Graduation day is almost upon you—another group of young adults is about to take the education that they have learned at your institution and apply it to the outside world.

It’s spring! With warmer weather, who can resist the great outdoors and the urge to fire up the grill and BBQ up some favorites? Those BBQ pounds can be shed with a few laps around the block, right? And, with the nicer weather, we’ll all be tempted to stroll around the neighborhood.

It’s already time for graduation—amazing how fast the 2010-2011 year has come and gone. Graduation season is exciting for everyone. Faculty and staff members, students, and parents are all gearing up for end-of-the-year celebrations. But, as you know, these exciting times can also pose risks. Here are a few tips to share with students, parents, and faculty members that will help keep this year’s graduating class as safe as possible.

A recent study done by Babson Survey Research Group and Pearson shows that more than 80% of university faculties are incorporating some form of social media into their teaching.  Schools.com published an article on April 25, 2011, with nine examples of how professors are using social media to expand their lesson plans. Included in the article’s list of examples: Facebook Psychology, Presidential Levity, and Playacting— but you’ll have to read the full article to learn just what they mean.

The Department of Education released a study showing the percentage of high school graduates who selected accelerated-sounding classes has nearly tripled since 1990. However, although students are earning more credits in advanced courses, standardized test scores are not rising—in fact, scores are nearly at a standstill.

Massachusetts is the first state to officially track bullying by using biannual student health and behavior surveys. This data is a result of Governor Deval Patrick’s signed law mandating schools to have a plan in place for dealing with bullying.

According to Environment and Human Health, Inc., there are risks concerning recycled tires used for athletic fields, gardening, playgrounds, and any other sort of asphalt–surface substitute.

Q: What should we do if we know that we don’t want to invite a faculty member back for the next academic term but we haven’t provided any formal “warnings” or “corrective action”? Should we rush through a warning process in the next few months?

With spring finally taking hold in most of the country, it is a pleasure to see how all of the flowers and buds in bloom are adding bright color to the landscape. While the spring semester is a busy one in all schools—bringing with it the temptation to keep one eye on the “finish line” and revel in thoughts of summer break—there is one other thought the coming of spring brings to mind. That is, just as the earth “comes back to life” in spring, we, too, need to attend to our own “renewal” as professionals.

‘Tis the season for hiring new teachers for the 2011-12 school year—and also for renewing current contracts. You want to bring in the best possible teachers, and you want to keep those who are assets to your school. Still, you may have situations where you are not planning to renew a faculty contract, or have to deal with disciplinary situations.