Three ITS staffers attended the EDUCAUSE annual conference in San Antonio in October, a gathering that bills itself as “the premier higher ed IT event” of the year. The conference drew about 7,500 participants and presenters in higher education and the tech industry from across the country.
Representing ITS at EDUCAUSE were Calvin Groves, Director of Customer Support & Outreach, Phil Young, Director of ResNET, and Jackie Treschl, Change Manager from the Project Portfolio & Change Management team.
Valuable connections
“This year was my fourth EDUCAUSE, but it was very different for me because of my involvement with the Young Professionals Advisory Committee and Community Group,” Groves said. “I helped plan the young professionals’ activities prior to the conference, including the Young Professionals Hub and several sessions, led some of those sessions at the conference, and made an appearance on a live recording of the EDUCAUSE Rising Voices podcast.”
Despite not attending as many sessions as he typically would, Groves found the experience extremely rewarding. “Helping contribute and making so many valuable connections was incredible,” he noted. “The networking is always the best part of EDUCAUSE for me, and this year was no exception!”
Treschl echoed the value of the gathering, even if it wasn’t quite what she anticipated.
“The reason I attended EDUCAUSE isn’t what I ended up getting out of the experience,” she said. “My reason for attending was because in 2023 there were quite a few change management-related presentations. However, most of this year’s change sessions were at the leadership level. That was OK, though, because what I got out of the experience — that I wasn’t expecting — was the opportunity to network with colleagues from other institutions and share ideas. Being able to expand my network was the biggest benefit for me.”
After the conference, Treschl was asked to co-lead a new Organizational Change Management Community Group. Community Groups are online communities that enable EDUCAUSE members to connect with colleagues around a common topic. The leadership opportunity “only came up because of my interactions at EDUCAUSE,” she said.
Fresh ideas
At the conference, ResNET’s Young focused on networking and exploring the latest industry trends.
“I attended the EDUCAUSE annual conference this year, drawn mainly by the chance to network with IT professionals from other universities and explore the latest industry trends and innovations,” he said.
Young appreciated the exhibit hall’s impressive display of tools and technologies, particularly for hybrid meeting spaces, language immersion in virtual reality and digital signage software. He also explored relevant topics to his role like esports, leadership and AI’s role in higher education IT.
A standout moment for him was keynote speaker Brené Brown’s fireside chat. “Her and David Weil’s insights on leadership were both affirming and inspiring, giving me fresh ideas to bring back to my team like ‘what opportunities are you creating for others?’ and ‘how are you leading yourself?'” Young shared.
About EDUCAUSE
While attending the EDUCAUSE annual conference is a highlight, many ITS staff interact with EDUCAUSE much more regularly. EDUCAUSE provides valuable opportunities for Tar Heels to solve problems that are unique to higher education IT. In addition to housing more than 75 community groups to help members connect with others, EDUCAUSE regularly publishes poll results and reports on hot-topic issues from AI to the IT workforce and hosts free webinars and learning opportunities.
UNC-Chapel Hill is an organizational member of EDUCAUSE, meaning that all UNC students, faculty and staff are eligible for individual membership at no cost. Members can participate in all EDUCAUSE opportunities.