TED O’Clock – My Love Letter to Cosplay – August 19, 2016

Posted on August 23, 2016 by Linda

With the New Student Orientation madness set to begin on Saturday, August 20, the TED O’clock talk on Friday, August 19, focused on lightening the mood for folks with Adam Savage’s, “My Love Letter to Cosplay.”  Those in attendance shared a laugh as Mr. Savage talked about the many costumes he had made over the years, from a space helmet crafted from an ice cream tub to a No-Face costume he wore at Comic-Con.

While this was a lighthearted talk with little intention of much discussion afterward, a few commented about how appearances, whether in costume or not, do make a difference, and it is always important to put our best foot forward with how we present ourselves.  Not doing so can have unexpected consequences, much like the unexpected responses Mr. Savage received when he handed out gold coins to those he met while dressed as No-Face.

We’ll be back to our regularly scheduled TED O’clocks with the start of the school year, with our first being on Friday, September 2, at 10:00 in Slocum Commons.  If you have a suggestion for a TED talk to watch, please be sure to pass it along.  I am always looking for great suggestions, as well as folks to lead the discussion!

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

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Here’s to another successful year!

Posted on August 23, 2016 by Linda

ITS: celebrated another successful year with its 2015-2016 year-end celebration on August 11.  Many thanks to Angie for managing all of the logistical details, as well as providing her services as the event photographer!

Matt, Danna, and Gerald enjoy some good food and good company.

Matt, Danna, and Gerald enjoy some good food and good company.

Katharina, Rossie, Manuel, and Liz share a laugh on the south porch of Stewart House.

Katharina, Rossie, Manuel, and Liz share a laugh on the south porch of Stewart House.

Jeff Montoya and Brian chat and enjoy the beautiful afternoon.

Jeff Montoya and Brian chat and enjoy the beautiful afternoon.

The s'mores were a big hit with Weston's family!

The s’mores were a big hit with Weston’s family!

More enjoy the s'mores!

More enjoy the s’mores!

Yum!

Yum!

Thanks to everyone in ITS: for providing a year worth celebrating!  Here’s to another fabulous year in 2016-2017!

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

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Notes from the Tuesday, July 26, 2016, Division Meeting

Posted on July 29, 2016 by Linda

Here are the notes from the Tuesday, July 26, 2016, meeting:

  1. Kudos were shared.
  2. Linda welcomed Jeff Montoya, Information Security Engineer. She announced that there is one new job posting for a technical events specialist. The instructional technologist: multimedia lab support committee met to discuss their recommendations for a finalist. Matt will be making the final decision soon. The database administrator Skype interviews will be held in the next week or so. The GIS tech director position has closed, and the search committee will be formed shortly.
  3. Brian shared the new ITS:Division organizational chart. Several factors went in to creating the new chart including feedback from two ITS: focus groups, the leadership team, and individuals within and outside of ITS:; the Modern Think workplace survey results; and the impact of the library renovation and innovation at CC on ITS:. The new org chart will go into effect August 1.  As part of the reorganization, an ITS: think tank group will be formed. ITS: team members will rotate on and off this group to help make decisions and generate ideas.  The first meeting of the group will be held in September.
  1. Brian spoke about the Quad Program, initiated by the presidents at the Air Force Academy, Pikes Peak Community College, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs and Colorado College to keep young alumni in the area and to support innovation. The program is funded by a grant from El Pomar, and Jacob Eichengreen has been hired to direct the program. He will start in August and, at this time, be a Colorado College employee reporting to Brian.
  2. Brian also gave an update on Innovation@CC. Fundraising continues, and the institute will remain in the Morreale Carriage House for now. Brian is working to get the academic side more involved.

Submitted by
Angie Bardsley
Administrative Assistant

Thank you, Angie, for taking great notes!

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

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Stats for the 2015-2016 Annual Report are pouring in!

Posted on July 22, 2016 by Linda

It is time once again for me to put together the ITS: Annual Report, this time for the 2015-2016 year.  I have asked many of you to provide me with statistics and information on projects you have worked on to include in the report, and the data is just pouring in!  I’m thrilled so far with what I have received…I think our report will be even more substantive and informational (and hopefully interesting!) than it was last year.  Way to go, ITS:!

I thought I’d share with you the latest statistics I received about the college’s printing for the year:

Number of pages printed: 5,685,995
Number of pages saved by PaperCut: 536,483 (that equates to four trees)
Percent of black and white prints: 85.91%
Percent of color prints: 14.09%
Percent of double-sided prints: 71.81%
Percent of single-sided prints: 28.19%

Thank you, David White, for providing this information and thanks to all of you who have provided or will provide me additional info.

