And So Ends the Colorado Higher Ed News
by
Doug Hawk
Editor
Colorado Higher Ed News
ednesday, May 5, will mark the 2nd anniversary of the Colorado Higher Ed News and its final edition.
Editing and publishing it has been a great experience and an exciting opportunity. I have learned so much about colleges and universities that make up Colorado’s incredible higher education network and have come to truly appreciate the value every institution brings to the table. If for no other reason than those, pulling together a daily edition has been well worth it.
During the last couple of years before I retired, the Colorado Higher Ed News seemed like a good idea. I played with it and talked to friends about it and received a lot of positive feedback and encouragement. Unfortunately, as is often the case, I was too naïve and did not recognize that the idea was superior to the reality.
Failure is never easy, although freelance writing taught me many years ago that dwelling on a failure is an act of stupidity. When I would get a rejection letter in the mail, I’d allowed myself an evening to rant and rave and curse the editor. However, the next day, it had to be forgotten. There were always other editors, other publishers, other opportunities.
That’s how I chose deal with closing down the Colorado Higher Ed News Website. I’ve already ranted and raved and cursed the fates. The storm is over, time to move on.
That’s not to say that I won’t miss it, because I will. Every day.
Support for the site from the colleges and universities with information, stories, articles, opinion pieces and photographs was tremendous from the start. Frequently, after selecting eight or nine stories for the following day, I’ve had between 35 and 40 stories to carry over. Since the official launch date, May 5, 2008, there have been about 4,000 stories posted, close to 100 opinion pieces and 90 to 100 editorials/commentaries.
Getting information and input was never the problem.
Unfortunately, during the two years of its life, the Colorado Higher Ed News, has never paid for itself.
When the economic bubble burst in late 2008, Colorado’s higher education funding bubble burst with it. There was no extra money for advertising and few positions to advertise. Of course, advertising was, from the start, designed to be the life-blood of the publication.
Recently the Credit Union of Colorado, which serves state employees, agreed to buy a three-month ad. Unfortunately, it quickly became clear they would not get their money’s worth with “click-through” traffic and not being a believer in “caveat emptor” – “let the buyer beware” – I canceled the contract. (Caveat emptor is just glib nonsense behind which cheaters and liars hide.)
On the other hand, the Colorado Higher Ed News is not an expensive publication to maintain. The amount of time it takes to edit and occasionally rewrite the articles and prepare the images, however, amounts to 20 or more hours a week. That time has value and I believe I can use it for more productive purposes in the future.
I want to thank all of the college and university public/media relations people who have sent me stories and photographs, answered my questions and made suggestions. I want to thank all of the people – legislators, administrators, faculty and staff and colleagues – who have written opinion pieces for the site. You enriched it with your observations, opinions and discussions. I want to especially thank those of you who purchased ads.
Most importantly, I want to thank Fred Richart and Maryjo Morgan of Fred’s Used Websites. They have repeatedly gone the extra mile to provide smooth, seamless functionality and have always been available when I’ve had questions or needs. Early on they held my hand and, as I became more comfortable, they added amazing cyber doodads and gadgets to make my life easier. I recommend them without hesitation as first class Website providers who can make the impossible happen. If anyone needs caring people with whom to entrust a Website, these are the folks. Visit them at Fred's Used Websites.
In the end, I’m shutting down the Colorado Higher Ed News with only a few regrets. I’m glad I tried it. There was never a day I didn’t feel excited to prepare the next day’s copy and images.
My chief regret is that there will no longer be an outlet for much of the higher education news that appeared here. I truly believe it is a disservice to the state that more newspapers, radio stations and television newscasts don’t highlight some of the really amazing news, information and research coming from our colleges and universities.
You can, of course, stay abreast of higher ed and K-12 news through the excellent Education News Colorado, expertly conducted by Alan Gottlieb, Todd Engdahl, Nancy Mitchell, Julie Poppen and Rebecca Jones.
So thank you all for your support. I hope the economy improves and Colorado higher education can again flourish.
Doug Hawk
Publishing Editor
Colorado Higher Ed News
