2019 Commission on Technology Conference

6:00 am
Optional Exercise – Scenic Illinois Prairie Path

7:30 am – 3:00 pm
Registration/Information Desk

7:30 am – 8:30 am
Breakfast

8:45 am – 9:00 am
Worship & Devotions

Worship leader: Brian Porick, Music Producer, Business Application Support, Wheaton College
Devotions: Philip Graham Ryken, President, Wheaton College

9:00 am – 9:45 am
Plenary: Technology as Strategy in Education

Dr. Jon Eckert will help us explore how technology within our industry positions our institutions strategically with today’s learners.

Jon Eckert, Associate Professor of Education, Wheaton College

9:45 am – 10:15 am
AM Break/Meet with Vendors

10:15 am – 11:00 am
Concurrent Breakout Sessions | Block 1 

Understanding the Invisible Threat and Seeing How BitLyft Brings It to Light

Today, cybersecurity has the attention of most businesses. Understanding your adversaries and the data you hold is important. In this session we will be looking at making cyber attacks visible when they are the invisible threat. How do we need to thinking differently, what might our approach look like, and how can we develop a roadmap to success?

Jason Miller, CEO, BitLyft Security

Automating Identity: Wheaton College’s IAM Journey 

Identity and Access Management (IAM) is a framework for ensuring appropriate access to an organization’s technology resources. Organizational growth makes it increasingly important to automate IAM functions for the ongoing security and accessibility of technology resources. In 2016, Wheaton College began the process of moving from a homegrown IAM solution to Fischer Identity’s IDaaS solution. We will share the lessons learned to benefit other institutions who are making changes to their IAM strategy.

Brian Hurley, Systems Integration Programmer, Wheaton College, and Kevin Sheehan, Workspace Service Manager, Wheaton College

Nurturing Relationships in the Transactional Space of Online Learning 

Online students expect good feedback and quick responses from professors, but they often have surprisingly few expectations about a relationship with their professor or classmates. Strictly transactional learning spaces are disconnected from the intent of Christian colleges to build a community of learners. This session will equip participants with practical strategies to improve social presence and personal relationships in the online environment using tools like video, story, personal experience, assessment, structured discussion, and social media.

Rebecca Hoey, Director, Graduate School & Adult Learning, Northwestern College

Choosing Biblical Limits to Freedom (Theological Foundations) 

Do the Ten Commandments necessitate preventing internet theft of songs and shows? How about filters for pornography and gambling? What would Jesus do about bad language on your WiFi network? This presentation will briefly survey several Christian university policies of content filtering, review recent biblical scholarship on censorship, and offer a path forward. There will be time for what is sure to be a lively discussion.

Dave Pederson, Online Projects Coordinator, Wheaton College

Leveraging Open Source Solutions in Higher Ed 

If software is eating the world, then how can open source software change the sourcing strategies for higher ed? This session will share how Spring Arbor University (SAU) is leveraging open source solutions to modernize services at the infrastructure level and application level, as well as explore some of the challenges with open source and its potential to impact the value chain for the major higher ed solutions providers.

Randall Melton, CIO, Spring Arbor University

The Journey to Strategic IT Governance 

Effective governance aligns technology goals with the institutional strategic plan, promotes an institution-wide view of technology, resolves conflicting priorities, and can lead to resource efficiency. It can also assist in providing transparency in decision making across the university. This presentation will illustrate the vision, strategic criteria, and the decision points IT navigated on the path to institution-wide project governance – a journey from IT order taker to strategic partner.

Sarah Flanagin, IT Business Analyst, Communication Officer, Indiana Wesleyan University and Damon Richardson, Director, IT Client Relations, Indiana Wesleyan University

11:15 am – 12:00 pm
Concurrent Breakout Sessions | Block 2

Digital Transformation Key Touchpoints: Increase Digital Impact at Every Stage of the Student Life Cycle

In the era of digital transformation, your students have new and sophisticated expectations of personalized experiences and information at their fingertips. Embracing the digital transformation movement is critical to competing with other institutions and to empowering your students to reach their academic goals. Learn about all of the touchpoints you can digitize for greater impact, from admissions to alumni management. Walk away with an actionable checklist to start implementing digital transformation at your institution today.