If you have an update on a project you’d like to see included in the Annual Report, let me know!  This is ITS:’s Annual Report, not mine, so let’s make sure it shows off all of what we have been doing across all of our departments.

Questions or concerns about the Annual Report?  Please let me know!

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

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Farewell and good luck, Jessica!

Posted on June 23, 2016 by Linda

Today we celebrated our GIS Paraprofessional Jessica Badgeley ’15 and wished her well as she leaves CC to pursue her PhD at the University of Washington (Seattle) in the Department of Earth and Space Sciences.  Jessica made strong contributions to the GIS program, including filling in while the GIS administrator position was vacant.  Thank you, Jessica, for your hard work and dedication…you will be missed!  Best of luck to you!

Adjusted pic - yummy cake - 6-23-16

Adjusted pic - food and people - 6-23-16

Adjusted pic - guest of honor chatting - 6-23-16

Adjusted pic - guest of honor chatting 2 - 6-23-16

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

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Notes from the Tuesday, June 21, 2016 Division Meeting

Posted on June 23, 2016 by Linda

Here are the notes from the Tuesday, June 21, 2016 division meeting:

  1. Brian welcomed Director of Athletics Ken Ralph to our meeting.  Ken shared that Athletics is not only involved with varsity sports but also intramural sports, the fitness center operations, clubs sports, and casual recreational sports.  He stated that the Athletics Division appreciates ITS:’s willingness to work with them, and he welcomes any new ideas we’d like to share that might enhance the student experience.
  2. Kudos were shared.
  3. Dan R. shared his report about Andrew.  Liz volunteered to do the next interview.  Thank you, Liz!
  4. Brian spoke about the ITS: reorganization.  He stressed that no positions will be eliminated.  He is reviewing feedback he has received from many in the ITS: Division, as well as others he has spoken with outside the division.  He is also working to determine how the Fine Arts Center acquisition and the opening of the new library will impact us and how we need to be reorganized.  Right now, smaller teams and professional/career development opportunities within the organization are all being considered to be part of the new organization.  Brian will share details of the reorganization at the July 26 (2:00 pm in Gaylord Hall in the Worner Center) division meeting.
  5. Brian will be receiving everyone’s salary letters this week and will distribute them as quickly as possible.  Update as of June 23 – Brian will not have the salary letters until the week of June 27.
  6. Update on open positions: the Database and System Administrator search committee will meet next week; Skype interviews for the Instructional Technologist Multimedia Lab Support will be on Wednesday, June 22; the Director of Frontline role is being reshaped in light of the reorganization; and the GIS Technical Director position closed on June 23.
  7. Matt provided an update on the Cornerstone computer labs.  The Dean’s Office has provided funding for 34 new computers.  The goal with these computers is to create accessibility and availability to all students, as well as support for the lab with the Instructional Technologist Multimedia Lab Support position.  Brian thanked Weston, Matt, Tulio, and Gerald for their efforts to research and purchase these computers on short notice and short time to receive them on campus (prior to the change in fiscal year on July 1, 2016).

Submitted by
Angie Bardsley
Administrative Assistant

Thank you, Angie, for taking great notes!

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

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Baby T is traveling again!

Posted on June 17, 2016 by Linda

Baby T was on the road again on quite the mountain adventure with our very own GIS Paraprofessional Jessica Badgeley.  Together they traveled to Maple Canyon, Utah, a small strip of National Forest land smack in the middle of Utah.  Jessica reports that Baby T enjoyed both sunny and rainy days of rock climbing and hiking in a beautiful series of canyons full of conglomerate rock (rock made up of round river cobbles).  Here are a few pictures from the excursion:

Thankfully Jessica made sure Baby T had all of the proper safety equipment to climb and hike.

Thankfully Jessica made sure Baby T had all of the proper safety equipment to climb and hike.

Baby T stands guard while one of the climbers makes her way up the face of the mountain.

Baby T stands guard while one of the climbers makes her way up the face of the mountain.

Baby T hikes his way through some beautiful scenery.

Baby T hikes his way through some beautiful scenery.

Thank you, Jessica, for the report and for taking Baby T on this adventure!  He was quite happy to be on the road again.

ITS: folks: please don’t forget to think about packing along an extra traveler if you have plans to be out and about.  Both Mama T and Baby T would love to be on the road (or in the skies!) again!

