On August 3, Illinois State University information technology (IT) professionals gathered for the annual Continuous Improvement in Technology (CIT) Conference, which was headlined by a keynote speech from Illinois State University President Terri Goss Kinzy.
The event was held in a hybrid format, with the in-person events held at the State Farm Hall of Business. After attending a networking breakfast and one of four morning sessions, attendees headed to IT News to get the latest and greatest updates about IT at ISU and to hear from President Kinzy.
“We really appreciate everybody taking the time right here in August to come out and actually meet with us all, to discuss the big ideas about what we’ve been working on, and what we plan on doing going forward,” CIT Planning Committee member Jeff Grabb said at the beginning of the IT News session.
Chief Information Officer and Associate Vice President Charles Edamala introduced President Kinzy to the attendees and took the time to thank everyone for their hard work over the past year.
“I’ve said this before, but I think you all were incredible,” Edamala said.
Kinzy began her talk by going over her experiences as a researcher. As a professor of biological science, she often needed the support of IT professionals to ensure that the equipment she needed to conduct research was in top shape. Kinzy specifically studied fungal infections, and advances in microscope technology now allow researchers to see these organisms at the atomic level.
“How technology impacts research and creative scholarship at Illinois State still remains near and dear to my heart,” she said. “This is a story about collaboration.”
Kinzy explained that without the expertise of technology professionals, the advances made in her field wouldn’t be possible. She now leans on technology professionals as she looks to lead Illinois State into the future.
“We’re not limited where our imagination can take us to meet our goals,” she said.
After finishing her prepared remarks, Kinzy took questions from the crowd. Among the hard-hitting questions she received was who she preferred between Star Trek Captains James T. Kirk or Jean-Luc Picard.
“Kirk,” she said. “I am a traditionalist Star Trek nerd.”
Student Affairs IT Help Desk Supervisor Jared Evans was named this year’s CIT MVP Award winner during the IT News session. Suni Brown, help desk manager, presented Evans with the award and praised him for his work over the past year.
“I think Student Affairs IT is exceptional at what we do and the services we provide,” Brown said. “Without Jared, none of that is possible, we can pack up and go home. This man is the epitome of an exceptional employee, exceptional coworker, friend, and mentor to our students.”
After the news session, participants had their choice of sessions that lasted into the afternoon. Topics included the future of classrooms and learning spaces, user experience advocacy, IT professional hiring practices, and much more. All sessions were offered simultaneously in person and online, and recordings were made of the sessions for later viewing on the CIT website.
The CIT committee is looking forward to the spring CITx conference and continuing the conference’s growth.
“It was great to get back to a more traditional CIT Conference event for the first time since 2020. In-person attendees expressed appreciation for a return to that experience, and those that attended online also appreciated the flexibility,” said Carla Birckelbaw of the CIT Planning Committee.