Dan Flatt, Enterprise Sales Manager, ERP Solutions, Blackbaud and Michell Clifton, Principal Consultant, Higher Education Solutions, Blackbaud

Multi-Modal Mass Notification 

Learn how Gordon College partnered with Alertus Technologies to provide a multi-modal mass notification system that ties together diverse systems into a “one-click” launch of campus-wide notifications in emergencies, rather than the long list Gordon used to have. Attendees will also learn how the Alertus system has been leveraged to solve other campus needs, such as temperature monitoring in a server room, fire and burglar alarm notification, panic buttons, and HVAC monitoring.

Chris Jones, Associate VP for Technology & Operations, Gordon College, and Robbie Dierdorff, Regional Account Manager, Alertus

Academic Technologies: Library Meets IT and Produces Immersive Learning Experiences

Have you ever searched in the wrong place for much-needed answers? We have all been there. You can get more value for your buck from inside of your institution. Learn how ORU tripled their investments through internal partnerships between information technology and the library.
Mark Roberts, Dean of Library, Oral Roberts University

Choosing Limits to Biblical Freedom: Technological Challenges

Using technology to enforce community norms and secure institutional data is increasingly challenging, since nearly half of Internet traffic is encrypted, and students can learn within weeks how to bypass content filters. This session will describe how our respective campuses implement Internet content filtering and detect malicious encrypted traffic. We will also touch on the legal and cultural frameworks of free speech protection, privacy expectations, and academic freedom as they apply to private Christian institutions.

Harvard Townsend, Director of Infrastructure and Security, Wheaton College, and Adam Vedra, Associate CIO and CISO, Calvin College

Responding to GDPR: A Tale of Two Colleges

In response to the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, Messiah College and Roberts Wesleyan will share how they each approached a “comfortable” level of compliance. A review of the basic tenants of GDPR will be shared, and each school will cover their approach, their level of compliance, and what is left to do.

William Strausbaugh, Vice President for Information Technology/Associate Provost, Messiah College, and Peter Saxena, AVP Information Technology, Roberts Wesleyan College

Big Man(date) on Campus: What GLBA Means for Higher Education

GLBA compliance (how you manage student financial information) is not a new concept, but audit requirements for higher education institutions might be delayed. This is the perfect time to verify that you meet all the requirements. Would your risk assessment make the grade? What about your training program? What type of evaluation of your third-party service providers do you need and how should you document it? The GLBA Safeguards Rule covers all of these items. Do you need a starting point to prepare for GLBA audits for your institution? Join Daniel
Gibson, security strategist with GreyCastle Security, for an overview of what you need to pass an audit.

Daniel Gibson, Security Strategist, GreyCastle Security

12:00 pm – 1:15 pm
Lunch

1:30 pm – 2:15 pm
Plenary: Technology as Strategy for Admissions

Silvio Vazquez will share his thoughts on how technology can and should be leveraged as a strategic resource in the recruiting and admissions process. His experience spans three CCCU schools, so be ready to hear how partnering with technology over a 30-year period has informed his thinking and improved the admissions strategic process.

Silvio Vazquez, Chief Enrollment Management Officer, Wheaton College

2:15 pm – 2:30 pm

COT Awards Ceremony

Innovative CCCU IT Team Award: Awarded to the IT Team or sub team who has collectively worked together to reinvent themselves or a method to improve efficiencies in their department work or the entire campus.

Collaboration as a Strategy Award: Any person or team who has successfully collaborated with two or more entities, internal to their campus or externally with other CCCU schools to solve a significant problem or create an impactful opportunity.

CCCU IT Leadership Award: Awarded to either an experienced leader or rising star who models Christ-like qualities as they inspire teams to advance technology initiatives in alignment with institutional priorities. Nomination must be supported by at least three CCCU schools.

2:30 pm – 3:15 pm
Concurrent Breakout Sessions | Block 1 

Up In the Cloud: A Discussion

Increasingly, we are finding value in subscribing to cloud-based services. Let’s compare notes and learn from each other. Bring your experiences (good or bad), fears, and thoughts related to moving your servers and systems to the cloud.

