Things Done in 1969. When David Allen (famous for Getting Things Done) was only 24.

According to Peter Drucker in the Effective Executive, there are five habits of the mind that have to be acquired to be an effective executive. [source]

1. Executives have to know where their time is being spent.
2. They must focus on outward contribution. Focusing more on results rather than work.
3. Build on strengths first, and then give attention to areas of weakness.
4. Concentrate on the few major areas where superior performance will produce outstanding results
5. Make effective decisions.

The book is excellent and you don't have to take my word for it. The guys at Manager Tools gave it 5 stars. They call it "the greatest management book ever written."

It's a undeniable classic and should be on reading lists for no other reason. The fact that it is great is just a bonus.

Top Nuttall Twitterers

2009-12-13T13:21:00.002-05:00

This came up in my Google Alerts today. Apparently I'm in the Top 10 Nuttall Twitterers.

Nuttall
Aug '09

Best session/speaker/book you've been impressed by?

2009-12-06T22:31:00.003-05:00

For a recent article I was asked what the Best Session/Speaker/Book have impressed me. I thought I'd share my response with all of you.

One of the most touching and informative speakers I have seen in the last few years is speaker, actor and close friend - Kawa Ada. Kawa escaped Afghanistan with his family as a young boy and speaks on a leadership and diversity topics.

My favourite books in the last couple of years: StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath, Getting Things Done by David Allen and the 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferris.

What about all of you? Any favourite speakers or books?

C

804 Murderous Meetings and the 1-on-1

2009-07-02T07:47:00.003-04:00

This is a follow-up blog post for those who attended 804 session @ ACUHO-I on Tuesday afternoon. If you weren't present at the presentation then this post may be too basic to be helpful. If there is an interest, then Glen and I can do a follow-up post.

Thoughts about meetings from the crowd:
- more meetings there further you move up
- too long
- hard to keep everyone's attention
- unskilled facilitators
- attendance issues
- can accomplish the same tasks via e-mail
- too busy for meetings!
- difference in meeting culture

2 Major Problems with Meetings from Lencioni:
- Boring
- Ineffective

Lencioni feels meetings lack:
- Drama
- Structure

How meetings are similar to movies from the crowd:
- plot (beginning, middle, end)
- they cost a lot
- leading and supporting characters
- Importance of the first 5 mins
- as it nears the end you know if you can predict a sequel
- roughly 2 hours in length

Types of Meetings (4 from Lencioni, 2 from us)
1. 1on1
2. Daily Check-in
3. Weekly Tactical
4. Monthly Strategic
5. Quarterly Off-Site Review
6. Team Development

Cool Resources on Improving your meetings
- Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable...About Solving the Most Painful Problem in Business
- Manager Tools

Thanks for visiting. Please feel free to comment!

C

Preparing a Resume and Cover Letter for positions in Residence Life

2009-06-16T22:00:00.005-04:00

Over the last few years I have seen a ton of resumes. I don't work in HR ... I work in Residence Life. Those familiar with Residence Life hiring know that you need to recruit tremendous numbers of para-professional staff. Hiring for positions like this is often a lot more demanding then other student, part-time positions on-campus. It often involves a carousel process, scenarios, testing and more. But that is for another post.

This post is about carving out a winning Residence Life or Student Housing resume and cover letter. Many students applying for para-professional Residence Life positions or Grad students applying for GA position don't have a ton of experiences to pack into their resume and cover letter. Even new professionals can struggle to feel like they have enough concrete examples to validate their experiences.

The internet is backed with great advice from folks in HR on what to include and how to format your resume. However, I have compiled a few tips for those creating a cover letter and resume for positions in Residence Life and Student Housing. This is just one man's opinion. Consider it along with the others you come across.

1) Don't open your old resume that you used to apply for jobs in the mall as a starting point. Start from scratch. This is easier said then done ... first think of accomplishments and experiences you would like to profile and create a master career management document listing all those accomplishments. This will also help later when preparing for interviews.

