IT Community Advocates
Reach Out!
Have a suggestion to improve the IT team? Not feeling heard or need to say something anonymously? Have an idea, but not sure where to take it?
Reach out with our ITCA submission form. You can include your name for a followup, or submit anonymously. Submissions well be discussed with IT leadership anonymously, unless otherwise requested.
Our Charge
Propose and enact proposals to foster an inclusive, engaged, and productive IT community. This will be done through:
- Being a voice for the GVSU IT community to raise concerns they are having to the VP of Information Technology and CDO as well as others on the IT Senior Leadership Team.
- Be a sounding board for the VP of Information Technology and CDO as well as others on the IT Senior Leadership Team.
- Fostering engagement in the GVSU IT community through initiatives and events.
- Continuously seeking to improve the committee to be more inclusive, transparent, and effective at communicating the concerns of IT employees to IT leadership.
Membership
Based on representation from the following IT areas: eLearning, IT services, Enterprise Architecture, Enterprise Applications, and IT operations. One additional member will participate and alternate membership from the following IT roles: Chief Information Security Officer, Data and Analytics, and Senior Director of IT Innovation and Research.
- As departments grow, increase membership
- Membership numbers should be revisited every two years.
- Members can be self-nominated or nominated by another member from their department.
- If a department doesn’t have someone nominated, the director of that department will seek a representative from their team.
- The committee will have at least one member from the downtown campus. Expand geographic representation as needed.
Current Members
- Keifer McCrackin, Innovation & Research/Academic Research & Computer
- Dave Bengry, Project Management Office
- Randy Ortquist, Enterprise Applications
- Megan Koeman-Eding, IT Operations
- Josh Bourdon, Enterprise Architecture
- Greg Vedders, IT Security
- Dylan Annis, IT Services
- Haley Young, IT Services - downtown rep
- Kelley Senkowski, eLearning Technologies
Term Length
- 2-year terms starting January 1st.
- New members recruited by IT leadership in conjunction with IT Community Advocates by October 1st of the previous year.
- New members meet with the existing committee in November-December with a minimum of two meeting times to facilitate a smooth transition.
IT Service Awards - Employee Recognition
Annual awards will acknowledge outstanding service and provide a time to celebrate these individuals within the Information Technology Division. The awards program, under the leadership of Information Technology Community Advocates (ITCA), brings peer endorsement and recognition to professional accomplishments.
- Service Excellence – is to recognize individuals who have gone above and beyond professional responsibilities in contributing his/her expertise and service to the GVSU community, a professional organization, or the local/national/international community.
- Innovation – is to recognize individuals who have innovative ideas and practices that benefit Information Technology and the University. This could include methods to improve cost efficiency, changes in procedures, creating new programs or services, or leading new initiatives.
- Leadership – is to recognize individuals who have made notable contributions that have influenced positive change at GVSU. This could include members who have shown adaptability, mentorship, exceptional teamwork, motivation, and lasting other contributions.
Nomination Requirements: Anyone may submit a nomination (a form will be on this page in the coming months) for an employee on the nomination form on the Office of the Vice President for Information Technology web page. Nominations are due by July 31 each year. The nominations will be provided to ITCA to review and they will select the award recipients. ITCA will create a rubric to evaluate submissions to decide the winners.
Recognition: Award recipients are recognized each year at the fall startup. Each recipient will receive an individual award for each category and their name will be added to the annual perpetual plaque for each category. Highlights of their accomplishments will also be added to the employee recognition page on the Office of the Vice President for Information Technology web page.
IT Community Advocate Team Communications
Spring and Fall All IT Events
- Announce IT updates in person
- IT mingle, snacks, games, etc...
Biannual Updates via Email
- January and July
- Inform IT about the work the committee has been doing over the past 6 months
Special Initiatives
- To be determined by the committee at that time based on feedback from colleagues.