ITS Newsletter

After the dormancy of winter comes the vibrancy of spring. The same can be said for all sorts of efforts that have a less visible, but very necessary, phase that precedes the blooming. In this issue we will talk about a bounty of efforts in ITS that are springing forth.

Am I the only one thinking about summer?  For many of us, the weather has us wishing for warmth and the ability to just walk out the door in the morning. Winter takes so much preparation. Well, so does summer – at least for ITS.

We recently had the annual experience of “falling back” due to Daylight Savings Time. Although I have ambivalent feelings about this particular method of saving time, I am always delighted with the idea of getting an “extra hour.” The freedom!  What would you do with an extra hour?

The past academic year brought fascinating changes to Carleton’s physical campus. This summer also brought the incremental changes that happen every year as part of the care and feeding of Carleton’s technology environment. We are pleased to use this newsletter to share updates about those changes and the benefits they will bring. Welcome Back!

Technology is constantly in flux, and ironically, that volatility makes the creation of strategic priorities even more important. The question for every institution is when to shift direction in response to emerging technologies, and the impact of doing so. Those pivotal moments are aided by having a clear understanding of current priorities.

According to a recent study by the Institute for the Future, 85% of the jobs that will exist in 2030 haven’t even been invented yet. It is clear to me that the liberal arts focus on teaching students how to learn is more important than ever, and that technology skills and overall information literacy are essential parts of that. In this issue of the ITS Update, we will focus on the ways that ITS is helping Carleton’s students to be successful.

Technology is always changing. We all know that, but it’s good to be reminded of that in depth now and then. 20 years ago, the move from CD-ROM to DVD was a big deal and now DVDs are passé. What are the top issues in 2018?

I recently returned from EDUCAUSE, the national conference for higher ed IT.  The conference had a terrific app, which allowed me to search by topic or speaker and to add my own appointments with vendors and former colleagues.  Another reminder of how technology, applied well, can enrich our lives. It’s not about the technology, it’s about what it can do for us.

This has been a busy summer for ITS, as I’m sure it has been for all of us. We’ve been supporting construction efforts, upgrading labs and working on projects such as CUBE.  We took time to reflect on 2016-17, compiling the key accomplishments into an Annual Report and changing some processes, such as how we test changes to classroom technology. We also brought in a WiFi consultant, adjusted our Helpdesk queue and are offering weekend hours to get the school year off to a good start. It’s been busy, but productive! We’re looking forward to seeing everyone back on campus. Welcome back! 

This has been a busy year at Carleton and in ITS.  We started the year with a new email system, the College celebrated its 150^th anniversary, and the country elected a new President. And during the Spring, ITS has been working with departments on the rollout of Dropbox, the College has been humming with three significant construction projects, and the country experienced the first 100 days of its “tweet-inclined” President.  In the midst of all that, you may have missed some of the enhancements ITS made this year.