Category Archives: Conference

SIGUCCS 2018 Conference Committee Introductions – Julio Appling, Program Co-Chair

2018 Conference, SIGUCCS People

 This article is part of a series introducing the SIGUCS 2018 Conference Core Committee. Each Committee member submitted answers to questions created by the SIGUCCS Marketing Committee.

Julio ApplingHow many SIGUCCS conferences have you attended?
Four

Which previous SIGUCCS conference was your favorite, and why?
SIGUCCS 2012 in Memphis, which was my first. I went in hardly knowing anyone and came away from it feeling like I’d been part of it for years.

How did you get involved as a volunteer in SIGUCCS?
I was invited by my boss and grandboss, who have both been conference chairs. At this rate, I’m projecting I’ll be the 2021 SIGUCCS Conference Chair.

What’s an accomplishment that you are especially proud of?
I’m a huge advocate for the use of social media for career engagement, and I’ve spoken on the subject for college workshops, conferences, and at local high schools.

You could always stop and talk to me about…
The San Antonio Spurs #GoSpursGo

What do you do for fun?
I am an upright bassist. Performing music is my very-time-consuming-somewhat-lucrative hobby, and it’s where most of my non-work hours go. In the little time I have left, my wife and I can be seen at comic and anime conventions—in costume, of course.

SIGUCCS 2018 Orlando … who is your favorite Disney character??
Kronk – The Emperor’s New Groove

SIGUCCS 2017 Conference Takeaway – A Leadership Framework

2017 Conference, Takeaway

A Leadership Framework

Presented by: Kelly Wainwright, Lewis and Clark College

The IT management team at Lewis and Clark College (“the CIO Council”) implemented quarterly goal setting for the whole team. Every quarter, each team identifies their goals within their group including how they will measure success. While their focus is on short-term, achievable goals, they also keep an eye on how their goal setting aligns with that of the College.

Read more at: https://dl.acm.org/ft_gateway.cfm?id=3123482&ftid=1908161&dwn=1&CFID=817600433&CFTOKEN=55723475

Takeaways:

Lewis & Clark created an “IT Communications & Culture Platforms” document that lists all recurring meetings and team-building events. This is something I’m taking back to my IT management team, and hope that we can implement something similar here! It’s a fantastic resource to have for the whole department. – Laurie Fox

I found that the alignment of the IT organization mission directly to the College’s mission was an important step in creating a strategic partnership. – Lisa Brown

 

SIGUCCS 2018 Conference Committee Introductions – Miranda Carney-Morris

2018 Conference, SIGUCCS People

This article is part of a series introducing the SIGUCS 2018 Conference Core Committee. Each Committee member submitted answers to questions created by the SIGUCCS Marketing Committee.

Miranda Carney-MorrisHow many SIGUCCS conferences have you attended?
11

Which previous SIGUCCS conference was your favorite, and why?
It’s really hard to pick a favorite! St Louis in 2009 stands out as special as that was the first year I volunteered on the program committee. Not only was my stint as a track chair an incredible professional development opportunity, but celebrating the success of the technical program with authors and other committee members was very special and brought home how uniquely special SIGUCCS conferences are as a professional development experience!

How did you get involved as a volunteer in SIGUCCS?
I started out presenting and then volunteered as a session chair to connect with other program authors. I often rotate attending SIGUCCS with other colleagues and started to volunteer on the program committee as a reader and track chair as another way to stay connected!

What’s an accomplishment that you are especially proud of?
I’m proud of the work I’ve done to keep the Lewis & Clark Annual Faculty Technology Institute relevant and engaging for our faculty.

You could always stop and talk to me about…
Vegetable gardening, Yosemite National Park, and epic fantasy fiction.

What do you do for fun?
Gardening, hiking, cheer on the Portland Timbers and Thorns, gaming, reading

SIGUCCS 2018 Orlando … who is your favorite Disney character??
Tigger

Meet the 2017-2020 Committee Chairs – Shawn Plummer, Exhibitor Relations Chair

Conference, SIGUCCS Board, SIGUCCS People

This article is part of a series introducing the 2017-2020 SIGUCCS Executive Committee and our appointed positions. Each Committee member submitted answers to questions created by the SIGUCCS Marketing Committee.

How did you get involved in SIGUCCS?
My good friend Laurie I implemented a new ticketing system at our College in 2005. A colleague recommended SIGUCCS to us and we decided to submit a paper on our project. We were delighted to be accepted, and I was off to make my first professional presentation at SIGUCCS 2006 in Edmonton.

Who in SIGUCCS inspires you?
Allan Chen has always impressed me. His encouragement to be more involved and how he made juggling so many responsibilities look easy has helped me see that I could do it too. Well, I hope I can anyway, there are some big shoes to fill!

