Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Dear EDUCAUSE: Please ditch the CIO Lounge

Let me start by stating that I'm a huge fan of EDUCAUSE and particularly of the EDUCAUSE Annual Conference. I attended the first joint EDUCOM/CAUSE conferences in the late 90's and I think I've missed no more than 2 in the last 15 years. Many of my best professional connections, and not a few lasting friendships have been forged through EDUCAUSE connections. So I speak as a friend.

A few years back, EDUCAUSE decided that it needed to offer more "value" to Chief Information Officer (CIO) attendees to the Annual Conference. I am guessing that they got feedback that at least some CIOs were finding the conference experience to be not valuable or perhaps less pleasant and enjoyable than other conference opportunities. This is, of course, a big deal for EDUCAUSE - I get it that to be viable EDUCAUSE has to be attractive to CIO's. Not only does the CIO approve the annual EDUCAUSE membership fee on most campuses, a vendor's decision to pay for space on the exhibition floor depends not just on how many people are at the conference, but on their roles. Since CIOs usually have control over the largest budgets, their attention is coveted by the vendor community. Without vendor participation the economics of the large edtech conference is completely different.

I get it - EDUCAUSE needs to make sure that the Annual Conference is attractive to CIOs. Special CIO roundtable discussions were added, there's a guide to items in the program that should be interesting to CIOs, and, there's the CIO lounge, pictured below.

EDUCAUSE CIO Lounge (photo by Melissa Woo, used with permission)
It's a pleasant place, with comfy chairs, a large screen to view the plenary sessions, lots of power plugs to charge your phone, and free (non-alcoholic) drinks and snacks. It resembles an airport "club" room. And of course, now that you've got a CIO lounge, you need a way to tell who's a CIO and who's not, so there's a special color or stripe on the name badges to let the attendant at the door (and, by the way, observant vendors on the trade floor) who is entitled to this special privilege. And there it is - the assumption that CIOs are entitled to special privileges.

Being a CIO is a privilege and it can be a pleasure, as I and my co-authors talk about here. The CIO has a special role and typically has more influence on campus than other members of the technology team. It's a senior academic position that pays well and (usually) engenders respect on campus. So yeah, being a CIO is something of a Big Deal.

But systems administrators are kind of important too. And instructional designers, programmers, web designers, user support specialists, equipment techs, network managers, and the list goes on. Oh, and not to mention librarians and (other) faculty members. I like to operate from the perspective of "one team, one goal", a motto I learned some years back from an A/V tech. What message does it send when we exalt CIOs above every one else at the conference and encourage them to isolate themselves among their kind? I think the message is pretty obvious, and I don't care for it.

At this point, someone else might say "hey, if you don't like it, stay out of the CIO lounge!" Starting this year, that's what I intend to do. But whether I'm in there or not EDUCAUSE is making a statement about CIOs and I think it's the wrong one. I encourage the leadership to ask themselves whether it's time to send a different, more inclusive message, and just add more chairs and power supplies that everyone can share.


25 comments:

  1. Thanks for writing this, Michael! If all the CIOs are hiding in the CIO Lounge, how do the next-gen leaders who are also attending the conference get to make connections with the CIOs? I think that's an important component of next-gen leader attendance.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great point Melissa, and thanks for your photo which shows just how exciting it is to hang out in a room full of CIOs!

      Delete
  2. Agree with both of you.

    I'm sure it's a tricky point for conference organizers to find the right balance between making the conference experience valuable for CIO's and isolating them in a "CIOnly" echo-chamber. The more that CIO's are isolated, the more it seems like it'll become a "feel good" instead of an "opportunity" environment.

    I admit that a small, evil, part of me enjoys how much easier it is to end a conversation with a vendor now—because someone branded with the scarlet CIO letters walked by & they're ready to pounce.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks Paul. To me, the greatest value of the meeting is the connections I make, and limiting my connections to other CIOs would reduce the value - and with due respect to my fine CIO colleagues, would not be nearly as much fun!

    I think I'll try walking through the floor next time with my CIO badge on and off and see if I can tell the difference in how the vendors react to my questions.

