(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2014-05)
Owen, Gregory
This article highlights three key points that are important to the future
success of higher education and its role in contributing to economic growth.
These include (1) the shift from closed innovation to open innovation; (2)
the delicate campus conditions that rarely exist for successful
technology-related economic impact; and (3) the importance of recognizing
strategies that move higher education communities beyond their traditional
roles. This article continues by discussing some important aspects of the
entrepreneurial process as well as higher education’s propensity to rely on
imitation as its primary evolutionary tool. Included are successful
examples of deliberate partnerships between higher education (specifically
the Georgia Institute of Technology) and the business community. Finally,
this article provides concluding remarks with a list of recommended
relevant/related resources for policy-makers and higher education officials
to further understand how higher education can contribute more broadly to
local, regional, state, and national economic growth.
(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2012-06)
Owen, Gregory
This article is the first of a short series of works designed to articulate the results and
research approach I utilized in my dissertation Analysis of Background Check Policy in Higher Education.
Results of my literature review on this topic demonstrated that in the higher education environment,
lack of agreement about background checks between campus community members, fueled by
unresolved tensions between security and privacy, has led many universities to adopt a patchwork of
fragmented background check policies. In response to these unresolved tensions, fragmented
policies, and an overall lack of systematic studies of background check policy in higher education, my
dissertation broadly addressed the following: within Georgia Institute of Technology, what important
documented campus events influenced and challenged the campus to consider, adopt, modify, and
improve a formal background check policy? This was achieved through interviewing relevant
constituents and analyzing all available/related official policy documents associated with Georgia
Tech’s Pre-employment Background Check Policy and Program and presenting a chronological
account of the events and influences associated with its adoption and revision. Results of this study
offer valuable insights about background check policy development in order to assist higher
education policy makers and HR professionals at other universities in making more informed
decisions regarding same, or similar, policy.