What accomplishments are you especially proud of?
Implementing configuration management (puppet) at my work was a very large undertaking that I am proud of. It has not only made my work more enjoyable and easier, it has helped my entire team to collaborate and provide better support to our institution.

You could always stop and talk to me about…
Games, I love games, from growing up playing D&D with my friends, to the many different board games I play every week at my weekly game night and with the student gaming club I am advisor for.

What are you looking forward to at the SIGUCCS 2018 Conference?
I am looking forward to everything, but especially the opportunity to meet and learn from other people that do what I do.

How do you take your coffee?
Dark and plain.

SIGUCCS 2017 Conference Takeaway – Beyond Geek Speak

2017 Conference, Takeaway

Beyond Geek Speak: Dedicated Communications Expert is Critical to Successful Campus IT Shop

Presented by: Vicki L. Smith, University of West Virginia

Vicki Smith, a seasoned journalist and communications professional, shared her experience entering the IT world and selling her services as a marketer of theirs. From her position in the office of the CIO at West Virginia University, Vicki has overseen major communications initiatives and responded to crises with foresight and planning hard to come by when communications are outsourced to a centralized organization. The session focused on lessons learned from her experience, as well as guidance on how IT professionals can shift their thinking to accommodate an “outsider’s” expertise.

This session really indicated the need for an investment in the right people to provide communications channels. The right person can bridge the gap between geek speak and campus lingo. This person also knows which tools and medium to use to reach the intended audiences. Establishing a rapport with the community is an important step in developing a communications strategy, along with establishing processes and procedures for communications during crises.

Full session description & PP slides are available on Sched: https://siguccs2017.sched.com/event/By5s/dont-go-it-alone-dedicated-communications-expert-is-critical-to-a-successful-it-shop

Read more in the ACM Digital Library: https://dl.acm.org/ft_gateway.cfm?id=3123483&ftid=1908128&dwn=1&CFID=817600433&CFTOKEN=55723475

Takeaways:

“Make communication a priority, not an afterthought” by involving the communications person in projects from the start. This will allow them the ability to help craft messages to the community throughout the project. – Lisa Brown

Vicki is such a dynamic presenter and not afraid to tell hard truths. As a communications professional in a lower-tier role at my university, I liked hearing her perspective from working at a higher level with broader oversight and decision-making authority. – Becky Cowin

Vicki’s presentation resonated with what I frequently encounter at my institution—working with engineers and technicians who are often resistant to see technology tools as a customer-focused business solutions. It’s reassuring to know that there are others in the SIGUCCS community who are experiencing similar challenges. After the conference, I immediately shared with communications experts at my school the highlights from this session—my colleagues were very ecstatic and encouraged! – Mo Nishiyama

SIGUCCS 2017 Conference Takeaway – Giving More Effective Feedback

2017 Conference, Takeaway

Giving More Effective Feedback

Presented by: Ella Tshopik, University of Wisconsin

This session provided general information followed by guided discussion on the subject of both giving and receiving feedback in positive and effective ways. This include how to approach giving both good and bad feedback as well as receiving both in ways that build towards goals instead of creating resentment.

Ella opened her presentation with a short meditation exercise to help us prepare for the session. It was a very powerful start, whether or not you enjoy meditation. She then began to share with us how to give feedback that is more specific and meaningful then the “good job” we so often share. We broke into groups together to talk about examples she provided of scenarios of excellent – and poor – work behavior. It was very helpful to hear how people in the room would respond to each scenario.

Read more at: https://dl.acm.org/ft_gateway.cfm?id=3123481&ftid=1908131&dwn=1&CFID=817600433&CFTOKEN=55723475

Takeaways:

I found that this session included lots of great strategies for working with others, particularly in a support role where I feel like I’m either gently correcting or carefully encouraging users. Great to see a session that focused on soft skills, particularly since feedback is such a core function of most IT jobs. – Alexa Spigelmyer

The meditation exercise was fantastic. Ella shared with us similar resources. She also talked about how important it is to be able to accept and respond positively to feedback we receive. – Laurie Fox

I took away many points to give better feedback as well as things to remember when I am at the receiving end. I understood about mindfulness but never thought it to use in feedback. Also, discussion was very useful for me to see there are always many approaches to scenarios and we all need to keep in mind that we need to listen and find out why first before making judgement. – attendee feedback from Sched

Call for Proposals: Connect, Discover, Share at SIGUCCS 2017

2017 Conference

The SIGUCCS 2017 Program Committee is pleased to announce that the SIGUCCS 2017 Call for Proposals is open. We invite you to Connect, Discover and SHARE your expertise in Seattle this October 1-4, 2017. Write a paper, display a poster, present, or participate in a panel. By contributing to SIGUCCS 2017 and sharing your knowledge and experience with colleagues, YOU help shape the conference. In addition, you can become a published author and enhance your public speaking experience.

