As an institute of technology, it’s no surprise we value technology, not only in our classrooms to enhance education but also to make sure things run efficiently within the college.

It is also something we all tend to take for granted. We take for granted that our computers will work, that sufficient bandwidth exists to carry our communications, that our software programs will be installed, and that someone will answer the phone when something needs to be fixed.

For those reasons, and so many more, I think it is apt that we celebrate our IT Services Department at LWIT. We are fortunate here to have a wonderful, innovative staff working hard to assure our technology infrastructure is seamless and supportive.

In keeping with my theme of celebration in 2013, I’d like to acknowledge 13 things about our IT Services Department that you may not know:

1. IT Services has completed over 12,000 help desk requests since 2009.

2. Employees rated their satisfaction with the servicing of those requests as 4.14 (high) on a 5 point scale, according to the latest employee satisfaction survey.

3. LWIT has over 1,600 computers on the Kirkland and Redmond campuses.

4. IT Services maintains over 60 servers in the data center that host LWIT’s software applications and data.

5. Since 2008, LWIT has received over 27 million e-mail messages from outside the college, 23 million of which were blocked by our spam filter.

6. It takes 25 hours to back up the 2.6 million files using 2.6TB of disk space in employee drives and department administrative folders.

7. Over 1,000 personal mobile devices connect to our wireless network on the busiest days of the week.

8. Since 2010, LWIT’s daily peak average Internet bandwidth usage has tripled from 25mbps to 75mbps.

9. LWIT’s website is comprised of over 6,000 individual pages and receives more than 20,000 visits and 80,000 page views a week with the most-visited pages being the class schedule and the programs of study list.

10. LWIT’s intranet contains over 30,000 searchable documents.

11. The time and leave reporting system has 69,286 lines of custom-written programming code.

12. Since installation, the digital signage system has displayed over 500 unique messages provided by LWIT departments, teams and students.

13. Four of our nine IT staff members graduated from LWIT’s CSNT program, with one of them starting at our own high school, the Lake Washington Technical Academy, completing an AAS degree before taking advantage of our transfer agreements to complete a Bachelor’s degree.

Kudo’s to LWIT’s Chief Information Officer Mike Potter and the IT Services Department for a job well done. Please join me in celebrating their accomplishments in the comments below.

My theme for 2013 is celebration – celebrating all things big and small that make LWIT a great place to learn and work.

At LWIT, we constantly work to improve the educational experience for our students. However, sometimes we forget to talk about all the great things happening in our instructional programs.

Without quality programs, exceptional faculty, and great administrative support, we wouldn’t be able to serve our students the way we do. Here are 13 great things to celebrate about instruction:

1.    Faculty who take their students to the top: We have an amazing group of faculty who are industry-based and student-focused. Their dedication helps students reach new heights and win awards – like the American Culinary Federation Knowledge Bowl, the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Competition, and the Dwight D. Eisenhower Transportation Fellowships.

2.    Innovations that enhance student learning: Innovation seems to be a constant in instruction. Last year we developed and implemented numerous innovative approaches to education including the creation of Math 900 and English 900. These courses allow students to complete developmental coursework sooner and move efficiently and quickly to college-level coursework.

3.    Facilities that improve the student experience: Having quality facilities is essential in promoting student learning – especially for a workforce training college. The $850,000 remodel to the welding lab is just one of the many ways instruction has optimized the student experience.

4.    Resources to better serve students: There are never enough resources to do everything we would like to do; however, instruction has worked hard to secure funds to better serve students. Examples include the College Spark grant ($50,000), the IDEA grant ($135,000) as well as $400,000 in CNC grant-funded equipment.

5.    Programs that serve the community: Not only do our instructional programs teach students what they need to know to achieve their educational goals, many of them also serve community members by providing automotive, dental, funeral, massage, horticulture and culinary services.

6.    Partnerships that make more possible: Each of our technical programs is connected to an advisory committee comprised of representatives from business and industry. Not only do they support our programs with their industry expertise, but they also provide donations of time, equipment and resources to make our programs top-notch.

7.    Faculty who keep on learning: Our faculty make it a priority to continue to learn and grow in their areas of expertise – like BTAD instructor Caroline Kapp who was selected out of a competitive pool of international applicants to engage in a one-month artist residency at the Burren College of Art in County Clare, Ireland, to develop new techniques around photography.

8.    Library services that create more learning opportunities: LWIT’s library staff is committed to providing rich resources for student learning. They recently opened a common study lounge providing space for student study and collaboration, and also acquired more than 1,000 new books, periodicals and DVDS.

9.    Community education that inspires: While we offer more than 110 degrees and certificates in more than 38 areas of study, we also have a wide range of community education offerings to meet the continuing education needs of our neighbors, from parent education and computing to in cooking and horticulture.

10.    New programs responding to industry needs: As a workforce college, we pride ourselves on responding quickly to the needs of business and industry through relevant programming. As aerospace and advanced manufacturing employers expressed a need, instruction responded with new aerospace courses in our established machine technology, welding technology and industrial finishing programs. As employers expressed a need for engineering–based training, instruction responded with our new Engineering Technology degree (starting winter quarter).

11.    Pathways for students: One of our core themes is pathways. There is more than one way to get your degree and no two student situations are the same. We work hard to offer multiple entrance points and pathways to educational goals that work with a variety of student needs.

12.    Unique programs you’ll find nowhere else: Our own funeral services education program is the only one of its kind in the state, giving students the valuable skills needed to meet the needs of a growing and well-paying industry.

13.    An administrative team that steps ups to the plate: Last but not least, our instructional division has a great administrative team – from our administrative support and deans to our new Vice President of Instruction, Dr. Kathleen Curphy.

I’m sure there are many more things to celebrate in our instructional division. Has a program or work done by our instruction team made an impact on your life? Faculty, do you have a program you’d like to mention? Please consider leaving a comment with your story and help us celebrate LWIT instruction.

A few days ago, I dropped in to visit the Environmental Horticulture Program and had an inspiring conversation with long-time instructor, Don Marshall.

Don told me that each year he selects themes to set the tone for the year and that he shares these theme with his students.

In 2013, he has selected two themes. The first theme is working and learning with intention – in other words, being intentional about what we do and how we act. The second theme is thinking critically. Or, as Don puts it, “Challenging yourself to … look broader at what you are doing and how you are responding.”

As I left my conversation with Don, I was struck – again – by how lucky we are at LWIT to have faculty who think and care so deeply; not only about the quality of instruction, but also the intangible things like helping our students see larger, more positive perspectives for themselves and others.

I also left the conversation motivated to adopt a theme of my own for 2013:  celebration.

One of the things we don’t do enough of, both in our work and in our personal lives, is to celebrate the good things. You know what I’m talking about … the big wins (like a successful grant application) and the little wins (the student we helped find the perfect program). We get busy, we assume no one will notice, and, of course, there’s always the next thing that needs doing so who has time to celebrate?

It’s time to change all that.

As 2013 begins, I am going to do a series of blog posts recognizing thirteen things about each area of the college. Watch for the next blog post. Let the celebration begin!