“Looking ahead, I believe that the underlying importance of higher education, of science, of technology, of research and scholarship to our quality of life, to the strength of our economy, to our security in many dimensions will continue to be the most important message.”
Charles Vest
With students returning back to classes, the open and calm of a campus during the summer is replaced with the bustling crowds of students. The weather is starting to cool off, you can hear the band sectionals practicing on campus, and the promise of college football is near. The students are excited, and we can see all their bursting potential. For most of nature, spring is the time of new beginnings; for young people in the United States, fall is the time of new beginnings. I love the fall and return to classes; it is my favorite time of the year!
With the new beginnings, it is a great time to think about why we do what we do. When people ask me what I like most about working in higher education, my first answer is the people: higher ed is a great community of people to be involved with. After that, however, I share about how much I love the mission: educating the next generation of leaders and supporting research that could potentially solve some of humankind’s greatest challenges. Granted, most technology managers don’t have dual appointments as instructors to directly educate or do research, but we definitely play a vital role in the success of the mission. Having worked in commercial businesses for over two decades, certainly there were ways those companies were trying to make the world a better place, but in the end, the mission really was to make money. I feel like what I am doing now is truly a noble endeavor.
The ability to transfer accumulated knowledge from one generation to the next is one of the key attributes of civilization. It is the basis for the advancement of the human race for at least the past 4000 years. It allows us to teach our children both our historical failures and successes. The students in our institutions are the living embodiment of this fundamental process of growth and development. The education of (the transfer of knowledge to) these students is the reason we do what we do.
For many of us, we also get opportunities to support research efforts with AV technology. One thing our team has assisted with is the placement of cameras for research into how engaged the interactions are between instructor and students and student to student in a classroom. The research done in our institutions can lead to advancements that can truly make the world a better place. This morning at my church I met the researcher who invented lead-free solder! Talk about a research result that has a direct impact on our own industry of pro AV! Most of you (whether you know it or not) have probably met a professor who has developed or invented something that has made the world a better place. Supporting the next award-winning researcher in their mission, even in a small way, is a contribution we can be proud of.
The last few years have been hard for everyone in higher education technology with the pandemic and frustrating supply chain challenges. It is easy to lose sight of what exactly we are doing and why. When you sense the frustration rising, take a moment and meditate on your role in the mission of your institution. Through our support of education and research, we really are making a positive difference in the world. It is truly a noble mission!