Submit your proposal by February 17, 2017 at https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=siguccs17

Program Tracks

The Program Committee has developed the following program tracks:

  • Help Desk and IT Service Management Track
  • Instructional Technology Track
  • Lab Management and Desktop Support Track
  • Infrastructure and Emerging Technologies Track
  • Training and Documentation Track
  • Management & Professional Development Track
  • Poster Track

Head over to the SIGUCCS 2017 conference website for details and a list of suggested topics. We’re excited to bring you an engaging program in Seattle this October 1-4, 2017, and we want you to be a part of it!

Your SIGUCCS 2017 Program Co-Chairs,

Chris Wiesemann, University of Oregon
Kristen Dietiker, Menlo College

SIGUCCS 2016 – Elements of our Logo

2016 Conference

SIGUCCS2016_LOGO_landscape_transparent-300x148SIGUCCS 2016 promises to be a fantastic adventure in Denver this November! By now, you’ve probably been to our website and noticed the logo and other graphics created by the very talented Jean Tagliamonte from Vassar College. Let’s take a look at the different adventures depicted in the logo:

SIGUCCS2016_mountains
Mountain Adventure
SIGUCCS2016_city
City Adventure

Denver is a vibrant city located just east of the Rocky Mountains. The logo includes graphics of the city skyline and the breathtaking mountains nearby.

 

SIGUCCS2016_bear
I See What You Mean

Perhaps you don’t recognize the animal in the blue square. I See What You Mean is a 40-foot-tall sculpture of a bear peering inside the Colorado Convention Center next door to our conference hotel, Embassy Suites by Hilton Denver. The bear can be seen from many of the conference spaces at the Embassy Suites!

SIGUCCS2016_dino
RAWR!

The last square depicts a dinosaur — we will not be hunting dinosaurs at SIGUCCS 2016. According to Wikipedia, Dinosaur Ridge is “one of the world’s most famous dinosaur fossil localities”, and it’s located about 15 miles from our hotel.

 

The SIGUCCS 2016 Conference Committee is gearing up to deliver another exceptional program for you, and we need your help. Please consider submitting a proposal for this conference. The SIGUCCS conference is a great opportunity for professional development, and regardless of your experience presenting, you’ll find a welcoming environment.

Abstracts, a compact 150-to-250-word summary of your idea, are due February 15 and should be submitted through the link on the Conference Website: http://siguccs.org/Conference/2016/

SIGUCCS 2015 Early Registration Ending Soon!

2015 Conference

Many Hands Holding the Red Words Join Us in the Sky

Time is running out! You have one more week before the end of early registration for the SIGUCCS 2015 Conference in St. Petersburg, Florida from November 9th to 13th! Special early registration pricing ends on Monday, October 12th.

Register Now for SIGUCCS 2015

There are many reasons that you won’t want to miss this year’s SIGUCCS conference including provocative plenary speakers, presentations by your peers on current topics, networking with your colleagues, and much, muchmore! Not to mention that we will be in sunny St. Petersburg in November! 

You will also want to book your hotel room soon, as the Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront is filling up fast!

Don’t Delay! Register Today! We can’t wait to see you in St. Pete’s!

Kelly Wainwright & Leila Shahbender
SIGUCCS 2015 Co-Chairs

Top Ten Reasons to Visit St. Pete, Florida in November

2015 Conference

iStock_000012932362_SmallThe countdown to SIGUCCS continues — with ten weeks until the conference, November 9-13, 2015, aside from the beautiful weather, here is your list of top ten reasons to visit St. Petersburg, Florida in November! Register now to join us and Make Your Sun Shine! 

Top Ten Reasons to Visit St. Petersburg, FL in November:

10. TGIF – Stay after the plenary and celebrate on Friday the 13th!
9. Special events that happen while we are there!
8. Plenty of outdoor activities to enjoy the sun!
7. A variety of interesting markets to explore!
6. Catch a game with your favorite Tampa sports team! (in Tampa; 30 minutes from hotel)
5. Opportunities to attend theaters and live music!
4. Lots of ways to unplug and get back to nature!
3. Many museums to explore, including the SIGUCCS Gala happening at The Dali!
2. Being at the Beach in November!
1. And the best reason of all …. SIGUCCS 2015!
  • Visit TripAdvisor for a list of top rated restaurants in St. Pete’s
  • Uber for convenient and affordable rides around town

Register now to attend SIGUCCS 2015 and join us in St. Petersburg to Make Your Sun Shine!