Fall is officially in full swing, and everyone in the Michigan IT community is in full force supporting our hardworking students, faculty and staff. We have pulled together and kicked off another successful academic year. Your work day in and day out makes a difference to so many on campus as they work to better themselves and the word.
The energy on the U-M campus in September is hard to miss. Welcoming students back on campus is a joy and a privilege, and something I am particularly grateful for following the shift online early in the pandemic. I encourage you to pause and reflect on the hard work that you and your colleagues put in to prepare our campuses for a successful fall semester. This is no small feat that we collectively accomplish each year.
I appreciate Dr. Ono’s humility, his student focussed and empathetic leadership, and his focus on mental health and wellness. Together as the Michigan IT community across all campuses, I know we will continue to accomplish many things for this great institution.
Congratulations to this year’s Hacks with Friends participants! The event was an exceptional showcase of our community’s outstanding creativity and innovation. We have many opportunities to stay connected with colleagues throughout the year by joining one of nearly 30 Michigan IT Communities of Practice.
Congratulations to the Class of 2022, and to any parents of new graduates! It is humbling to have played a part in their educational experience by providing technology support and tools used to equip their uncharted journey at Michigan.
I am looking forward to this year’s Hacks with Friends event on June 2-3. The event will have in-person and virtual options, so everyone can participate in the way they are most comfortable. I am eager to see the creative and fun energy that inevitably results when we pull together our talented and inspiring community.
As the university begins the search for our next president, I find myself reflecting on the qualities that create great leaders. We do not need to look far to find inspirational models. Within our own Michigan IT community and in every pocket of the university, there are examples of leadership at all levels regardless of position and role.
New opportunities for us to grow individually and as a community are arising all of the time, and I am excited to see what 2022 has in store for us. What new insights can we gain — in technology topics and other areas of personal interest —by making a point to hear and learn from others with a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and roles? I love hearing your ideas.
The energy and innovation at the Michigan IT Symposium is outstanding. I appreciate the ways in which our Michigan IT community can come together with the shared purpose of supporting one another and the university. Recordings of the keynote and technology & DEI panel are now available.
Thank you to everyone who joined Antonio Neri and me for the Leadership in Technology Distinguished Lecture Series event last month. Antonio’s messages of how technology can bring people together was especially meaningful when reflecting on the pandemic, when so much of our professional and personal worlds shifted online for connection. I am looking forward to continuing that theme at the upcoming 2021 Michigan IT Symposium.
This month, I invite you to join me in person for a conversation and Q&A with Antonio Neri, president and CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise on October 13. His unique journey in technology and leadership is one that I believe will resonate with the Michigan IT community.
When I first started at U-M, I asked this community to envision what it would look like for U-M to be a leader in the appropriate use of technology among our peers and beyond. Today, I renew my challenge to you: Envision again what it would take to be the leader in the appropriate use of technology over the next one, three, or even five years.
I am deeply appreciative of the partnerships and dedicated work that led to the launch of the U-M Research Computing Package (UMRCP), provided by ITS, and I look forward to our continued partnerships as we support the U-M community, together.
This summer, be sure to make time to go outside, reflect, and connect with peers across the Michigan IT community.
As we prepare to welcome students back to a more normal school year that is augmented with virtual and hybrid experiences, I challenge everyone in this community to find innovative solutions for creating a cohesive digital experience for those joining in person and remotely.
Each and every member of the Michigan IT community has the ability to be a leader and a teacher of their area. Everyone has valuable experiences and viewpoints to share, and it is an important role of leaders to seek these lessons out and listen.
As we approach the one-year mark of living during a pandemic here in Michigan, I want to acknowledge each one of you not only for your contributions to the university, but also for your amazing strength in doing this through an uncertain and challenging time in our history.
Over the past year, we have learned incredibly valuable lessons about each other, working remotely, and the people who make up this amazing institution.
This past year has called for extraordinary leadership, dedication, can-do attitude, trusting each other, supporting each other, serving our community, and working together. Each one of YOU exhibited these amazing attributes and more.
Our community will come together virtually next week for the Michigan IT Symposium, which is an excellent opportunity to hear and learn from so many of our IT colleagues.