2) At each step in the development of your resume and cover letter think about what accomplishments, achievements, awards won, goals met that will separate you from the other applicants. Many applicants for Residence Life positions will have similar backgrounds. What have you done that is different, special, or better than the typical RA?

3) Have I said accomplishments enough? For each position be sure to spend less time explaining your duties - and more time explaining what you accomplished. Many jobs in Residence Life are similar from institution to institution - you don't need to detail duties. I like to set-up each position on my resume like the guys from Manager Tools suggest [here].

4) Run your resume and cover letter by someone in Residence Life/Student Housing. It is best if you maintain a network of contacts that understand the field and are also familiar with your career. For me I typically run my resume and cover letter by 2 people minimum - my current supervisor and also by my friend Todd. Todd was my supervisor when I was an RA and is familiar with my entire career.

5) The Student Housing field in most areas is small, tight and many people know each other. Networking is essential because many hiring managers will be overwhelmed with applicants and will count on the people they know to recommend quality applicants.

Good luck in your search!

C

Day 1: Starting a New Job

2009-06-15T22:06:00.004-04:00

Hey all,

I've been working at Ryerson University for 3 years. Today was Day 1 in my new job here. I am now officially the Manager of Student Housing Services. It was a good day. I met with everyone on the team and we had a staff meeting. All went very smoothly and the team got me a cake and card for my birthday (thank you!).

The below photo is me setting up my new office. I'll be sure to post photos when everything is moved over. I got a new camera for my birthday so I'm taking far more photos than usual.

My old position of Residence Life Coordinator ... just renamed Residence Life and Education Coordinator is currently posted internally here.

Talk soon!

C

2009-2010 OACUHO Board of Directors Announcement

2009-04-22T13:27:00.002-04:00

The following message was sent out to the Ontario Association of College and University Housing Officers (OACUHO) membership yesterday. I'm excited to serve for another year on the Board of Directors.

New Discussion: 2009-2010 OACUHO Board of Directors Announcement

Members of the Ontario Association of College and University Housing
Officers,

It¹s with great excitement that I find myself writing you today to announce
the 2009-2010 OACUHO Board of Directors!!! All positions up for election
were filled during the first nomination period for the second year in a row,
emphasizing the strength of engagement in our association. Without your
participation, there would be no OACUHO.

Without further ado, your 2009-2010 OACUHO Board of Directors:

President Dale Mullings*
President-Elect Kate McGartland-Kinsella*
Treasurer Jacqueline Mellish*
Director, Communication Chad Nuttall*

Corporate Member Relations Director Jason MacIntyre*

Professional Development Director Justin Fisher*
Members at Large Paula Greenwood

Member at Large Angela Treglia

Member at Large Sean Kinsella
SAGE Lynn Burritt*

* Member of the 2008-2009 OACUHO Board of Directors

We look forward to representing the various needs of the members, and
continuing to build on the 2008-2009 OACUHO Board of Directors success.

Respectfully,

Dale Mullings, M.Ed.
Director, Student Housing & Residence Life
& President Elect, Ontario Association of College and University Housing
Officers

Winning the War on Closet Clutter

2008-12-19T14:45:00.005-05:00

My mom is a master organizer. For most of my life I thought I had missed that gene. However, over the past couple of months I've been interested in ways of uncluttering my life. This is particularly true at work. I surprised my colleagues one Monday after I had spent the weekend severely uncluttering my desk and workspace.

Around the same time I decided to do a number on my clothes closet at home. In one ambitious night I ruthlessly went through my closet and ended up filling 3 garbage bags for donation to Value Village. However there were still a ton of clothes in that closet and I did not feel the job was done.

That is when I happened upon Peter Walsh's clever hanger trick on 43 Folders.

The article suggests that you start with a big purge. I was happy to have already done so - and the rest was easy.

1) When re-hanging everything in the closet after the big clean-out simply put all the hangers backwards (open end facing-out).
2) Set an appointment in your calendar for X number of months in the future. I believe I chose 3.
3) When re-hanging washed items place the hanger with the open end facing the back of the closet. This is an easy way of tracking what you have worn.
4) When you reach the date of the appointment in your calendar - simply eliminate all the backward hangers. If you haven't worn them in months, the items are likely not worth keeping.

