San Francisco EdTech CEO Says Students Should Be Persistent In Their Vision
An innovative app may soon help San Francisco students enhance their academic experience on campus and perhaps help them find jobs at a career fair. CampusQuad is described as a "digital billboard" and used by leading universities such as Stanford, Duke and Georgetown. The founder and CEO of CampusQuad is Frances Cairns, whose extensive background in education and technology includes administrator positions at four universities and management positions for education sectors of Macromedia, Dell and Apple, where she helped launch iTunesU.
What is your background and education?
"I grew up in a small farming community in northwest Ohio. My early core values -- curiosity, integrity, authenticity, love of learning and service to the community - gave shape to who I am today. This strong foundation served me well as I earned three degrees, a B.A. in Religion, B.A. in History and M.A. in Education. The latter launched me into a dynamic career path as an administrator at four universities, with roles in student affairs, international education and tech education, as well as leading higher education divisions at Macromedia, Dell and Apple."
What type of services does CampusQuad provide?
"CampusQuad is on a mission to empower every student with a relevant mobile college experience. Today, many of the essential pieces of campus information students need to navigate and manage their college experience are buried in outdated university websites or languishing unopened in the inbox. CampusQuad makes it simple for universities to create a custom mobile experience with real-time publishing, engagement and reporting tools. We connect students to what's happening campus-wide, from university events and club activities to announcements and available services, with the overall goal of driving greater student connection and success."
What career advice can you share with students interested in a career in education?
"Be a student of culture and change, understand context and timing. Educators need to train people for future success and understanding context, culture and timing will give you the skills essential to opening minds and achieving lasting change. Most of all, be persistent in your vision. Never give up, just keep tacking and you'll achieve the change we need in education."
Randy Yagi is a freelance writer covering all things San Francisco. In 2012, he was awarded a Media Fellowship from Stanford University. His work can be found on Examiner.com Examiner.com.