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

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TED O’Clock – The Habits of Highly Boring People – June 10, 2016

Posted on June 14, 2016 by Linda

Katharina facilitated Friday’s TED O’clock (June 10, 2016) and showed Chris Sauve’s “The Habits of Highly Boring People.”  The habits he discussed are:

  1. Write everything down.
  2. Reduce to the essentials.
  3. Stop and question.

Here are the highlights from the discussion afterwards:

  1. As we are asked to be more innovative in our work, these habits can help us get beyond just the routine maintenance that needs to be done from day to day.
  2. Do we want to be so automatic to be more productive at work?  What are we losing if we do so?
  3. The Bullet Journal, a washable paper notebook, and the book “Automate the Boring Stuff with Python” were all suggested as possible tools to help with these habits.
  4. Redefining what “has” to be done is important, as there may be things you do now that really don’t have to be done or perhaps not as often as you think.
  5. Simplifying life by eliminating stuff can also help.  Some suggestions for doing this: if you are wanting to purge possessions but are finding it difficult to do so, take pictures of the items before you get rid of them; order groceries on-line and then just pick them up, eliminating the waste of time shopping; use Blue Apron; and cook on one day during the weekend for the entire week.
  6. Spontaneity is what gets some people motivated every day, so eliminating or automating things may not work for them.
  7. These habits become particularly difficult when you have children.
  8. A person may not only want to do the stuff she/he loves all the time, because there is a possibility that she/he may not love it any more after doing it all the time.
  9. We need to remember that we are human beings not human doings, so shouldn’t carry these tools too far.

Thank you, Katharina, for suggesting and leading this discussion so well!  If anyone else has suggestions for a TED talk we should watch, please let me know.  If you’d like to lead the discussion, that’s great!  If not, that’s great, too.  Just keep the suggestions coming!

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

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Professional Development Requests

Posted on June 10, 2016 by Linda

In an effort to streamline the approval process for professional development requests (PDP), ITS: will be returning to a two times per year review of them with the following schedule:

  1. Fall requests need to be submitted to your supervisor by June 1 (for this year, as we are late in notifying you, you’ll have until June 30 to submit).
  2. Spring/summer requests need to be submitted to your supervisor by December 1.

By submitting requests this way, it will be easier to manage budget resources, make sure we have adequate people coverage across our departments, and plan for our own individual times away from the office.

Off-schedule requests will still be considered, but the expectation is that these will be the rare exception and not the rule.

To submit a PDP request, please fill in the PDP Request Form (found on the i: drive in the “Forms” folder, titled “PDP_Request_Form”) and submit it to your supervisor.  All requests are reviewed by leadership as soon as possible so your supervisor can quickly get a response back to you.

If you have any questions about the schedule or how to submit a PDP request, please let Linda or your supervisor know.

Thank you everyone!

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

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Notes from the May 4, 2016, Division Meeting

Posted on May 16, 2016 by Linda

Here are the notes from the May 4, 2016, division meeting:

  1. Kudos were shared.
  2. Brian spoke about the extraordinary merit process for this year.  The leadership team met and put together a list of names and reasons for their consideration.  Brian will share the list with the cabinet on May 17 and get any feedback they have to offer.  The final recipients’ names will not be shared with the division; however, recipients are free to share the information if they choose to do so.
  3. Linda shared a list of potential focus items ITS: team members suggested after reviewing the Modern Think survey results.  A horizontal team of division volunteers, led by Linda, will focus on recognition and one other item from the list this coming fiscal year.  If you are interested in being a part of this team, please reach out to Linda.
  4. Chad and Weston are part of Team Tutt, a group that’s handling the logistics and communication for the library’s transition year.  The group will have a section in the CC app, as well as a website that everyone can all use to find information about the transition.  The groundbreaking for the remodeled library will occur after commencement.
  5. Linda is starting to work on the annual report for 2015-2016 and plans to have it ready to share in September.  The annual report is a good opportunity to highlight the work ITS: does, so if you have suggestions about what could or should be included, please let Linda know.
  6. Linda shared that the information security engineer search is in the final stages, with references currently being checked.  The database administrator position was failed due to being unable to meet the candidates’ salary expectations.  The director of frontline services committee has completed the first round of Skype interviews and will be inviting three candidates for on-campus interviews.  Matt also shared that the  instructional technologist – multimedia lab support position in the Cornerstone Arts Center, a new position in ITS:, will be posted soon.
  7. Brian shared his interview with Eric.  Dan Raney volunteered to do the next interview.
  8. Brian stated that the fiscal year budget for 2016-2017 has been finalized.  A net new amount to the ITS: budget of $400,000 was added.  Leadership will decide how those funds will be distributed.  This amount is in addition to the $917,000 in permanent additional funds that was added in 2015-2016.
  9. Additional updates: David W. now has a Microsoft HoloLens; the honors convocation live streaming went well; and wireless access points are now being installed in El Pomar and the Cornerstone Arts Center.

Submitted by
Angie Bardsley
Administrative Assistant

As always, thank you Angie for taking good notes for all of us!

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

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