Craig Williams, Director, Enterprise Applications, Wheaton College, and Keith Olsen, Lead Technical Analyst, Wheaton College

Making Teaching Spaces More Flexible

In a world where it is possible to look up a video presentation or scholarly article about almost any topic imaginable in a matter of seconds, face-to-face teaching and learning are changing. Faculty are increasingly looking for more flexible spaces in which to conduct classroom activities. Join us as we discuss our recent initiative to create flexible classrooms with improved furniture and technology.

Steven Park, Director, Academic and Scholarly Technology, Wheaton College, Whitley Grey, Interior Designer, Wheaton College and Michael Rhoadarmer, Manager, Classrooms, Labs, Academic Support Services, Wheaton College

Multifactor Authentication: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Multifactor authentication (MFA) promises strengthened security, increased compliance, and simplified login. Yet implementation carries with it many potential risks (costs, employee usability, technical skills gap, complexity, etc.). Whether your campus has fully embraced MFA or is just starting out, join us for a lively discussion on the merits and maladies of MFA.

Ken Brown, CIO, Whitworth University and Dale Lee, Director, Information Security and Projects, California Baptist University

Support in the Data-Driven World

For those of us with a heart for support, we want to meet everyone’s request and help with every question. However, with budgets ever on the decline, we need to be able to quantify what we can and can’t do with the resources available. We will spend time reviewing metrics and KPIs that matter, as well as discussing tools that have been useful for doing more with less.

Bill Bemister, Director of Technology Support Services, Wheaton College

Share the Vision and Get Out of Their Way! 

We will discuss how to strategically engage and coach student employees in order to champion their talent and make them meaningful contributors. Learn how to move away from telling your team “how” to do something and shift to “what”
needs doing, which eases training and management burdens while providing opportunities for flourishing. We will review a use case at Gordon College that consists of a student-driven software development group that allows Gordon to respond to agile software development needs while giving students meaningful growth opportunities. The approach is a benefit to the students involved (career preparation), the school (low-cost labor), and our mission as Christian institutions (to equip graduates who will make a difference for Christ in their industry).

Chris Hansen, Director of Information Systems, Gordon College

3:15 pm – 3:30 pm
PM Break/Meet with Vendors

3:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Outing to Willow Creek Community Church

We will head over to Willow Creek Community Church’s main campus in South Barrington, IL, for their Wednesday evening service. We’ll have a behind-the-scenes tour of the A/V technology involved in putting together such a complex event. Then we will enjoy Lou Malnati’s pizza (a famous Chicago-style pizza!) in
our own room at Willow Creek. After dinner, we’ll participate in the Wednesday evening worship service and then head back to the Wheaton College campus. It will be a great time to fellowship with others on the bus, at Willow Creek, and over dinner.
Due to the complexity of the Willow Creek Campus, we strongly recommend using the provided transportation in lieu of driving.

6:00 am
Optional Exercise – Scenic Illinois Prairie Path

7:30 am – 2:30 pm
Information Desk

7:30 am – 8:45 am
Breakfast/Check-out
Please be sure to check-out of your room no later than 11:00 a.m.

9:00 am – 9:45 am
Plenary: Technology as Strategy for Kingdom Diversity

Dr. Sheila Caldwell is passionate about supporting institutional efforts to reflect God’s diverse kingdom. She will share with us her thoughts on how access to technology both positively and negatively can affect these efforts.

Sheila Caldwell, Chief Intercultural Engagement Officer, Wheaton College

9:45 am – 10:00 am
Vendor Winners for Drawing Announced
Must be present to win!

10:00 am – 10:30 am
AM Break/Meet with Vendors

10:30 am – 11:15 am
Concurrent Breakout Sessions | Block 4

Analytics, Predictive Analytics, and Our Good Old Christian Colleges

Analytics helps us learn how and what we are doing in our processes. Predictive analytics allows us to use what we have learned to improve and be more successful in the future. In higher education, these processes can have tremendous value in admissions, fundraising, and student engagement with an eye toward retention. This presentation will give examples discuss with the audience how we could bring these cutting-edge thought processes and technologies to our communities.

