CONAHEC News and Information

A new pandemic-inspired health sciences degree program at the University of Minnesota Rochester may offer a glimpse at the future of higher education.

The bachelor's degree program will combine online and in-person instruction in an accelerated year-round format, allowing students to complete their studies in just over two years instead of four and graduate with less debt. The "NXT GEN MED" program, announced this month, will be delivered in partnership with the Mayo Clinic and Google.

An “uber trend” of remote work for higher education information security is coming, at a time when more connections are being forged between higher ed and other state data. Plus: printers, smart speakers and privacy (oh my!) — all in this Edtech Reports Recap. 

That Horizon Seems to Be … Closer

“Higher education may never be the same again after 2020, and that will be an exciting prospect to some.” So declares the newest forward-looking publication from the higher-ed information technology association EDUCAUSE, “2021 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report: Information Security Edition.”

Here’s why student loans shouldn’t be cancelled.

Here’s what you need to know.

Student Loans

Viruses are always mutating and taking on new forms. The coronavirus has thousands of variants that have been identified. But several, including variants first found in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil, are highly transmissible and have sparked concerns that vaccines may be less effective against them.

The same protective measures that have warded off the virus throughout the pandemic — maintaining social distance, wearing masks and washing our hands — are even more critical in the face of more transmissible variants.

The ‘Eeek’ mutation (E484K)