Microsoft @EDUCAUSE2011

“Hail! Hail! The gang’s all here!” We will sing a more updated version of that little ditty next week at the EDUCAUSE 2011 Annual Conference in Philadelphia, PA.

I will be kicking off the week with our Microsoft Higher Education Advisory Group. We always meet at EDUCAUSE and focus on the key issues that shape our agenda in Higher Education and Campus IT. This year, we are diving deep into the world of the socially-connected campus and the implications for next-generation IT leaders.  I am looking forward to this conversation because none of the rules have been written and our shared canvas for innovation on campus is wide open.

Last year at EDUCAUSE Anaheim, Microsoft expanded the conversation on innovation and consumerization that is happening at all of our colleges and universities.  This year, those themes will continue but with some key foci in mind: the evolution of teaching and learning in higher education to meet the needs of multi-generational learners and enabling IT to be the primary, strategic value creator for higher education. We have a lot of work to do to ensure that students successfully complete their educational goals with affordability and employability.

The Microsoft experience, located on the EDUCAUSE 2011 exhibit floor, will showcase in the theater and through media presentations from our leaders, how Microsoft is focused on these key pillars.  Many of my colleagues from across Microsoft will be available for one-on-one meetings and open discussions about Microsoft in Higher Education.

Additionally, on Thursday, October 20, 2011, at 1:00PM EDT at the Philadelphia Convention Center in Meeting Room 104A/B, I will be sharing our vision for being “what’s next” in teaching and learning. As always, it will be a provocative and interactive conversation.  Over the next decade, we will soon discover if Nicholas Carr was right in his assertion of IT from a higher education perspective or completely off-the-mark. I promise that it will be a fun and necessary conversation.

We will have a number of events with our partners throughout the week. Stay tuned to my Twitter feed (@EDUCTO) with the hashtag #EDU11 for updates on where the hotspot will be.

Please feel free to interrupt my flow at EDUCAUSE. The only reason I am there is for you.  I would love to catch up with old colleagues and make new friends while we are enjoying the city of brotherly love. On behalf of Microsoft, we look forward to meeting you in Philly.