Today was D-Day for the out-facing hangers. My closet now feels empty - and I feel great!

A word on exceptions

I did have to make exceptions for a few items. If you are particularly weak-willed when eliminating items you may want to decide on some decision making for exceptions before you start the process. I ran my exceptions by my live-in partner when she got home from work.

Common sense told me not to eliminate my tuxedo as I rarely attend events that formal - but owning is still better then renting. I also made exceptions for a few sentimental items: an old University sweater I typically wear to Homecoming and my dad's high school sweater. I almost let my ratty raincoat back into the closet as a seasonal item - but after evaluating its condition - I ended up eliminating it also.

I promise this process will make you feel great.

Google Analytics and Keywords

2008-11-24T19:27:00.003-05:00

I've been doing a little more poking around in Google Analytics for new 4th version on the Ryerson Campus Life site.

This is by no means going to be an exhaustive post. In fact I only have a few minutes before my next meeting. In fact ... I'm wondering out loud ... What information does one gain from using Keywords in Google Analytics? Really gain.

These are my top Google keywords for the Month of November.

1.chad nuttall

2.igor kenk bikes toronto police

3. residence life jobs in gta

4. "chad nuttall"

5. "mark pugash"

6. @torontopolice.on.ca

7. chad from gossip girl

8. chad nutall

9. chad nuttal

10. chad nuttall family tree

That's all for now. Thanks for visiting!

C

Using Remember the Milk (RTM) to track tasks for others

2008-11-22T16:27:00.005-05:00

Whether you are waiting for someone to get back to you or you've delegated a task to someone its important to track it so that proper follow-up can occur.

I use Remember the Milk (RTM) to manage my own tasks. So I (un-systematically) started placing To Do items that I had delegated (or was waiting for) in my task list with their name in the subject.

John: Clean-Out Storage Room on the 2nd Floor

In the notes I would often put the date I asked John to complete the task, perhaps even the date I had indicated I would like the task to be completed by and any additional information that would help down the line. Sometimes I would even include the e-mail I sent John.

This system was not ideal as it relied on me manually entering the data into RTM which is process heavy for little tasks. Certainly it was worth it for important things, or for use with those who I suspected might not get back to me. However my persistence with this method began to drop off.

I was inspired by [W]aiting For method of tracking tasks for a short time. However my institutional e-mail client Groupwise handles this method very poorly. If you follow David Allen's Getting Things Done (GTD) philosophy at all - you should not be managing tasks from your e-mail client. As the [W] list began to grow I'd check it less because it wasn't quick and easy.

But I think I've found an easier way. Since most of my task assignment is completed via e-mail. I simply need to BCC: my RTM inbox e-mail address and add a few cryptic keywords at the start of the e-mail to get it into the right list, with the appropriate tags (image below).

The task will then show-up in your RTM "Waiting" list (image below) and you can check it out in your weekly review or even get notifications on the due date to insure proper follow-up.

I haven't been using this method long enough to know for sure it will work long-term. But it is much easier to implement. I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks for visiting.

C

Torontoist Article on Igor Kenk's bikes

2008-11-21T10:51:00.003-05:00

'Let's get these bikes under the butts of those in need"

On Tuesday afternoon I had the pleasure of speaking with Amanda Factor - a Torontoist contributor. Amanda found me while Googling stories related to Igor Kenk's stolen bikes. I'm glad Amanda has pushed this story back into the public realm.

The article "What to do with Igor's loot?" was published yesterday at Torontoist.

1) I believe that the stolen bikes should (via an established organization) be given to those Toronto residents in need, that could benefit most from having the bikes.
2) I don't believe these particular bikes should be auctioned off to the highest bidder.
3) I believe this issue needs to stay in the media for the above idea to gain any traction.

If you are interested in any of my other posts on Igor Kenk's stolen bikes please click here.

Thanks for visiting and thanks again to Amanda and Torontoist.

