Higher Ed Av Podcast

Today, we get a return visit from Mike Pedersen, Audiovisual Experience Manager at Iowa State University, and this month's Tech Manager Spotlight, Presented by Sennheiser. We discuss how his role at Iowa State has developed in the two years he's been on staff, his well-deserved AVNation AV Professional of the Year nomination, HETMA Conference, the AVIXA Tech Managers Council, the Big 12 tech manager group, the Iowa STEM Council, and even how he serves his church in helping to stream their services. Check out his Tech Manager Spotlight here: https://www.higheredav.com/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6IjY5MjIiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D.Connect with Mike Pedersen on Twitter at @ped1971 and on LinkedIn. Learn more about Iowa State University at https://www.iastate.edu.

When us higher ed peeps get together to talk shop, good things happen. It was such good conversation that I asked the group if I could run the conversation as a podcast episode. Enjoy listening as we discuss buying direct, certifications, why you should vote Mike Pederson for AV Professional of the Year, HETMA for Virtual Event of the Year, and much more!

As many are aware, this last week my life was turned upside-down from an electrical house fire that destroyed my home, the three cars, and nearly every one of our possessions. Thankfully we are all safe, but now begins the long journey of getting back to normal. The outpouring of support for me and my family from my AV, higher ed, and church community has just been amazing. Humanity is beautiful, and God is always good. Today, I take a moment to say thank you and give an update, as well as a stream on consciousness play-by-play of the events of the fire and the gratitude I feel toward you all. Thank you for all the help, love, encouragement, and many many tears of joy from your heartfelt compassion. What a huge testament to the power of #AVGivesBack. I love you all. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday! You can see and contribute to the GoFundMe at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/joe-ways-house-fire-fund. Be sure to follow #AVGivesBack, #AVinTheAM, and @HigherEdAV on Twitter. Also, #VoteForMike and #VoteForHE

This month's Tech Manger Spotlight (Presented by Sennheiser) guest, Frank Alaimo, Senior Audio Video Systems Specialist at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, joins the show to discuss my team's recent visit out to UNLV. We talk about their user-first configuration of Crestron Fusion and touch panels and the new Dolby Atmos theater (and how it's being used during the pandemic. We walk through the new Blackfire Innovation building, featuring eSports, AR, VR, a makerspace, open office design, and incubation lab, discussing how UNLV is uniquely positioned to connect students with industry. We complete the episode talking about the need for connecting with our people. COVID has done a lot for bringing us together, but nothing beats in-person connection, fellowship, and a beer. And... the "soapbox" returns for the second straight week, and it is a good one! Connect with Frank Alaimo on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-alaimo-cts-i-dmc-e-4k-01872466/. Learn more about the University of Nevada at Las V

By now, we should all know the importance of locking down our AV systems. What is IEEE 802.1X and why is it important to think about on an enterprise network? Bill O’Donnell, AV Network Design Engineer at William Paterson University, and James King, Audio Visual Specialist at Stockton University, return to the show to discuss this important topic. Authentication and network access is not just about changing passwords, it’s about not being the vulnerable link that compromises the campus network and protected information. Also, I set aside the “rapid round” for the first ever “AV soapbox.” You’re not going to want to miss that.Connect with Bill O'Donnell on Twitter at @theoriginalod and on LinkedIn. Learn more about William Paterson University at https://www.wpunj.edu. Find the EDTech Podcast on AV Nation at https://www.avnation.tv/series/edtech. Connect with James King on Twitter at @AV_JamesKing and on LinkedIn. Learn more about Stockton University at https://www.stockton.edu. Find this month's IT in AV colum

The holiday wish list came early for Sean Kalaras, Senior Client Technology Analyst, and Jared Mukai, Manager of AV Technologies & Special Projects, at Pepperdine University, as they upgraded 166 classrooms with EduFLEX, a hybrid classroom technology solution featuring Panasonic AW-HE38H PTZ Cameras in response to COVID and the need for hybrid learning. As noted in their Case Study: Together with ClearTech, Altadena, CA, one of the University’s preferred AV technology providers, Pepperdine deployed the hybrid IP-based solution with Panasonic’s PTZ cameras in 166 classrooms across its five Southern California campuses to support distance learning for its graduate and undergraduate community. Professional video technology played a big part in the University’s solution to ensure its professors had the tools needed to teach online with their pedagogy, despite not having students physically in the classroom. Pepperdine’s faculty and students use the Zoom video conferencing platform for virtual classrooms and

Congratulations to the USC Learning Environments team for winning the 2020 #AVAwards for End-User Service Team of the Year, presented by AV Magazine! I welcome boots-on-the-ground Support Analysts, Adaline Tatum, Marco Winfrey, Lorenzo Bernardi, and Keith Jordan to discuss how they achieve operational excellence. We also discuss Digital Transformation, developing the team, how they approach serving their customers, and even tackle the difficult conversations of diversity and inclusion. Connect with the team on LinkedIn: Adaline, Marco, Lorenzo, & Keith. Learn more about USC Learning Environments at https://www.usc.edu/spaces, and the University of Southern California on Twitter at @USC and online at https://www.usc.edu. 