Peter Saxena, AVP Information Technology, Roberts Wesleyan College

Accessibility, Content Creation, and Course Design: Applying Quality Matters Standards to Online Courses to Bring Diverse Learners Together

Accessibility should be in the first steps of every course design. This session includes case studies of high-quality course design with effective video content creation, tips on how to leverage the features of a learning management system, and how to use a team approach to course planning. A brief demonstration of
a production studio using teaching videos will demonstrate how you can pull everything together for successful course construction accessible to all students, including those with disabilities.

Ken Harrell, Video Program Producer, Wheaton College, Bruce Knowlton, Digital Content Strategist, Wheaton College, and Shari Lendy, Instructional Designer, Wheaton College

Outsourcing Cybersecurity: Two Perspectives 

Six years ago, Wheaton College had no security program and no one with security responsibilities in their position description. We partnered with four other small liberal arts colleges to contract with a company to provide shared managed security services. This session will share how we got to this point, assess the value of a consortium in securing our campuses, discuss the trade-offs of managed security services versus hiring your own staff, and describe the risk-based security program in place after three years in the consortium.

Harvard Townsend, Director of Infrastructure and Security, Wheaton College, and Dale Lee, Director of InfoSec and Projects, California Baptist University

Is Blockchain Your Future in Higher Ed? Is It Going to Change Everything You Do at Your College or University?

Blockchain is being hyped as a technological revolution that will radically change or obsolesce many industries: finance, contract law, real estate, etc. What is Blockchain – is it the same as Bitcoin? Are they related? And how might higher ed be affected by Blockchain’s smart contracts, miners, and consensus algorithms?

Jeff Beaird, Network/Systems Engineer, Wheaton College

Event Support: Leveraging Strategy, Technology, and Labor to Successfully Support the Audio, Video, and Lighting Needs of Campus Events

Wheaton College’s event production team supports the audio, video, and lighting needs of 800 campus events per year. In addition to serving guests on site, content is delivered online and on broadcast television. We will give an interactive tour of two main auditoriums where this support occurs, with specific focus on areas that apply to any CCCU member involved or interested in this area of responsibility.

John Rorvik, Manager, Production and Event Support, Wheaton College

Adopting the G Suite (Google) for Higher Education

This presentation outlines Roberts Wesleyan College’s transition away from Microsoft Exchange to a full utilization of Google’s G Suite for Education. Included will be a detailed summary of the implementation process and an overall review of outcomes and insights. Additionally, there will be discussion surrounding the introduction of Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Google Meet, and other applications to a campus that had been previously fully integrated with primarily Microsoft Office products.

Patrick Glantz, Director of Instructional Technology, Roberts Wesleyan College

11:15 am – 12:00 pm
Follow Up on Focus Group: Putting it into Action
What will you do differently as a result of this conference? Brainstorm how you might be able to collaborate and share resources with another school or another person to help use “Technology as a Strategy” in your institution.

Academic and Scholarly Technology Group
Facilitated by Steven Park, Director, Academic and Scholarly Technology, Wheaton College

CIO Group
Facilitated by Wendy Woodward, Chief Information & Campus Services Officer, Wheaton College

Enterprise Applications Group
Facilitated by Craig Williams, Director, Enterprise Applications, Wheaton College

Infrastructure and Security Group
Facilitated by Harvard Townsend, Director of Infrastructure and Security, Wheaton College

Technology Support Services Group
Facilitated by Bill Bemister, Director of Technology Support Services, Wheaton College

12:10 pm – 1:15 pm
Box Lunches for maximum flexibility for you to take with you or eat here

1:30 pm – 2:15 pm
Bonus Round 1
You pick the topic and we’ll provide space so you can collaborate with your peers. Post your topic ideas on the white board in the lobby until Wednesday at noon. Possible topics include Banner, IT Security, Smart Classrooms, Help Desk, etc. Details of bonus round sessions will be announcing Thursday morning.

2:15 pm – 3:00 pm
Bonus Round 2
You pick the topic and we’ll provide space so you can collaborate with your peers. Post your topic ideas on the white board in the lobby until Wednesday at noon. Possible topics include Banner, IT Security, Smart Classrooms, Help Desk, etc. Details of bonus round sessions will be announcing Thursday morning.