C

I'm in the Toronto Star

2008-09-02T22:42:00.004-04:00

I did a quick interview with the Toronto Star on Friday while finishing up some lunch at Casey's. The article is about the Reporter-Blogger position I created in the spring. They did a short profile of Dan ... the Ryerson Campus Life blogger.

Check out the Toronto Star article: "For the dope on campus, check the blog online"

I'm not quite sure about the gossip girl comparisons but its not every day you get an article in Canada's top circulating newspaper.

C

Petition: Stolen bikes to those in need

2008-08-13T20:59:00.006-04:00

Hey all,

So a number of members of the media/new media responded to my challenge. I haven't had a chance to mine through all the Google Alerts in my inbox. But certainly my hits have gone up considerably - so thank you to all that have written anything on this idea. Special thanks to Raymi for being my top traffic source.

For those of us just joining us - we are trying to keep the 2500 (or so) bicycles that Toronto Police recovered from Igor Kenk off the auction block ... and straight to the folks that need them most. Hopefully to those that can't afford a bike (even at auction) and who would benefit from having a bicycle to ride to work or school.

My friend K. Sawyer Paul of Soundloading came up with a great idea for a Petition when we met briefly Monday and shot the following PSA.

So please take a second to watch the short PSA and sign the Petition. If you could spread the word that would be great.

In an effort to make things as easy as possible I've drafted a quick message that you can cut, paste and e-mail to your friends and cyclist allies.

Dear [friend],

I thought you might be interested in this.
http://chadnuttall.com/2008/08/petition-stolen-bikes-to-those-in-need.html

This dude Chad is trying to get the bikes that Toronto Police recovered from Igor Kenk to those in need. Many people can't afford to buy a bike - but would benefit from owning one to get to work or school. It would be great if you could swing by http://www.chadnuttall.com and view his short video PSA and sign the petition.

Petition link: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/petition/667303138

Thanks!

[your name]

Thanks again for reading - and thanks for the supportive e-mails. Please sign the petition.

[Click here to sign the petition]

C

Get Stolen Bikes to Those Who are in Need

2008-08-08T17:18:00.008-04:00

I sent the following e-mail to Dylan Reid @ Spacing on July 31st re: Igor Kenk's stolen bikes.

Dylan,

I've been trying to work through an idea in my head for a while ...
getting bikes into the hands of those who need them most. After last
weeks announcement of Toronto Police finding all those stolen bikes
... I think I may have thought of a starting point. What if we just
gave the bikes away? Conventional practice is for Police to auction
the bikes as "proceeds of crime" but I think 2000 more bikes on the
road could be good for the city and it citizens.

I'm aware of a British initiative in which a small town in the
midlands gave all residence in their public housing complexes
bicycles. Obviously Toronto has more than 2000 people living in
subsidizing housing - but perhaps an offer to those folks first would
work. I'm wondering what your thoughts are on the idea ... you have a
lot more experience and far more ties to the cycling advocacy
community.

Thanks,

C

Dylan suggested I connect with Yvonne Bambrick, Assistant Coordinator at the Toronto Cyclists Union. Yvonne seemed very positive ... she had actually already started to connect with some folks about just such an idea. She forwarded me e-mail to Rick Conroy, Coordinator of the Toronto Cyclists Union.

I was starting to get excited. Perhaps we really could get these bikes into the hands of some folks that needed them most. Certainly my hope was to keep the bike's downtown.

Unfortunately Rick got the following message from Mark Pugash at the Toronto Police Service.

Date: Thu, Aug 7, 2008 at 3:51 PM

Rick

We have also received messages like the one below. Unfortunately our legal
advice says the Police Services Act precludes us from doing that.

Mark Pugash
Director of Public Information
Toronto Police Service
416 808 7088
mark.pugash@torontopolice.on.ca

Mark played the legal trump card. It's always so hard to negotiate with legal advice. After reading the message I thought ... is this it? a dead end?

Matt Blackett also of Spacing thought maybe we could set it up so that only 1 charity showed up at the auction. He suggested the United Way. Who would bid against the United Way?

