Things have Changed

I was doing some morning reading and came across this post illustrating just how much things can change over a period of ten years. I can only imagine what the next ten years will bring for us a global society.

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In my own life there has also been huge change in the last ten years. If I take a few minutes to reflect on it I am a bit astonished by it all. Both of my children were born during the past decade … That in an of itself has been beyond transformative. My personal life has been enriched by new friends and colleagues. My wife and I have had a wild ride trying to come to terms with parenthood and we are stronger today then we were ten years ago.

I've worked at Penn State for all ten of those years, and have tried to make the most of the environment by building my own research agenda, learning how to manage organizations, and teaching both undergraduates and graduate courses. I've had several jobs over that time, moving to the College of IST right before 2000 where I eventually became the director of the IST Solutions Institute. In 2005 I left IST to become the director of Education Technology Services where I learned how complex, demanding, and humbling it is to try to run a large group at a big University. And just this past November I became Senior Director of Teaching and Learning with Technology for Penn State. I count myself as truly blessed for the opportunities I have had here at the University.

I'm not much for resolutions, but I will try to resolve to write more, spend more time with my amazing family, and keep pushing myself to be better at what I do and who I want to be. That includes getting back on the treadmill — as soon as vacation is over.

2 thoughts on “Things have Changed

  1. You know, I am struck here by what has stayed basically the same: movie sales? I have to imagine that will change over the next 10 years with better in home theaters and the ability to stream anything anywhere in a house.
    Also, I am encouraged to see that the US power consumption has actually gone down a bit. Let’s keep it moving in that direction.
    Finally, one thing that is clearly staying the same is that you will continue to be at Penn State, which I find very encouraging indeed!

  2. Hi, Chris! Welcome to 2011! Thanks for the kind words … it dawned on me the other day (actually when I ran into on NYE) that we really are in a place where we can truly impact change on our campus and beyond. I love the idea that we can build on the things those before us have done and work to go down new paths. Getting to do that in a collaborative ways with real partners across campus is such a great opportunity!

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