    ReplyDelete
  4. So, I have to say I've enjoyed the CIO lounge - mostly to pick up a soft drink at oddball times. (I'm a deputy CIO but somehow I qualify.) However, this made me really think about it more deeply (difficult for me at anytime) and I'm kind of agreeing with you, Michael. And, I think the thing that really hit me was Melissa's point about the next-gen leaders. Thanks & see you outside the lounge in Orlando.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Becky! I'll buy you a Coke in Orlando!

      Delete
  5. I think it's good to have "birds of a feather" gathering places such as the CIO Lounge, or the Constituent Group Lounge. These places allow those with similar mind-sets, opportunities, and problems to commiserate and discover.

    I do agree, however, that it's not so great to create cliques, and cordon them off from those that may have input, or seek knowledge. Instead of shutting down the Lounge, maybe there's a way to open it up?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Pete - I think that's an idea worth consideration.

      Delete
    2. "birds of a feather" --> STRONGLY agree. I've mentioned this to some EDUCAUSE leadership and feel that this is an easy opportunity to add a LOT of value. Often, most of the value I get out of conferences is the 1 on 1 interactions with others, but with a conference as big as EDUCAUSE, I need help making these connections, hence the need for BoF.

      Delete
  6. Thank you for this post. The idea of providing a space for CIOs to connect is great, and seems like there's an opportunity to expand it. Open the lounge to everyone, but still call it the CIO lounge? Offer free snacks/drinks at random times to encourage people to visit the lounge and interact with CIOs. Make it a place to go, not a place to escape to.

    On a side note, my small university doesn't currently have a CIO. We have two IT directors (I'm one of them). I learn a lot from CIOs at other institutions, and it's really critical for my institution that I do that! -Nathan Phillips (saw your post to the Educause CIO listserve)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think these are good suggestions. I don't object to opportunities for CIOs to connect at the conference, I'm just concerned about creating a perception of elitism, whether that's intended or not. And the lines between "CIO" and "other" should be as permeable as possible.

      To its credit, I think EDUCAUSE has always taken as broad a view as possible in terms of defining "CIO" - I think if you want to call yourself a CIO they will pretty much accept that at face value. Nonetheless I believe the perception of exclusivity is unavoidable.

      Delete
  7. Thank you to EDUCAUSE VP Julie Little calling me today to discuss this issue. I know that EDUCAUSE wants to do the right things for its members.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Michael, I have to admit that I have really mixed feelings about your points here. I completely agree with disliking the sense of "privilege" associated with access to the Lounge. On the other hand it is really convenient given the size of the conference these years to have a place to go where I am more likely to run into the folks who share my professional concerns, or not to put too fine a point on it, my friends. Including you. On the other hand I don't like the exclusiveness. What if we were to encourage Educause to have functionally oriented lounges like: Senior Leaders; Academic and Instructional Technology; Networks & Systems; User Services; Administrative & Enterprise Systems; etc. but without an exclusive aspect. As in hang out in the lounge where you want to engage in that type of conversation. There could even be permanently designated BOF tables in each one where conversation on a particular topic would by focused. Would that address your concerns? I suspect that many of us in CIO roles would spend time in each one of those lounges.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The idea of having a number of themed lounges is worth considering. The CIO Lounge could be renamed to the Leadership Lounge. This would open it up to leaders of all stripes, including aspiring leaders. CIO is a label/title while Leadership is an act/attitude/disposition.

      Delete
    2. Mark, good idea. I do think we have to recognize though that it won't be feasible to have the same level of "amenities" in all the lounges, but I'm OK with that.

      Delete
    3. Jim's idea of a "Leadership Lounge" is certainly worth considering.

