CLAC 2013

An education in the liberal arts is, rather famously, impossible to justify in utilitarian terms: it produces little or nothing in the way of marketable skills and, while its recipients tend to be successful, this seems to take place despite rather than because of the way they were educated. For the liberal arts ideal of pursuing truth is if anything antithetical to the ideal of achieving worldly success. Technology, on the other hand, recommends itself almost solely in utilitarian terms. While there are those who may be mesmerized by the sheer beauty of it all, even they still constantly speak the language of use and application. How, then, are these two things, technology and the liberal arts, supposed to “interface”? The answer, of course, is that technology is supposed to “serve” the liberal arts. What the liberal arts require above all else is leisure, open time in which to ask interesting questions that have no real practical purpose, questions like “why is there a world in the first place?” On the face of it, technology can serve this goal, for what are time-saving devices if not the much sought-after keys to the leisure society? And, yet, as we all know, the more time we save, the less time we seem to have. This lecture will explore this often noted paradox. In particular, it will explore the question of whether it is technology that somehow fails us here – or whether, on the contrary, the problem might not be that the liberal arts ideal has never been communicated clearly enough. After all, if we had been better educated in the ideal of leisurely contemplating truth and beauty would we not long ago have used our machines for the sake of universal employment and a fifteen-hour work week? Why have we not done this? Is it perhaps the case that truth and beauty are not nearly as compelling as they are supposed to be? Are they perhaps so intrinsically boring that work turns out to be more fulfilling than the things we purportedly work for? If technology is to be placed in its proper limits, then the liberal arts ideal will have to be made both compelling and alluring. We have to be made to see both where technology belongs and where it does not belong. This is what I will now try to do.

Shelton Waggener, Will talk about InCommon, the identity landscape in higher education, and the Internet2 Net+ program. Identity and being “Cloud Proud” are two critical components of Information Technology in higher education whether at a Research University or Liberal Arts College. Shel’s presentation will help connect the Internet2 vision to CLAC and the liberal arts constituency it serves.

Following Shel’s remarks, he will be joined by Sam Ottenhoff, Vice President and CTO of Longsight and John O’Keefe, Associate VP and CIO of Lafayette College, for a panel discussion and Q&A.

Librarians and technologists who act as liaisons must overcome cultural differences, stroll onto each other’s professional “turf,” and collaborate with each other to provide the best support to faculty and students. This is a messy, difficult proposition.

Over the past decade dramatic changes in the way information and technology are organized have demanded this greater and deeper collaboration between these professionals. This is especially true at small liberal arts colleges with liaisons, staff who act as information brokers for faculty and students, connecting them with available and appropriate library and information technology services. They provide research assistance for students and faculty. They partner with faculty to ensure effective pedagogical uses of technology and information resources. They partner with faculty to ensure that students are informationally fluent and technologically savvy.

What approaches facilitate such collaboration between these professionals and how can organizations help them overcome the barriers to collaboration? While of course the answer depends on campus culture, the larger political organization, and on the individual players involved, we will share guidelines and experiences from our institutions. At most Liberal Arts Colleges, both technologists and librarians perform this role – sometimes as part of the same organization, at others, separate.

Come hear three directors of Information Services Instructional Support discuss how collaborations between Librarians and Technologists have formed at their institutions and then share your own experiences in an open discussion.

Question: What do you get when you have an ambitious and design-savvy President who finds an alumni donor interested in highlighting the institution’s commitment to Global Affairs?

Answer: The gut renovation of a 100-year old building into a technologically advanced multi-function learning environment. The renovation will include: eleven new classrooms equipped to meet the needs of faculty and students now and into the future; a new auditorium re-oriented by 90 degrees with technology to support a variety of programming needs; a video conferencing classroom and 50 faculty offices. Oh and one last thing – a two-story tall by 50-foot wide undulating glass sculpted Media Wall with 10 monitors and a custom designed content management system to be used by faculty and students to develop projects for display on the wall.

Join us for a conversation about how Information Resources staff at Occidental College took a lead role in every level of planning and implementation for the creation of the McKinnon Family Center for Global Affairs and Politics at Johnson Hall. Topics will include: classroom design; integrating technology throughout the building; development of the Global Crossroads content management system; construction management; stakeholder management; and other duties as assigned.

Under the umbrella of the NY Six Consortium, the Educational Technology Group have launched the Instructional Technology Apprenticeship Program (ITAP) to give students practical, hands-on, educational technology experiences in an IT environment. The ITAP program is designed for students who are interested in coupling their liberal arts degree with paraprofessional experiences in the field of instructional technology. So what makes ITAP unique? How does the program work? And how do you get six institutions to work together to develop such an initiative? This session is designed to overview the ITAP program and explore its impact while meeting those who are taking part in the ITAP initiative.

For more information about ITAP and the NY Six Liberal Arts Consortium, go to: http://newyork6.org/itap