TED O’clock – 404, The Story of a Page Not Found – January 13, 2017

Posted on January 19, 2017 by Linda

Welcome to the new year everyone!  I hope 2017 is your best year yet!

ITS: met on Friday the 13th of January (nope, no superstitions here!) for TED O’clock and watched Renny Gleeson’s talk about “404, The Story of a Page Not Found.”  It was a short and succinct discussion that boiled down to this: no one wants to see the 404 error page, but if you do, there are things that companies, colleges, etc., can do to make the experience more enjoyable.  404 pages can be made to be much more interesting, informative, and fun to look at (several examples are shown in the talk).  Essentially, the best can be made out of a bad situation so that no one is left feeling dissatisfied or unhappy about the interaction.

This was our shortest meeting yet, with the talk and following discussion completed by 10:10.  We are nothing if not efficient!

Thanks to everyone who came!  If you have a TED talk that you’d like to suggest we watch or better yet, one that you would like to facilitate, please contact Linda to get on the spring schedule!

ITS:Always fun, never boring
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Petro

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Notes from the December 15, 2016, ITS:Division Meeting

Posted on December 22, 2016 by Linda

Here are the notes from the December 15, 2016, ITS:Division meeting:

  1. Assistant Vice President and Director of the Butler Center Paul Buckley shared an overview about the campus Butler Center, which focuses on campus-wide equity and inclusion, as well as student development through student groups and one-on-one mentoring, teaching and learning through programs like the Excel@CC Good to Great course, and policies and practices development.
  2. Kudos were shared.
  3. Jeff Montoya’s employee interview will be shared at the next division meeting, as he was not in attendance at this meeting.
  4. Vish reminded everyone that the applications programmer/analyst role on the Enterprise Technology Team has been posted.  Tulio introduced Ian Knapp, the new User Support Specialist – Computer Repair person at the Help Desk.
  5. Katharina said that her team is going to work with StrataCom to develop an Advancement data and reporting ticket system as part of Cherwell.
  6. David Ziemba provided an update on the phone upgrade, stating that two companies are finalizing their quotes.  Site visits will follow after that.  The plan is to have the phone upgrade implementation coincide with the new fiscal year.
  7. Brian provided an update on the Fine Arts Center, stating that we will begin migrating technology solutions and apps during half-block.

Submitted by
Angie Bardsley
Administrative Assistant

Thank you, Angie, for keeping the division up-to-date with what happens in the division meetings!

ITS:Always fun, never boring
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Petro

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Happy Holidays – Celebrating with ITS:!

Posted on December 8, 2016 by Linda

On Tuesday, December 6, ITS: celebrated the holiday season with a family party loaded with lots of fun activities, great food, and even a visit from Santa Claus!  An activity table filled with fun crafts and a cookie decorating station, along with “The Polar Express” playing on the TV, were there to keep the little ones occupied (and some of the young-at-heart participated as well!).  Even the menu held something for everyone, from macaroni and cheese and chicken strips, to pasta and bacon-wrapped dates.

The highlight of the evening came with the arrival of Santa Claus, who stopped by to listen to the kids’ wish lists and hand out gifts.  It’s too bad that our GIS Paraprofessional Noah Cutter missed seeing Santa…I wonder how that happened?! (Thanks, Noah, for doing a bang-up job serving as the jolly elf!!)

Bemis Great Hall was filled with happy ITS: staff and their families!

Bemis Great Hall was filled with happy ITS: staff and their families!

Fun at the cookie decorating station.

Fun at the cookie decorating station.

And while all of the kids enjoyed their visit with Santa, some were a little more comfortable with him than others.

A little moral support from dad helps her kindle a new friendship with Santa.

A little moral support from dad helps her kindle a new friendship with Santa.

Just like old friends!

Just like old friends!

Thanks to Angie Bardsley for managing the party’s logistics and our AV crew for providing and monitoring the TV and movie, as well as the CC setup crew and the Bon Appetit staff.  It took all of them to make this a successful night!

ITS:Always fun, never boring
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Petro

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TED O’clock – It’s Time for Women to Run for Office – December 2, 2016

Posted on December 2, 2016 by Linda

In this edition of TED O’clock, we watched Halla Tomasdottir share why she decided to run for Iceland’s presidency and what she learned from the experience, as well as why it’s time for more women to run for office.  Major themes included why role models matter, what was important to her successful campaign (although she did not win, she and her team considered their run a success), and what we must all do when striving for a goal (work in alignment with our values, surround ourselves with good people, take care of ourselves, etc.).  After the talk, there was further discussion about these themes and the idea that while much of Ms. Tomasdottir’s talk centered around women, there were many ideas that translated well to everyone regardless of gender.

Thanks to everyone who came today!  If you have a TED talk that you’d like to suggest we watch or better yet, one that you would like to facilitate, please contact Linda to get on the spring schedule!

