ACM SIGUCCS 2025 Conference

Picture this, May 2020 and the semester is wrapping up - classes were 100% virtual, students had vacated their dorms in March and commencement has been postponed - for a year??

My institution, a small liberal arts college in New England, was trying to balance financial obligations with the want to continue to provide for its employees. With the campus on lockdown and hundreds of thousands of dollars returned for room and board, there needed to be a way to cut costs. I was approached by my leadership and told that I would need to furlough one full time employee.

With a small team of only 4 people, I knew the team would never recover if 1 single person had to bear that weight. I shared this concern and suggested that each position be cut 10 hours per week - equally sharing the weight of the furlough.

It was then up to me to develop a plan that still provided the coverage needed for our department. Often as leaders, we feel like we have to have all the answers. Why is that? Is it because leaders feel a strong sense of responsibility and accountability to their direct reports?
Are they afraid of being vulnerable in front of their team? Are they supposed to have every answer and work in a vacuum? Is it all decisions or just these personnel decisions that we wrestle with having to have the right answer.

In this talk, hear a real world example of how empowering your team to devise a solution improved the overall outcome of a difficult situation.

This lightning talk explores the multifaceted nature of leadership in today's higher education landscape. I will share personal anecdotes and insights emphasizing that effective leadership requires more than technical expertise. It involves understanding human behavior, building relationships, and possessing a strong sense of self. I will highlight the importance of defining personal success and leveraging unique strengths while emphasizing the need for strategic thinking, decision-making, and emotional intelligence. The goal of this talk is to encourage aspiring leaders to trust their instincts, be bold, and embrace both the expected and unexpected opportunities that lie ahead.

This talk explores the indispensable role of community within communities of practice (CoPs) in shaping the growth and resilience of Higher Education IT professionals. Much like the relationship between a raiser and a Seeing Eye puppy, CoPs provide guidance, patience, and collective wisdom, fostering an environment where members can grow confidently into their roles. By nurturing this partnership of shared goals, mutual support, and continuous learning, CoPs empower IT staff to adapt to new challenges, drive innovation, and support the diverse needs of their institutions. Using the bond between a raiser and a service dog in training as a framework, this presentation illustrates how community involvement and shared responsibility cultivate expertise, adaptability, and a sense of purpose within Higher Ed IT, ultimately enhancing outcomes across the institution.

If we want our technical documentation and communication to have a wider audience reach, it's time to examine the elements that might cause issues with comprehension. These include using colloquial speech, sports jargons, pop culture references, and other expressions which do not translate well.
Why is this important? Our audience is made of diverse backgrounds and life experiences. We are expecting our audience to heed our calls to action through our technical communication..
In this Lightning Talk, we will discuss how to write in a globally inclusive style. We will focus on what to include and what we can leave out.