We Are IT | Meet Dave Borschel

Dave Borschel is a Tallahassee native who attended Florida High (FSUS) on FSU’s campus and worked at Publix for seven years. After earning an Associate of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from Gulf Coast Community College, he transferred to FSU, where he earned a bachelor's degree in social work and discovered his passion for technology. This led to a student assistant role at FSU, and eventually becoming an Associate Director coordinating the IT Administration Partnership Program. Outside of work, Dave enjoys playing bass in his church's praise band, practicing guitar, running, and spending quality time with his wife Neila and their three grown children.

Where are you from? I am a Tallahassee native, born and raised here.  

Where did you attend school? You can say that FSU has always been a part of my life because as a kid I went to Florida High (FSUS) back when it was on FSU’s campus. When I was 16, I started working with Publix and I stayed with them for 7 years because I didn’t have a career path. I have family in Panama City, Florida, so moved there to work at my cousin’s sporting goods store and attended Gulf Coast Community College where I earned my Associate of Arts degree in Criminal Justice. I then transferred to the FSU Panama City Campus (FSUPC) to pursue a criminology degree, but decided it wasn’t the career for me, so I transferred to FSU’s Tallahassee campus where I earned my bachelor's degree in social work. 

Why did you choose to work in technology? While I was a student at Gulf Coast and FSUPC, I took a few computer science courses and enjoyed it. When I returned to Tallahassee, I found a job working as a student assistant at the Office of Disabled Students Services (now Office of Accessibility Services) supporting their computer lab in the evenings. In that position, I helped provide training and technology support. At this point, MS-DOS 5 was popular and Windows 2.0 was just released. After graduating, I worked for the US Department of Labor, and then NABISCO, but missed working with technology and came back to FSU. 

How long have you been at FSU? I started working at FSU in August 1997 as a computer support specialist, and after a couple of years advanced to a systems administrator role. Today, I am an Associate Director coordinating the Information Technology Administration Partnership Program (ITAPP). ITAPP is an outreach program that ITS created to build partnerships with FSU’s academic, administrative and research units to help them manage their IT resources. We work very hard to understand the goals, objectives, and strategies of all our Partners, and ensure IT support and services are in alignment. The nice thing about our program is that we recognize that each Partner has unique IT needs, and ITS is there to help look for ways to help fulfil those needs. The ITAPP concept was born around 2006, and today we have about 20 partnerships. The growth of ITAPP would not have been possible if it weren’t for the hard work and support of all the ITAPP managers and staff, as well all our colleagues in ITS.  

What do you enjoy most about your job? 

I love helping and encouraging people. Today, technology touches everyone’s life and almost everything we do has an IT service or component attached to it. With more technology comes increased demands and hirer expectations, which can stress and overwhelm people. I feel a sense of purpose working at FSU, and if I can help anyone in our community overcome IT challenges and make their lives easier I find that very fulfilling. 

What is the most rewarding project you have worked on at FSU? With over 27 years of working at FSU, it is hard to narrow down one specific project. Instead, I have a few that have shaped my career.  

• The first ITAPP unofficial partnership. When I started working at FSU, I was sent to work with the College of Law to help the IT department. This project sparked ITAPP’s creation in 2005. 

• FSU Film School Digital Effects Program. The college had partnered with a private production studio to develop a digital effects program in West Palm Beach, Florida. Although the partnership with the company was brief, FSU succeeded in developing the program for our students. In the summer of 2013, the Film School packed up all the equipment, and move everything to Tallahassee. This project taught me patience and brought everyone together to help our students.   

• FSU Panama City Campus joined ITAPP which was exciting because I was a student there and had the opportunity to reconnect. Life does indeed go full circle!  

• Getting invited by FSU International Programs to Florence, Italy, along with my Director, Ken Johnson, to transform and renovate a 15^th century palace, into a classroom space. Having the opportunity to travel to Europe was super exciting and something I thought I would never do.  

• The Collegiate School at FSU Panama City is a new high school in Panama City, and I had the opportunity to help coordinate that project. This project was rewarding because everyone in ITS and FSUPC came together to help get the technology in place for their opening in August 2023.  

What is your favorite app? I really enjoy two different types of apps. One of them is my Bible app because I can look at various translations of the Bible which helps me study. The second app is Pro Tools which allows me to create and produce music, but my time is limited so I don’t have an opportunity to use it often.  

If you were to invent one piece of technology, what would it be? This is a tough question for me. Now, would I like to see a transporter like in Star Trek? Yes, I would. But what are the consequences of having a transporter? There are ethical and legal ramifications to every technological decision we make. It is nice to imagine possibilities, but when do we stop to think about the consequences of some decisions, and how it impacts society and our children? I guess this is the direction my mind goes when thinking about the future.  

What is a fun fact about you?  I play in my church’s praise brand. Over the years, I have played the drums and now I have been playing the bass. I’ve done a little guitar work also, but there always seems to be a shortage of drummers and bass players.  

Talk a little bit about your family. My wife Neila and I have been married for 11 years and have three grown children. Neila is from Colombia S.A., so it gives me the opportunity to travel and visit her family once a year. 

What do you do in your free time? In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family. If I am not with my family, I enjoy practicing the guitar and bass. I also like being outdoors and running.