SIGUCCS 2018 Conference Takeaway – The “I” in Team

November 12, 20182018 Conference, TakeawaySIGUCCS Editor

The “I” in Team: How developing individual strength builds a great team

Presented by: Tom Wilk (Carnegie Mellon University)

Managers face three types of employees on their teams: struggler, “average Joe”, and rock star. Each type requires a different management strategy. Managers need to set SMART goals and document progress as part of performance management (don’t just tell them to do better). Tom uses 1-1 meetings with agendas, performance appraisals, coaching, shared documents, and other tools to assist him in building a team.

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SIGUCCS 2018 Conference Takeaway – Best Practices for Small Group Communications

November 7, 20182018 Conference, TakeawaySIGUCCS Editor

Best Practices for Small Groups Communication and Efficiency

Presented by: Ella Tschopik, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Ella gave us some great ways to run meetings and tied in a few workshop-like activities in this presentation. Her presentation immediately followed the opening keynote where we were reminded that the most important skills that a student can learn in college are the soft skills, like communication. Ella’s presentation was a great way to start the conference!

As part of this presentation we learned some best practices for successful meetings, including identifying individual behaviors during group communication. One of the group activities was about observing these in action. We were challenged with answering questions that were clearly opinion answers. It was great to see how we were able to apply some of the tools Ella spoke about during the presentation.

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SIGUCCS 2019 Conference Committee Introductions – Melissa Bauer

November 5, 20182019 Conference, SIGUCCS PeopleSIGUCCS Editor

This article is part of a series introducing the SIGUCS 2019 Conference Core Committee. Each Committee member submitted answers to questions created by the SIGUCCS Marketing Committee.

Melissa is the Conference Treasurer – our recent habit has been to encourage treasurers to stay in their role for two years. If you’d like to read more details about Melissa, check out her previous answers at SIGUCCS 2018 Conference Committee Introductions – Melissa Bauer

How many SIGUCCS conferences have you attended?
17

SIGUCCS 2019 New Orleans … what is your favorite french food?
I love champagne, croissants, macarons, French fries, café au lait, and the list goes on.

SIGUCCS 2019 Conference Committee Introductions – Keith McIntosh

October 29, 20182019 Conference, SIGUCCS PeopleSIGUCCS Editor

This article is part of a series introducing the SIGUCS 2019 Conference Core Committee. Each Committee member submitted answers to questions created by the SIGUCCS Marketing Committee.

How many SIGUCCS conferences have you attended?
Two

Which previous SIGUCCS conference was your favorite, and why?
My first one, in 2014, was my favorite because it was new. I enjoyed meeting folks and experiencing the camaraderie of such a tight knit community. I had heard so much about SIGUCCS through a colleagues so I was happy to finally get to attend.

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October 2018 – Updates from the Chair

October 26, 2018Chair's CornerSIGUCCS Editor

The SIGUCCS Executive Committee (EC) had a great series of meetings at the 2018 Annual Conference in Orlando. While we “see” each other once a month during our regular meetings, our in-person meetings are always productive and enjoyable. I also appreciate the opportunity to host an Open Board Meeting where we welcome input from the community.

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Why is mentoring important?

October 24, 2018Professional DevelopmentSIGUCCS Editor

Mentors are one of the not-so-secret weapons to a successful career and subsequent promotions. This person is not likely to be your boss. Instead he or she is a personal coach guiding you through job challenges toward new opportunities. A mentor starts out as a stranger, but will become a substantial part of your professional network.

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SIGUCCS 2019 Conference Committee Introductions – Becky Cowin

October 22, 20182019 Conference, SIGUCCS PeopleSIGUCCS Editor

This article is part of a series introducing the SIGUCS 2019 Conference Core Committee. Each Committee member submitted answers to questions created by the SIGUCCS Marketing Committee.

How many SIGUCCS conferences have you attended?
3 (2016-2018)

Which previous SIGUCCS conference was your favorite, and why?
2017 in Seattle was the first year I really got involved, and that totally changed the experience for me. I enjoyed my first SIGUCCS, but being a volunteer and really making an effort to get out of my shell and meet people in 2017 made a huge difference in not only the experience AT the conference, but afterward, sustaining new professional relationships and friendships.

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SIGUCCS 2019 Conference Committee Introductions – Bob Haring-Smith

October 15, 20182019 Conference, SIGUCCS PeopleSIGUCCS Editor

This article is part of a series introducing the SIGUCS 2019 Conference Core Committee. Each Committee member submitted answers to questions created by the SIGUCCS Marketing Committee.

How many SIGUCCS conferences have you attended?
26

Which previous SIGUCCS conference was your favorite, and why?
The 2005 fall conference in Monterey. It was the first conference for which I served on the core committee, so I got to enjoy the whole process of planning the conference and then seeing it benefit the attendees.

How did you get involved as a volunteer in SIGUCCS?
I signed up to be a session chair at the first conference I attended. The next year, the conference was taking place in the city to which I had just moved (Portland, OR), so I volunteered to help out and was put in charge of the email room. Of course, now people carry the email room in their pockets.

What’s an accomplishment that you are especially proud of?
Helping to raise a smart, well-adjusted, caring son, who is now working on doing the same for his own sons.

You could always stop and talk to me about…
Travel. I was born in Taiwan, finished high school in London, backpacked around the world after college, and worked for three years in Egypt in the late 90s.

What do you do for fun?
Competitive swimming, travel, NYT crossword puzzles.

SIGUCCS 2019 New Orleans … what is your favorite French food?
Crepes and galettes.

The SIGUCCS 2019 Site Visit

October 12, 20182019 ConferenceSIGUCCS Editor

Many of us have just enjoyed the 2018 ACM SIGUCCS conference in Orlando, but now we want to let the good talks roll into New Orleans for next year’s conference, taking place November 3-6, 2019. You can help by thinking about presentations you could make and informing your colleagues (including those at nearby institutions who may not be familiar with SIGUCCS) of all that SIGUCCS and its conference have to offer. The call for participation will go out in January, but people can sign up now to the SIGUCCS mailing list and connect to SIGUCCS via social media. Visit siguccs.org for details.

We ramped up planning for the 2019 conference in August, when the conference’s core committee gathered on site to brainstorm about the conference and experience New Orleans as those attending next year’s meeting will. The conference hotel will be a great venue for the diverse programming and interpersonal networking that are SIGUCCS hallmarks, as well as putting us in walking distance of Bourbon Street and other New Orleans sights. Plan now to participate in the 2019 ACM SIGUCCS conference and encourage others you know in higher education IT support to do the same.

#SIGUCCS18 – How to Make It Work

September 26, 20182018 Conference, SIGUCCS CommuitySIGUCCS Editor

You’ve seen the hashtag, but wonder “how can I contribute?”

This post by Lisa Nielsen (The Innovative Educator) provides tips on using social media to its fullest during conferences and events – https://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2018/05/8-tips-for-quality-posts-during.html

People with social media concept Let’s make #SIGUCCS18 a hashtag that people who cannot attend the conference want to follow. Let’s make this a conference that people wish they were attending. Let’s make people say “I want to attend that conference next year!”. Contribute to #SIGUCCS18 during the conference by providing quality posts about our content to Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.