The CTO Project

I’m off to a conference tomorrow where they will demonstrate some IT trends in the liberal arts. Specifically, sessions will focus on open source learning management and ERP systems (Sakai, Moodle, Kuali), managing change, and on podcasting, videoconferencing and other forms of real time collaboration. But I can tell from the pre-conference buzz that incorporating GIS into the college curriculum may be the Next Big Thing. Now, this isn’t new technology but I get the sense that it hasn’t really entered the mainstream in smaller liberal arts colleges.

Because I have some experience supporting this stuff, I would love to deploy it here–bring in someone who could help everyone on campus use this technology effectively. A GIS program would enhance facility planning, would build ties to the community, and could allow faculty and students to take their research into new directions.

First step for me? Build support on the academic side and then show how this wouldn’t be expensive to deploy relative to the benefits. Patience is a virtue. Repeat.