On the first night after arriving in Orlando a few weeks ago for the ETC (CCUMC) Conference I was out at a brewery (big surprise) with a group of Higher Ed AV folks. I was giving Joe Way a hard time because my institution, Yavapai College, was listed as “Yavapai Community College” in the HETMA rolls. While that technically is accurate, I believe I was saying something like “why are you trying to sell us short by making sure to label us a community college?” Notwithstanding the possibility that USC is feeling the pressure of Yavapai College breathing down their necks in terms of AV superiority… it was all in good fun.
A couple of days later, I’m walking through the exhibit area of the conference, and out of nowhere, I get hit by a beach ball… I turn and look to find Joe recording a podcast episode in one of the booths and getting hit by the ball means you’re the next guest. I sat down and the first question was about that very discussion from a few nights before and I found myself discussing the term “community” in terms of the possible stigma it could have when placed before the word “college”. Flying home from that trip I thought about how even I, someone who is a champion for the mission that community colleges play in higher education had bought into the idea that the term “community college” in some way signified something lesser-than and that somehow I had let myself be ashamed of the word community, which has so much significance to me.
We each have our own story of how we got into working in technology within higher-ed.
We each have our own story of how we got into working in technology within higher-ed, but I believe the reason that most of us stay is because of community. Humans are tribal by nature; this can bring out the best or the worst in us depending on how we view what we have in common with others. Consider some definitions for the word community:
“A group of people living together in one place, especially one practicing common ownership” – we find community on our campuses, sharing physical space and working collaboratively with others from many disciplines with a common mission.
“Denoting a worker or resource designed to serve the people of a particular area” – we find community in our work groups, forming teams with the common mission of serving our students and faculty in the mission of furthering education
“A feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals” – we find community with colleagues from other institutions, sharing challenges and wins with others who are working through the same issues that we are.
Each of these communities are special to me and are the reason that I continue to choose to build my career in the higher-education vertical.
Each of these communities is special to me and is the reason that I continue to choose to build my career in the higher-education vertical. I would argue that it is through these communities that the grayscale of our technical work is filled with the color that makes this work and this lifestyle worthwhile.
In this column each month we’ll be considering what community in terms of higher-ed AV from different angles. We’ll take time to highlight the value that community colleges provide in the landscape of higher education. We’ll consider how we are, or are not, intentional about fostering community and what the effects of that might be. We’ll hear from many different voices and perspectives. Most of all we’ll consider how the relational and human interaction aspects of our work can mean the success or failure of our technical work.
… Oh and one more thing… I’ll spend a little time trying to convince you all that the question of whether AV is IT or not is already settled and it’s time for us to move on to the consideration of the AV takeover of IT.
Hope you’ll join me on the journey!