I'm wondering if this idea can get some traction in the media and the community we may be able to influence what ultimately happens to these bikes. I would love to see these bikes not go to auction, stay downtown and get into the hands of those who could use them to ride to work and school.

So now my challenge is to the media - I've sent e-mail to folks at the Toronto Star, Sun, Globe&Mail and the National Post as well as some Toronto Blogs. I've handed you a story - provided you with key informants ... it would be wonderful if this idea could make it into the media and into public opinion.

A special thanks to the names I mentioned above for already being so helpful!
Thanks for reading!

C
(fingers crossed)

Update: Toronto Mike has responded with "Give the Igor Kenk Bikes Away"
Thanks Mike!

Update August 9: Dylan Reid from Spacing just wrote a new piece on the idea "What should be done with Igor's bikes?"

C

I do mostly hand and voice work

2008-08-06T14:00:00.003-04:00

I appeared in a friends youtube sketch below. The other set of hands is K Sawyer Paul of Soundloading. Enjoy watching this video on your iphone.

Get Smart with Smart Playlists

2008-07-30T17:43:00.003-04:00

Happy National Cheese Cake Day blog readers!

Today I'd like to talk about iTunes Smart Playlists. I'm always surprised how few people use Smart Playlists in iTunes.

Before I discovered Smart Playlists I would constantly use the "Shuffle Music" feature ... Constantly disappointed I would be forever skipping to the next track.

One day I discovered the "Recently Added" Playlist that iTunes provides by default. That was cool for like 2 tracks ... Then it started playing episodes of my recently downloaded podcasts.

By Right clicking on the "Recently Added" Playlist I realized that iTunes was generating this playlist based on a set of filters.

So I started making my own. I now have a number of Smart Playlists that are my go-to.

One of my favourites I called my "Hot 10." This smart playlist is the Top 10 tracks I've played the most in the last week.

I also really enjoy my "Yesterday" Smart Playlist. I'm often purchasing new music and normally don't want to hear all my old tracks.

However when I do get in the mood for a blast from the past I have a "High School" Smart Playlist for all songs released while I was in High School.

I also have a "University" Smart Playlist and a "Since University" to divide my musical tastes by easy markers.

My newest Smart Playlist is "Needs Some Love" which is within the music I've added in the last 2 months the tracks that I've played only once or twice.

I have about 30 now including:

Hot 10 (not this week)
Old 10
Played this Week
Not Played Last Week
Top 40

I have a number of tracks in a Playlist called Sleep which (when necessary) help me fall asleep. I have all my Smart Playlists exclude this Playlist ... so I don't end up with white noise on my trip to the gym.

You have any fancy Smart Playlists?

C

(note: I don't even really like cheese cake ... I'm on a mostly-dairy-free diet).

Books White People Like

2008-07-02T12:02:00.007-04:00

One of my favourite blogs is "Stuff White People Like". Christian Lander (a Toronto native I believe) has just released a book version of the famed blog.

I think I'm going to pick it up.

Books to Blogs seems to be new trend. Lifehacker released Upgrade Your Life: The Lifehacker Guide to Working Smarter, Faster, Better in February.

C

Top 5 Ways to Leave Early on Friday

2008-06-23T23:28:00.006-04:00

[Please subscribe to my RSS Feed]

During my vacation I read a cool book called The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich. I highly recommend. There are some fairly drastic things in this book. However I have developed a few strategies to ease myself into the 4-Hour Work Week. The author would be opposed to some of my strategies ... but it's baby steps.

Top 5 ways to Leave Early on Friday:

5. Cut out Personal E-mails at Work. With the exception of a few e-mails exchanged with my partner, I have cut personal e-mail in the office. The first step toward this was removing the Gmail widget from my iGoogle homepage. Remove the temptation.

4. Cut out Google Reader at Work. Google Reader is cool. Information is great. However it's a time suck. Before Google reader I would visit news sites periodically throughout the day - this is the same thing. Distractions are a time suck. I'm trying my best to restrict Google Reader use to home and lunch break. Again ... I've removed my Google Reader widget from my iGoogle homepage.

