CHANGING OF THE GUARD: After 15 years at the helm of Blackboard, CEO Michael Chasen is stepping down. The past year witnessed the company on both sides of acquisitions--first its sale to Providence Equity Partners last summer, and gobbling up LMS competitors Moodlerooms and Netspot in a move perceived by some as the company's move towards embracing "open" services. Chasen's replacement by year's end, Jay Bhatt, has a background that is "all over the map," including executive stints at Progress Software Corp. and Autodesk, but not much in the way of the edtech market. Hmm.