ITS:Always fun, never boring
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Petro

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TED O’clock – Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator – October 28, 2016

Posted on November 22, 2016 by Linda

Angie Bardsley facilitated the most recent installment of TED O’clock on Friday, October 28.  She reported the following:

Tim Urban presents a humorous look at why people procrastinate in “Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator” by using illustrations that feature the rational decision-maker, instant gratification monkey, and panic monster. The rational decision-maker wants to do what makes sense—those things that can sometimes be considered difficult. Meanwhile, the instant gratification monkey is only concerned with easy and fun things. When given an assignment or task, procrastinators tend to be distracted by the easy and fun things until the deadline approaches. Then the panic monster strikes and the rational decision-maker takes over to make sure the task is completed. Tim presented his theory in his blog and was surprised by the results. He received feedback from a wide variety of people who acknowledged that they struggled with procrastination. But instead of reflecting his humorous slant, they expressed serious feelings because many of them were facing situations that didn’t have deadlines. Tim ends his talk by asking the audience to think about how long-term procrastination can prevent us from taking steps to realize our dreams or to make difficult but necessary decisions.

Afterward, the group discussed: how procrastination can be related to perfectionism, how procrastinators have a different view of time, whether everyone is a procrastinator, how CC’s block plan and culture relate to procrastination, how CC’s fast schedule tends to bring out the panic monster on a regular basis, and how our Emergenetics preferences assessments tie to procrastination. Our team has a mix of people who are structural (less apt to procrastinate) and conceptual (more apt to procrastinate).

Thank you, Angie, for your report and for facilitating the TED O’clock!

Do you have a favorite talk you’d like to share with the rest of the division?  Please contact Linda as she would love to have others facilitate future TED O’clocks!

ITS:Always fun, never boring
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Petro

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Notes from the Thursday, November 10, 2016, Division Meeting

Posted on November 22, 2016 by Linda

The notes from the ITS:Division meeting on November 10 are:

  1. Vice President for Student Life/Dean of Students Mike Edmonds visited the meeting and shared that the Student Life Division oversees every aspect of the student experience outside of the classroom except athletics.  CC’s Student Life Office has a wider portfolio than similar offices at most other colleges.  The office helps students make sense of the student experience while developing them to be better prepared when they graduate.
  2. Associate Vice President for the Office of Institutional Planning and Effectiveness Lyrae Williams distributed copies of the updated strategic plan and discussed the college’s strategic planning process since President Tiefenthaler arrived.  The plan continues to evolve and develop, with the next campus-wide activity regarding the strategic plan occurring during spring conference.  Next summer, an addendum and modifications to the document that was shared in this meeting will be distributed.  Additional committees are now working on a strategic plan for the Fine Arts Center.
  3. Matt Gottfried introduced the new GIS Technical Director Matt Cooney.
  4. The ITS: specific severe weather policy was shared with the group and briefly discussed.  Brian asked that everyone review the policy and remember that because this is a residential campus, CC is never fully closed due to the weather.  If anyone has questions or concerns about the specific policy, feel free to discuss them with you supervisor or bring them to the next division meeting.
  5. Brian spoke about the East Campus housing development.  To highlight CC’s history, each unit in the development will be named after a notable alumnus who was a “first” in their field or avocation.  In addition, the 818 N. Tejon house will be renamed the Collins House after beloved CC employee Theodore Roosevelt Collins who was CC’s first person of color in a non-custodial position.
  6. Kudos were shared.
  7. Jeff Montoya’s employee interview will be shared at the next division meeting.

Submitted by
Angie Bardsley
Administrative Assistant

Thank you, Angie!

ITS:Always fun, never boring
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Petro

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Notes from the Thursday, October 13, 2016, ITS: Division Meeting

Posted on October 20, 2016 by Linda

Here are the notes from the Thursday, October 13, 2016, division meeting:

  1. Director of Facilities Chris Coulter visited and discussed current and upcoming projects, as well as some facts and figures about the campus and Facilities. He thanked ITS: for their help with current and past projects. Chris has renderings of the East Campus housing project if anyone would like to see them.
  2. Kudos were shared.
  3. Vish introduced Karen Klovdahl, our new Database and Systems Administrator.
  4. Brian shared details about the Fine Arts Center (FAC). Currently the focus is on connectivity, safety, and security. David Ziemba’s team, along with Dave Beck, will be working on running fiber from Packard Hall. Eric Raczkowski and Maggie Santos, Campus Safety, are coordinating the cameras and security system so there will be a camera feed back to campus. Four of the center’s employees have been transferred and are now CC employees.  More will be transitioned over time. A smart classroom is being built at the center so classes can be held there beginning in Block 3.
  5. Brian spoke about the ITS: satisfaction survey. A small group from ITS: – including Jim Grey, Dan Raney, Angie, Weston, and Janet – will review the results and offer their thoughts on potential next steps. At the next division meeting, we’ll discuss their feedback and decide on what specific suggestions we will follow through with in order to improve the division.
  6. Dan Wiencek shared his interview with Jeff Montoya.

Submitted by
Angie Bardsley
Administrative Assistant

As always, thank you, Angie, for these great notes!