3. Go Home! Many work/life balance writers urge you to make plans in the evening. I totally agree - but this week I set a "Go Home!" reminder in my blackberry whether I had evening plans or not. On Friday at 12:30pm my blackberry said "Go Home!" and I did! It felt amazing.

2. Batch E-mail. I tried this once before after reading Never Check E-Mail In the Morning: And Other Unexpected Strategies for Making Your Work Life Work. But this time it's working. I've scheduled 2 times daily to check e-mail. This requires discipline - don't be sucked in every couple of minutes all day!

1. 1 Hour of AM Task Time. This is another tip from Never Check E-mail in the morning. I've scheduled 1 hour of task time first thing in the morning. During this time I bang out a task I determined the day before. Choosing only one task makes you hyper-prioritize. Earn your salary before 10am!

All I can speak about lately is 4-Hour Work Week. So I'd be very interested in hearing from all of you! Thanks for reading - I'll let you know how it goes.

C

Firefox 3 Downloaded, Installed and Quickly Un-installed.

2008-06-18T00:05:00.008-04:00

Although I consider myself an early adopter, sometimes the old adage "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" is often true.

Today was the much hyped (and possibly world record setting) launch of Mozilla's Firefox 3. I bought the hype. I pledged that I would download during their download day. After work I downloaded and installed Firefox 3 on my home desktop machine.

I knew that Google Browser Sync was not compatible (discontinued actually) in FF3.0 but decided to try it anyway. What was I thinking!? Google Browser Sync is THE reason I switched from IE to Firefox. More than syncing bookmarks across multiple machines - Google Browser Sync also syncs history, cookies and open windows. I immediately regretted my decision to upgrade.

Missing my favourite add-on overshadowed any new features or improvements. I wanted to un-install Firefox 3 and reinstall Firefox 2. I couldn't find any site featuring an easy download of v2. I was starting to panic. Luckily I'm a pack rat with my "My Downloads" folder and I am posting Firefox 2.0.0.12 below. Everything seems right in the world and I'm back to FF2 with Google Browser Sync.

Now will someone please replicate Google Browser Sync's features in a Firefox 3.0 compatible extension. Thanks.

Quick Downloads for this post:
- Download Firefox 2.0.0.12
- Download Google Browser Sync
- Mozilla's Firefox Release Archive

Naming Rights: Downtown, Urban and For Sale?

2008-05-10T21:08:00.004-04:00

Ryerson University announced the much rumoured purchase of Sam the record Man property (picturee above) on Yonge Street in downtown Toronto. The old Sam's location will be the new Student Learning Centre (artist concept right).

I'm writing in speculation. How long before rumours of corporate naming rights on the auction block? I just felt you shudder ... you are thinking about Wal-Mart U already. There are examples of U.S. institutions selling naming rights to corporations - particularly stadiums at institutions that no-doubt pack their stadiums. I heard rumours that there is legislation restricting corporate naming of public buildings in Ontario. I have been unable to verify this.

A downtown, urban university like Ryerson has no stadium (yet). However it is positioned at the centre of Toronto. Ryerson's Business school is on Bay Street (see Wall St), the campus is a block from Yonge & Dundas Square (see Times Square) and around the corner to one of the largest malls in Canada the Eaton Centre. Should naming rights be worth more in a neighbourhood like this?

Ryerson University has fairly recent experience with high profile naming rights with the Rogers Communications Centre (pictured bottom) and the Ted Rogers School of Management (picture above). Both were named after Rogers' family members rather than the coroporate trademark - apprently to skirt the legislation.

So the new Learning Centre? The Thomson Learning Centre? The Weston Learning Centre? The Eaton Learning Centre? Oooo ... the Trump Learning Centre? We will see.

Related Blog Posts:
For Sale: Lindenwood U Naming Rights
Everton Searches for Sponsor to Acquire Naming Rights to New Stadium
Gift to School Forces Debate Over Naming Rights Sales
Metro Naming Rights in Dubai

It's Job Posting Season

2008-05-03T21:55:00.005-04:00

In Housing ... more specifically Residence Life there is a particular season when most institutions advertise job postings. You can count on it ... actually I did. I was a December '04 graduate and worked a food service job and played lots of gigs in my old band until "the first round" of Residence Life postings in April.

