In the ever-evolving IT landscape, organizations must innovate and adapt to stay relevant. This session explores how IT leaders can develop resilient organizations that embrace change. At UNC Charlotte, we recently overhauled our service desk infrastructure, implementing new call center software, a campus phone system, a ticketing solution, and a knowledge base—all within a year. We will discuss the technical and human components of this transformation, including culture, deployment, staffing, training, and communication strategies. Key topics include the general approach for adopting new systems, the importance of user feedback, and maintaining open communication with stakeholders. Our experience highlights the necessity of a holistic approach to change management, ensuring success for both the IT organization and the user community. Join us to gain practical insights and strategies for fostering resilience and adaptability in your IT operations.
Over the past decade, the expectation of access to technology to complete coursework has grown dramatically. It is now expected that students have 24/7 access to a personal computer, laptop, or tablet. While many students can meet this expectation without issue, for others, especially those from vulnerable or low-income backgrounds, reliance on technology in a course creates significant barriers to their success.
Equitable access to technology, or the digital divide, has been studied since the emergence of public internet access in the 1990s. These studies showed that socioeconomic status and household income was the strongest predictor of individual internet use. More recent studies examine the impact of household income on the type of device that an individual has access to use, for example, a laptop or smartphone, and the type of internet access available, ie. mobile only or home broadband. Despite increased access to technology in general, the digital divide still exists.
Supervising student workers in higher ed IT goes beyond ensuring tasks get completed —it is about fostering professional growth and building valuable skills. In this session, we will share onboarding, skill-building, and engagement approaches we have found effective across multiple teams at Lewis & Clark. Discover how we create meaningful roles that encourage development, recognize leadership potential, and offer expanded responsibilities. We are proud of the environment we have built and find our team most engaged when we can cultivate a growth-oriented culture. We will also discuss how cross-department collaboration and connection keeps students motivated and supported and helps us all provide better service to our community. Join us to share your experiences, and together, we will elevate our student worker programs to set our employees up for success well beyond graduation.