      Delete
    4. I can do without the donuts. :)

      Delete
  9. I had a couple of good conversations in the CIO lounge but for the most part the place felt awkward to me and I left after a brief visit. I was thinking what if someone back home saw me sitting there instead of mingling on the vendor floor, participating in a session, or catching up with other participants between sessions. It didn't seem quite right.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I went to the CIO Lounge once in Pittsburgh, but haven't returned since. As others have said, there is so much going at the conference that it seems a shame to miss it all. I also resonate with Ilya's sentiments.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I attended Educause last year for the first time. I am a CIO. I have a horrible habit of not shutting off work when I attend conferences and, admittedly, I enjoyed having a quite place to go with water and outlets to return a couple of phone calls and emails without needing to return to my hotel room. I am typically having to case a venue to find a vacant spot. Granted I went oftentimes mid-session and the rooms were hardly social, but it was convenient for me being a newbie. I guess it never occurred to me it would be a place to hobnob with other CIOs - just a perk to grab a complementary drink while checking emails. If CIOs are using the lounge as a hangout, that does seem isolating. I will definitely not attend another Educause if there's not a special lounge for me. I kid. No strong feelings either way.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Paige - it's a challenge to walk away and leave the daily grind beyond for a few days, but it's worth trying! If the CIO lounge is simply a better place to get our regular work done while we're at the conference, maybe that's another reason to do away with it.

      Delete
  12. Michael, thank you for initiating this conversation. As I read the responses, I smile and once again I feel humbled to work in higher education.

    We are a community, not a single-threaded convention.

    I am sure that EDUCAUSE initiated the CIO lounge as a way to say, “CIOs, you are a valued part of our community, please join us”.

    However, creating a comprehensive taxonomy of “valued part of the community” is a daunting task. How do you accomplish this without excluding or limiting membership? Do you risk not acknowledging an esoteric element that might actually be a cornerstone of service to our teachers, researchers and learners?

    I am afraid that the wisdom to be comprehensively inclusive is beyond me and possibly beyond all of us.

    Having said that, and wanting to be brief, my input is this. How do we welcome all, no matter how esoteric or universal their contribution?

    A quiet place, a rewarding conversation, a diet coke and a granola bar are a welcome oasis at EDUCAUSE. Let’s challenge ourselves to find a way to create an oasis for everyone.

    All the best!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Michael, I hate to say this but your proposal is a bit disingenuous and hypocritical. You’ve attended the Cisco Live Executive Symposium on multiple occasions. It’s been my hope that the EDUCAUSE CIO lounge might evolve into something similar. Doing away with it will only end that possibility.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Michael,

    Great discussion. I always feel conflicted in the lounge. On one side, I can always find other CIO's there I want to connect with and so it adds immensely to the value of the EDUCAUSE experience.

    That said, as someone with a strong social-justice up-bringing I always feel guilty using it.

    What I don't think makes sense is to create a large number of affinity lounges. My sense is that while that might make us feel less guilty for a getting a drink or snack outside of official breaks it won't help lessen questions of elitism (do CIO"s have better snacks, furniture, etc.).

    What I'd like to see if we double the size of the lounge and open it up to anyone to come in. At the same time we should be opening up a lounge in the exhibit hall that has nice furniture and is open throughout the day.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Michael,

    I'm not a CIO and thankfully the EDUCAUSE CIO Listserv doesn't discriminate because I learn a lot from it everyday (where I am following this conversation there too).

    Like many in the comments, I enjoy finding a quiet respite from the hustle and bustle of a conference. Something that doesn't know a status or title. I might welcome such a lounge option to do so from time to time even. I don't begrudge the CIOs their oasis in any way and I do understand the value of peer-networking. The EDUCAUSE Annual Conference has become less valuable to me without opportunity to learn from, share ideas, and network with CIOs in those informal ways.

    The economics of a conference are such that these rooms are more common place, as is the branding of CIOs with a target for vendors. It doesn't mean that the users of the perks can't reimagine the perks in different and more meaningful ways.

    Perhaps hosting some short and informal talks in the lounge during the conference for those interested or aspiring to a CIO/similar position might make the lounge both an oasis for CIOs and a place of inspiration to/from others. It need not be formally scheduled or vetted through EDUCAUSE but more unconference-like with a whiteboard announcement outside the room. Provided this isn't over done it might be a welcome change.

    ReplyDelete