Programming or configuration? Which one is best for higher ed? Steve Greenblatt, President of Control Concepts and host of the podcast, "A State of Control" discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each, how to succeed as an AV programmer, and how to best use outside resources. We also discuss professional development and training from a personality, team, and business prospective. As Steve says: “Don’t be in a bubble. Have a team. Be bold, prove you are qualified. Always put yourself in the client’s shoes. Everyone has a client to serve.”Connect with Steve Greenblatt on Twitter at @SteveGreenblatt on LinkedIn. Learn more about the Control Concepts on Twitter at @ccicontrol and online at https://www.controlconcepts.net. Listen and subscribe to "A State of Control" podcast on AV Nation at https://avnation.tv/avnation-podcasts/a-state-of-control/.

There is no denying that the pandemic has caused us to shift how we work, how we plan, and how we serve our customers. Greg Carstens, Senior Audio Visual Design Engineer at the University of Colorado Buffalo join the show, discussing the plans they have implemented, and how we need "flexible standards." Hear how in-house integration, training, and teamwork go together to generate success on their campus.Connect with Greg Carstens on LinkedIn. Learn more about the University of Colorado Boulder on Twitter at @CUBoulder and online at https://www.colorado.edu. 

What is it like to move from the events side of higher ed AV to the classroom support side? I welcome Craig Shibley, MBA, CTS, back to the show to talk about his transition now almost one year later. What is it like taking a new job and then having COVID hit? How do you build on what your predecessor left behind? We tackle all these questions as well as Craig's monthly article here on the magazine and work with HETMA. Oh, and who has the best beard in AV? Listen to find out.Connect with Craig Shibley on Twitter at @CraigShibley and on LinkedIn. Learn more about California Baptist University on Twitter at @CalBaptist and online at https://www.calbaptist.edu. Learn more about Check My AV on Twitter at @CheckMyAV and online at https://www.checkmyav.com. See more on Esau Grooming on Twitter at @EsauGrooming and online at https://www.esaugrooming.com. 

We have another first this week... We geek out on cable pulls! Ramiro Vasquez, Audio Visual System Engineer at the University of Oregon joins the show. We discuss campus operations and the importance of performing our craft to a high level. Why is it important to be certified in all our specialities? Listen to what Ramiro has to say!Connect with Ramiro Vasquez on LinkedIn. Learn more about the University of Oregon on Twitter at @UOregon and online at https://www.uoregon.edu. 

The FLEXspace platform is a valuable resource for higher ed institutions to share and collaborate on learning space design. Today, I welcome Rebecca Frazee (Faculty in Learning Design and Technology at San Diego State University and Associate Director at FLEXspace) and Lisa Stephens (Assistant Dean of Digital Education at UB School of Engineering & Applied Sciences at the University at Buffalo and Executive Director at FLEXspace) to the show to discuss the benefits of FLEXspace. Learn how to harness the resources available as well as add your spaces to the portal. We also discuss trends in learning space design as well as tips for successful hybrid and remote learning. We are honored to have FLEXspace as part of the Higher Ed AV Family. Check out this month's column here: https://www.higheredav.com/flexspace-october-2020. Learn more about FLEXspace at https://flexspace.org and on Twitter at @FLEXspaceorg.

Let's play the Feud! On this episode I welcome an all-star guest list of people who have inspired me in this industry and have been instrumental to the podcast's success. We discuss the top technology trends of 2020, how college majors are changing and what education means for AV, and our hybrid classroom setups. Also, be sure to listen to the end for some great bonus content and important announcement about the newly formed Higher Ed AV Media Group! BC Hatchett – Vanderbilt University, HETMA Co-Founder, 1st Higher Ed AV podcast guest. Connect with BC on Twitter and LinkedIn.Bill O’Donnell – William Patterson University, EdTech Podcast Host (My favorite podcast!). Connect with Bill on Twitter and LinkedIn.Gina Sansivero – Atlas IED, CCUMC, Most name dropped person on Higher Ed AV, My favorite AV person in existence. Connect with Gina on Twitter and LinkedIn.James King – Stockton University, Higher Ed Slack channel manager. Connect with James on Twitter and LinkedIn.immie Singleton – University of Southern Cal

Wow! What a journey this has been! I can't believe I'm almost to the 100th episode. In this 99th episode, I go solo, and recap lessons learn from each and every episode. I have learned so much from this journey and am extremely thankful for every guest and every one of you listeners. Let's take a moment to reminisce. Connect with me on Twitter at @josiahway and on LinkedIn. Follow Higher Ed AV Media Group at @higheredav on Twitter and online at https://www.higheredav.com.

