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In this Higher Ed Careers interview, Monika Sziron of HigherEdJobs speaks with Lisa Brown, assistant director in the University of Rochester’s Information Technology division, about the value of IT careers in higher education and how institutions can better support and retain their tech professionals.
Brown also serves as chair of the Special Interest Group on University and College Computing Services (SIGUCCS), a professional organization within the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) that supports IT professionals working in higher education. SIGUCCS promotes networking, leadership development, and the exchange of ideas through conferences and community-building initiatives.
Monika Sziron (HigherEdJobs): Can you tell us more about SIGUCCS and how your professions support college campuses?
Lisa Brown (Information Technology, University of Rochester): ACM SIGUCCS is a special interest group for IT professionals in higher education. The UCCS stands for University and College Computing Services. Our members are the IT staff who work at universities and colleges across the country and internationally. Our goal is to provide a space for people to share the work they are doing to help others in similar situations. The organization also provides an opportunity for extended networking across campuses.
Sziron: Tell us more about your career path and current role.
Brown: I have been working in higher education IT for most of my career. I learned about ACM SIGUCCS early in my career, and its conference inspired me to both stay in higher education and advance in my career there. I started in user services, supporting a single technology. Later, I became a manager for a small program. About fifteen years ago, I took on a school-wide IT service and became an assistant director. SIGUCCS has been part of my journey the entire time.
Sziron: SIGUCCS just hosted its annual conference; can you tell us who campuses should send to this conference and why it’s an important professional development opportunity for higher ed professionals in this space?
Brown: Our conference is appropriate for many roles within a campus IT department; however, we do have a strong focus on areas that are customer-facing, like help desk, student worker supervision, and academic technology. We aim to provide professional development opportunities as well, so that could mean sessions on career path planning, management skills, and leadership. The content of the conference is dependent on proposals offered by our presenters. Every year, there could be different themes to the program.
Another aspect of the conference is the community building and networking opportunities. The conference is small enough that you meet many of the attendees and get a chance to know them well. This means that you can reach out at a later date and ask additional questions about their project or find out more about services that they offer. This tends to be the even more valuable aspect of attending the conference as it builds long-term relationships.
Sziron: What are some major trends/new developments in your professions that we will see impact higher education in the next five years?
Brown: Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and AI built into tools are going to impact higher education over the next five years. IT staff will need to be agile in learning how to use AI and how to support the faculty and staff on campus using AI. When AI is built into campus software, the IT staff will need to be able to handle questions about its validity, as well as technical questions about how to use it.
Additionally, security will continue to play a major role in all that we do in higher education IT. Every aspect of our work revolves around security and its intersection with our services.
Sziron: Many forget that IT and IT management careers in higher education are an integral part of managing a campus and student success. How can we raise awareness of these roles in higher ed and filling these positions? How can institutions compete for IT talent in 2025 and beyond?
Brown: I think this is an interesting question because college majors typically don’t focus on IT support as a career path. Campuses that have a strong IT student worker program are often best poised to encourage these paths and often do just that. A few of my SIGUCCS colleagues run very successful help desks comprised of student workers who continue into the field later. Institutions should put time and effort into developing their student employees and giving them career paths while they are still students. This can lead to great recruitment opportunities later.
Sziron: What keeps you inspired in this profession and area of higher education?
Brown: I personally get inspired by the events on campus that remind me that we are a campus; the ceremony of graduation, the excitement of the start of the school year, orientation activities, final exam periods. These cyclic events remind us of the constant change in our environment and help keep us focused on the reason our services are so valuable – to support the students as they make their way into the future.
Sziron: What advice would you share with your peers working in campus IT?
Brown: My advice to persons working in campus IT is to get involved in the campus too. Understanding the academic calendar and knowing what activities are happening on campus can be a growth opportunity for people working in the IT department, especially those that work behind the scenes. If there are opportunities to volunteer at ceremonies or events (like graduation or move-in), do it. Seeing how your work connects with the student and faculty experience can be rewarding. Unlike some other IT employment opportunities, working in higher education we have a front row seat to the use of our services and participating in these events can provide context beyond just the technology.
Sziron: Do you have any tips for success (aside from being ready for AI) as we look toward the future?
Brown: Learn what other campuses are doing, and ACM SIGUCCS is a great way to do that. Sessions at the ACM SIGUCCS Conference allow me to see how IT departments on other campuses address different issues, solve different problems, and manage their projects. Networking opportunities at the conference give me time to follow-up with questions to presenters and other attendees. Additionally, I have made contacts that I can connect with during the year if needed. I not only have connections related to the technologies that I support, but with other IT areas. I can reach out and connect my colleagues with people at other institutions when needed.