ITS:Always fun, never boring
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Petro

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TED O’clock – The Happy Secret to Better Work – September 30, 2016

Posted on September 30, 2016 by Linda

Happiness was the focus for today’s TED O’clock, as we showed Shawn Achor’s talk titled, “The Happy Secret to Better Work.”  Thank you, Eric, for your suggestion to watch this talk!  The overall idea presented is to change the “normal” thought process of “working hard leading to success which leads to happiness (which is does not, as what is considered success constantly changes in this model).”  Instead, people need to focus on happiness first, as doing so leads to increased intelligence, creativity, and energy levels (among many other positive things), which leads to even better success.  There are simple things we can all do to increase our happiness, whether it be at work or home, including: writing out three things we are grateful for each day, journaling about one positive experience each day, exercise, meditation, and random/conscious acts of kindness.

Afterward, the group talked about defining what success means for each of us as individuals, as well as setting expectations for ourselves and others that meet reality.  If we are trying to live our lives by meeting what others set as the ideals for success (big house, big job, fancy car, etc.), it sets us up for unhappiness.

Thanks to everyone who came to today’s TED O’clock.  As always, if you have an idea or suggestion for another TED talk we can watch, please be sure to share it.  If you’d like to lead the discussion as well, I would very much support that, too!

ITS:Always fun, never boring
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Petro

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Notes from the Thursday, September 15, 2016, Division Meeting

Posted on September 30, 2016 by Linda

Here are the notes from the September 15, 2016, division meeting:

  1. Kudos were shared.
  2. Vish announced that Karen Klovdahl has accepted the DBA position and will start on Monday, September 26. Matt shared that the GIS Technical Director Skype interviews were conducted, and three candidates have been chosen for on-campus interviews. Two of the candidates will be interviewing the week of September 19. Linda welcomed Stuart Dodson as the new Technical Events Specialist.
  3. David Ziemba gave a network upgrade update. Blanca is almost finished. Focus is being turned to Tutt and east campus housing. Some of the network team members will be meeting on Friday, September 16, with east campus students to give them an update on the network upgrade and how it will affect them.
  4. Brian shared details about the Fine Arts Center (FAC).  The Strategic Plan Oversight Committee for the FAC will approve the final program plans by June 30, 2017.  David Ziemba will begin facilitating new conduit and fiber for getting the CC network to the FAC as soon as possible.  The college will also be looking into the security system and humidity controls. Brian asked anyone working on FAC-related items to check in with their supervisor before working directly with anyone at the FAC or visiting the FAC for work purposes.  We need to be very respectful of the people and facility during (and after) the transition.
  5. Linda announced that the ITS: Satisfaction Survey would be sent to the division today. The survey will be open through September 30.  There will be incentives if participation levels are high (90% or above), so be sure to closely read the email that is sent with the survey link.
  6. Brian gave a 2016-2017 budget update.  ITS:’s operational budget has increased by $1.3 million over the past two years, but much of this increase has been used to fund the network upgrade.  For 2016-2017, we are anticipating only $400,000 of these funds will be used to pay back a portion of last year’s network upgrade expenses.  As of right now, no other operational funds are anticipated to be used for this year’s network upgrade.  Infrastructure and life-cycle replacements will be the focus for a major portion of the remaining additional funds.  In order to budget appropriately for current and known upcoming needs and show the campus Budget Committee actual dollars of inventory and contractual needs, each ITS: department is working on five-year budget projections.
  7. Brian hopes to share details about the recent reorganization at the September 22 In the Loop . HR is still finalizing a few job titles.

Submitted by
Angie Bardsley
Administrative Assistant

Thank you, Angie, for once again doing a great job summarizing what was discussed!

ITS:Always fun, never boring
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Petro

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Notes from the Thursday, August 18, 2016, Division Meeting

Posted on August 23, 2016 by Linda

Here are the notes from the Thursday, August 18, 2016, meeting:

  1. Brian introduced Jake Eichengreen, Quad Program Executive Director.
  2. Matt introduced Chris Bittner, Instructional Technologist for Multimedia Lab Support, and Noah Cutter, GIS Paraprofessional.
  3. The GIS Tech Director search should be completed in block 1.  Two DBA candidates have on-campus interviews next week.  One person will be interviewing soon for the Tech Events Specialist position.
  4. Kudos were shared.
  5. Chad spoke about the New Student Orientation weekend.  He asked for assistance in filling the last few help sessions that were not staffed (all but one were filled with volunteers at the meeting) and stated that the shirts for those helping should be in on Friday.
  6. Linda reminded everyone that the annual ITS: climate survey would be sent to everyone in the division in mid-September.
  7. Brian spoke about the ITS: service catalog.  The catalog will clarify the services the division provides to support faculty, staff, and students.  Each department within the division will be working on their portion of the catalog over the course of the next several months.
  8. Chad shared that Joe Hinson and the Apple Repair Center relocated to the Help Desk.
  9. Matt stated that his team and the librarians will hold three sessions in the coming week to help faculty prepare for the new school year.
  10. Brian clarified that arrangements with the Fine Arts Center haven’t been finalized yet, as the Board still needs to approve and complete the plans.  Once those have been done, there most likely will not be any major adjustments to the business at the Fine Arts Center for the first eight to ten months.

Submitted by
Angie Bardsley
Administrative Assistant

Thank you, Angie, for these notes!

ITS:Always fun, never boring
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Petro

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