Big things are happening in both the higher ed and podcast world. Tim Van Woeart, Senior Project Supervisor at Rutgers University joins the show to discuss recent upgrades on campus and their COVID response. He also serves as a HETMA steering committee member, and we talk about lessons learned from our first year and exciting things looking forward. And we conclude with exciting news about The AV Life... Tim has taken over as the host of the show and joined the Higher Ed AV Family!Connect with Tim Van Woeart on Twitter at @TVanWoeart and on LinkedIn. Learn more about Rutgers University on Twitter at @RutgersU and online at https://www.rutgers.edu.Learn more about The AV Life on Twitter at @The_AVLife. Follow HETMA on Twitter at @HETMA_org.

Digital signage can play a key role in both university communications as well as important emergency and COVID-19 messaging. Steve "Chewie" Stavar, Digital Signage Specialist, at West Virginia University, joins the show to discuss his 2-person department role in managing 200+ endpoints across three campuses. We also discuss how his background in live production is able to inform how he brings quality interactive content to the campus community.Connect with Steve "Chewie" Stavar on Twitter at @ChewieDaWookiee and on LinkedIn. Learn more about West Virginia University on Twitter at @WestVirginiaU and online at https://www.wvu.edu.

Some of the most underserved areas of the commercial integration industry are the community colleges. Today, I invite Thomas Love, Support Analyst - Media Support, at Ozarks Technical Community College in Springfield, MO, my first guest on the show from a community college system. We discuss the similarities and differences as well as where community colleges have a strong advantage over traditional R1s: true community engagement.Connect with Thomas Love on LinkedIn. Learn more about Ozarks Technical Community College on Twitter at @OTCedu and online at https://www.otc.edu.

It's great to see higher ed tech managers make the AV lists. Today, I welcome Chris Bensch, Audiovisual Support Specialist at Princeton University, and member of the 2020 Class of Commercial Integrator Magazine's 40-Under-40. Hear how he utilizes skills acquired from both his U.S. Navy and commercial integration background in order to improve the service and installation offerings at Princeton. Listen how he discusses the importance of mentorship and those who challenge you to improve your craft. See the entire 40-Under-40 at Commercial Integrator, and Chris's profile here: https://www.commercialintegrator.com/news/40-under-40-avtweeps-2020-av-integration-industry/slideshow/3/. Connect with Chris Bensch on Twitter at @bensch_chris on LinkedIn. Learn more about Princeton University on Twitter at @Princeton and online at https://www.princeton.edu.

The COVID response meant many universities were forced to pull off entire campuswide integrations of microphones and cameras into their existing classroom systems. Hear how Jonathan Lord, Classroom and Event Technology Manager at Azusa Pacific University incorporated the Stem Audio Ecosystem and Huddly cameras to create over 200 hybrid/distance learning spaces. He shares a great tip on getting decision-maker buy-in when performing a proof-of-concept. Oh, and hear breaking news about the famous APU turtle pond. Connect with Jonathan Lord on LinkedIn. Learn more about Azusa Pacific University on Twitter at @azusapacific and online at https://www.apu.edu.

It's a milestone day... our first 5-time guest. Jimmie Singleton, CTS, Senior Learning Environments Support Analyst at the University of Southern California joins the show to discuss him being named to Commercial Integrator Magazine's 40-Under-40 Class of 2020. We also discuss the development of his role at USC over the past 10 months, being a readiness captain for the campus COVID response, and how he accomplishes a high-level of customer service for his team. Jimmie offers insight in how to socialize faculty into new ways of teaching within hybrid environments and how to focus your team on this new paradigm.See the entire 40-Under-40 at Commercial Integrator, and Jimmie's profile at: https://www.commercialintegrator.com/news/40-under-40-avtweeps-2020-av-integration-industry/slideshow/32/. Connect with Jimmie Singleton on Twitter at @Jimy_Singleton and on LinkedIn. Learn more about the University of Southern California on Twitter at @USC and online at: https://www.usc.edu.