Two Days of Learning, Networking and Celebration

Last week was an exciting time for the staff at Information Technology Services (ITS) as we hosted an end of year banquet for our interns, our annual spring town hall, and the inaugural half-day conference. These events gave our staff and student interns a chance to network with campus partners and ITS staff, learn about the exciting projects happening at ITS and celebrate the many accomplishments of this past year.  

The week started on April 8, 2024, as we hosted a special banquet sponsored by Florida LambdaRail, to honor our interns and all the work they accomplished this semester. The event gave our interns the opportunity to network with their fellow interns and ITS leadership, enjoy talks from our CIO, Jonathan Fozard, and a special keynote speaker, Julie Riehl, and get to see the various projects each intern had worked on via a poster display. Julie Riehl is an alum of Florida State University who works in global sales and strategic partnerships. Mrs. Riehl gave our interns advice on taking risks and always saying yes to new opportunities. Our interns spend all semester learning new skills and working on complex projects. This event gave them the opportunity to celebrate all their work and see just how much of an impact they have at ITS.  

Building off the energy from the intern banquet, on April 9, 2024, we hosted an exciting day for not only our ITS staff but the entire FSU community with our annual spring town hall and the inaugural half-day conference, the ITS Seminole Showcase at the Turnbull Conference Center. The day provided valuable takeaways and opportunities to network with peers as we engaged in various presentations and workshops throughout the day.  

During our morning Town Hall, ITS staff got to network with their peers over breakfast, take headshots courtesy of the College of Communication and Information (CCI), and hear about some of the work going on within ITS and the FSU community in relation to technology. We got the opportunity to hear from Robert Fuselier, Senior Director of the Office of Digital Learning & Academic Technologies about the work their office does and how they will work within ITS. CIO Jonathan Fozard provided updates on various projects around campus and how ITS will be assisting with them. We ended the morning with a panel of FSU leadership, including FSU Women’s Soccer Coach Brian Pensky, Vice President of Research Stacy Patterson, and University Provost Jim Clark, facilitated by Jonathan Fozard to discuss how to lead from where you are in the organization.  

The afternoon provided ITS staff and the FSU community with professional development opportunities as we explored various projects and skills during our inaugural half-day conference. Presentations were organized into various paths covering technical, artificial intelligence (AI), departments and projects, and innovation. Topics included A Hands-On Introduction to AI, Championship-Level Customer Service, User Research and so much more. With over 400 people in attendance, the excitement and enthusiasm were felt throughout the afternoon. Before the final session block of the day, our interns presented their work and networked during our intern poster session.  

Thank you to everyone who attended one of your events. We hope you felt the excitement and left with a renewed energy for the direction for the work that is being done at the university as we continue to RISE. If you would like to revisit any of the presentations of the day, all presentation decks can be found on the ITS website.