IUWIT Insights
TOMORROW: Big Ten Academic Alliance WIT Conference
Join Provost and Executive Vice President Lauren Robel and Vice President for Human Resources John Whelan for a livestreamed Town Hall at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, April 3. Chuck Carney, Director of Media Relations, will moderate, and several campus leaders will participate.
The town hall will feature a discussion on IU’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, address commonly asked questions about how these measures will impact our staff, and take questions. The livestream will be recorded and posted online for those who cannot tune in for the live broadcast.
Spotlight Interview: Heather Gwinn
Heather is an artist, mother, and a woman in tech among other things. Having worked at IU since 2002, she has a deep understanding of what it takes to make an organization function best. In this interview she discusses her unconventional path to get to her current career and gives her past self some sage advice. Check it out here!
Summit Speed Networking Recap
On March 6th during the 7th Annual Summit, IUWIT hosted a “mocktail hour” with guided speed networking between students and professionals. By giving pairs a chance to get to know one another for just under 5 minutes, students were able to hone their networking skills, and professionals got an opportunity to build lasting connections that could lead to becoming a mentor. The event began with the hosts, IUWIT Leadership Team Chair Melanie Ebdon and IUWIT Intern Claire Dorner, sharing a short presentation on the importance of networking and tips for how to network effectively. After that, the student/professional pairs were left to begin their first 4-minute session before moving onto the next pairing.
Although many of the participants RSVP’d weeks in advance, opening up the event to walk-in participants ended up being a great idea. Over 70 people showed up for the event, where “techie-tinis” were enjoyed and about 10 sessions of networking took place. While there were staff members positioned around the room to assist with any lulls in the conversation, assistance was seldom required. The room was bustling with conversation as the students worked to make an impression and the professionals sought ways to impart some lasting wisdom within the short timeframe. The attendee pool was diverse: students from freshmen to the graduate level interacted with professionals who represented IU faculty, staff, and alumnae, as well as employees of companies such as EY who flew in from New York City. What they all had in common, however, were the skills they gathered and connections they collected by the end of this speedy one-hour event.
Featured Article: "A Quick Security Checklist for Remote Workers (or Anyone, Really)"
1 in 5 Americans have been laid off or experienced reduced hours as COVID-19 has progressed, and even more Americans are now working from home. If you’re working remotely while IU’s classroom teaching has been suspended, you may find this article of interest. As society adjusts to a temporary new normal, it is more important than ever now that your data and devices are safe. This article from doist.com gives advice on encryption, regular app updates, enabling automatic locking, and other tips to stay safe during this unprecedented moment in history both physically and digitally.