UK ITS employees showcase expertise at Educause conference in San Antonio
IT communications, cybersecurity and dozens of presentations discussing innovative uses of artificial intelligence in the classroom were just some the highlights from hundreds of sessions held at this year at the Educause Annual Conference — the largest higher education tech conference in the U.S.
Keynote speakers included New York Times best-selling author and researcher Dr. Brené Brown, Educause’s Vice President for Partnerships, Communities and Research Dr. Susan Grajek and scientist, musician, artist and author Jaron Lanier.
UK ITS employees attended and presented at the 2024 Educause Annual Conference in San Antonio this month.
Associate Director of Strategic Communications and Engagement Marci Adams and Project Manager, Cybersecurity Paul London hosted a poster session during the conference that explained how UK ITS’s Community of Practice group can serve as a model for decentralized IT departments at colleges and universities. It was the first time Adams and London presented during Educause.
Adams said, “The best part of the EDUCAUSE Annual Conference is meeting others from peer institutions that are facing the same challenges and opportunities as us. It makes you feel less like you are on a higher ed technology island.”
London said, "The poster session was a great opportunity to interact with colleagues from other institutions and share some lessons we have learned about building up and fostering an active IT Community of Practice here at UK.”
Peggy Akridge, IT Vendor Management, presented a poster and hosted a Braindate session to further discuss negotiations with vendors. Akridge, and colleague Emily Perry from University of Arizona, hosted the sessions.
“The session provided insights on negotiating contracts and pricing using BATNA and ZOPA. It highlighted peer resources such as ITPSM Community Group and I2 Net+ Community for IT Vendor Management, along with information on the I2 Community Framework for IT Vendor Management,” Akridge said. “Following the session, a super group Braindate was held, where IT Vendor Managers shared their recent contract wins, losses, and techniques in a more in-depth discussion.”
The University of Kentucky is a member of Educause, which provides UK faculty and staff with access to publications, professional development and topic-based communities.
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