Summer Projects
BC HATCHETT
Ah, it is that wonderful time of year again where POs are flying, offices smell of cardboard, and equipment is getting racked. Summer projects are the Groundhog Day of higher education. You know it is coming, it is inevitable and when it is over, you know it is coming again. But…have we moved on past only the summer period for projects? In the old normal we would seamlessly transition from summer projects to ongoing support as soon as the semester started, but it seems as if someone has neglected to look at the calendar lately. Projects are now bleeding into the academic calendar year and are no longer just confined to the summer period. Are we ready for that from a staffing standpoint? I’m not sure how your teams are structured, but we have always been a support focused team once the academic year started. Now we are having to look at how we staff and fund operations when support is no longer the main focus.
Another factor that is diminishing the spotlight of the summer-focused project window is the boom in construction for new academic buildings and housing. These capital projects often are years in the making with planning, consultants, architects, GCs, etc. This takes up even more cycles, but while it is time sync, these projects often lend themselves to opportunities to jump-start new tech platforms, or revised standards. The longer timeline for planning and implementation on capital construction projects often helps to get the bugs out of a new platform which in turn helps with a smoother rollout during the compressed summer project window.
But, is it really summer if you don’t have projects? It feels like summer projects are a tradition all their own in higher education at this point. The run-up to the start of installation, working with procurement to make sure that we are straddling the end/start of the fiscal year, and now worrying about supply chain disruptions. But even with this new wrinkle, it feels like we are now working in a normal environment, and that feels good. I hope that everyone’s projects are running smoothly and you are on track for a successful start to the academic year.
Get to Know BC Hatchett
BC Hatchett, M.A.Ed. is the Associate Director for Classroom Technology with Vanderbilt University Information Technology. He holds a master’s degree in education and has worked in higher education technology management for 15 years. BC is also one of the co-founders of the Higher Education Technology Managers Alliance (HEMTA) which is working to provide a greater voice for the higher education technology industry. He is extremely passionate about serving his institution and providing the best possible experience to Vanderbilt’s faculty, staff, and students. Outside of work, BC enjoys spending time with family, friends, watching the Nashville Predators, and quoting The Big Lebowski as often as possible. Feel free to connect with him on Twitter and LinkedIn.