The Daily Bulletin Archive

SUNY Buffalo State has been selected to participate in the Higher Education Social Network Mapping Project.

The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) has formed a partnership with Ithaka S+R, a nonprofit research organization, to study how social networks among college and university faculty, staff, and administration might facilitate innovation. The Higher Education Social Network Mapping Project, funded by the Gates Foundation, seeks to understand which individuals on campus act as “influencers” to advance innovation. AASCU believes this study will provide campuses with a rich set of insights and understandings about social networks at their respective institutions.

Buffalo State has been selected as one of eight AASCU institutions to participate in this pilot project. The first step involves one-hour interviews with senior administrators on campus over the course of one day. All faculty and staff will then be asked to complete a brief online survey. Individual faculty and staff members may choose to opt out of the survey.

The benefits of participating in the pilot student to SUNY Buffalo State include consulting services provided by Ithaka S+R and Syndio Social. All expenses will be paid for up to 10 individuals from SUNY Buffalo State to participate in a two-day workshop on innovation and transformation at the Gates Foundation in Seattle.

We will be free to use the findings from this study in any way we choose, although the data and findings will be confidentially available for research purposes only to Ithaka S+R, Syndio Social, and the Gates Foundation.

We will begin this project on April 8. I am excited about the opportunity to participate in this pilot study and look forward to using the findings to enhance our programs at Buffalo State.