This is a short note I wrote for myself for the ITS Orientation on Jan 19, 2009.  Some of the notes come from the feedback I sent back to the organizer, Molly Kline, who I think really takes inputs seriously and keeps improving the series.

The orientation consists of several talks from different units (HR, AIS, CSS, TNS, SOS, TLT, RCC, etc.) under ITS, as well as some visits to various hardware facilities (Digital Library, Campus Networking, Video Networking).  Getting to know different departments/units within ITS is extremely important and helpful.  It gave me a much more clear idea of how what I do fits in the whole picture (of the university, or even the field of higher education in general).

However, I think the way how each unit and its missions is presented matters a lot.  For example, a presentation on what services the Digital Library provides (or even challenges they face), before the tour, is probably much more useful than merely a tour on the hardware facility in the library basement.  I think one of the goals of introducing different ITS units to its employees would be to encourage collaboration and communication, so resources and knowledge can be shared.  A more interactive format would help reach that goal.

The talk during the lunch hour by Kevin, the VP, and Jeff, the AVP, is extremely helpful for those who are on the job for a while and are ready to plan a long term growth at PSU.  They talked about the importance of keeping learning.  I couldn’t agree more — in this ever changing field, what’s really valuable is not a skill, but the ability to grasp new ones continuously.

It’s a very meaningful orientation and I am very glad that I went.