For someone new attempting to enter the field there are few things you should know about finding a Housing / Residence Life job in Ontario.

1) the community is quite small, everyone knows everyone. Fail to use your contacts - fail to get a job.
2) Many of the April postings will be snapped up by candidates already in professional positions at other Universities
3) Once they settle at a new University - their old position will be posted. The "second round" usually happens a little later in the summer
4) It's not a rule - but generally competition is more intense for positions closer to Toronto. (For the brave and adventurous check out the St FX posting below.)
5) I am using absolutely no statistics in this Top 5. Simply the anecdotal observations of my colleagues and I.

April seems to be very heavy month for postings. Below I have captured a fair number of live postings. These links will likely only be valid for a short time. Some institutions have already posted while others will likely post closer to the OACUHO Spring Conference.

In order by distance from Toronto (Yonge & Dundas Square):

McMaster University
Distance to Toronto: 69.6 km - about 52 mins
Manager, Training and Development, Residence Life

University of Guelph
Distance to Toronto: 91.6 km - about 1 hour 9 mins

Residence Life Manager

Residence Programme Coordinator

Wilfrid Laurier University
Distance to Toronto: 114 km - about 1 hour 21 mins

Residence Life Area Coordinator

Waterloo University
Distance to Toronto: 115 km - about 1 hour 23 mins

Residence Life Coordinator

Marketing Assistant - Housing and Residences

Brock University
Distance to Toronto: 117 km - about 1 hour 23 mins

Residence Life Coordinator

University of Western Ontario
Distance to Toronto: 196 km - about 2 hours 18 mins

recently closed.

Queen's University
Distance to Toronto: 265 km - about 2 hours 53 mins

Residence Life Coordinator

Saint Francis Xavier University
Distance to Toronto: 1,809 km - about 18 hours 13 mins

Residence Life Coordinator

Please add your comments! For those searching for jobs - good luck!

Top 10 Summer Songs

2008-04-27T19:50:00.017-04:00

It is almost summer. How do I know? I know because for the last week people have been "studying in quad" in bikinis, the lobby is full of carts and people are moving out.

So what does this mean? Means we need to compile a Top 10 list of summer songs. Below I (with the help of my friends) have compiled a big old list of summer songs.

I was planning on using a voting/survey tool to narrow it down to 10. However most of the prepackaged voting tools max out before 25 entries - and even fewer allow multiple voting.

Top Summer Songs:
4 Seasons: Summer by Vivaldi
California by Wave
California by Phantom Planet
Cruel Summer by Ace of Base
Cruel Summer by Bananarama
Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding
California Girl by Tristan Prettyman
Here for a Good Time by Trooper
Heat of the Moment by Asia
Holiday by Madonna
In the Summertime by Mungo Jerry
Kokomo by Beach Boys
Mexico by James Taylor
School is out for Summer by Alice Cooper
Steal my Sunshine by LEN
Summer Day by Cocunut Records
Summer Girls by LFO
Summer Nights by Grease Soundtrack
Summer of '69 by Bryan Adams
Summertime by Will Smith
Summertime Summertime by The Jamies
Sun is Shining by Bob Marley vs Funkstar de Luxe
Surfin' USA by Beach Boys
Itsy bitsy teeny weenie polka dot bikini by Brain Hyland

Is your fav summer song in the list? If not add it to a comment.

Other Top 10 Songs Lists:
Top 10 entrepreneur song list
Top 10 Songs That Should Have Been In "Guitar Hero Rocks the 80s"
Are these the top 10 songs in movies?

UPDATE: Tue April 29th 11:19pm

Three new song suggestions from Higher Ed Marketing's Andrew Careaga (twitter). I can't believe I missed the first two - especially Summertime Blues. Such a great tune. Thanks Andrew!

Summer in the City by Lovin Spoonful
Summertime Blues by Eddie Cochran
Holidays in the Sun by Sex Pistols