On Thursday, February 27, campus information technology (IT) professionals gathered for the half-day Continuous Improvement in Technology (CIT) Conference, known as CITx. As MC Jeff Grabb mentioned in his closing remarks, the theme for the day appeared to be “outstanding work and opportunities—from students to research to what all is going on on campus right now.” Highlights of the day included a keynote from Director of Emerging Technologies for Instruction and Research Roy Magnuson and the awarding of the CIT Student MVP Award.
Magnuson, who joined the Office of Technology Solutions in August 2024 as its newest director, spoke about his path to working with generative artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality/extended reality (VR/XR), as well as the many emerging technologies happening within Tech Solutions and across campus. Some of these projects include the driving simulator project with State Farm and the Apple Vision Pro project with OSF Healthcare, the cubesat ground stations at the University Farm, the high-performance cluster (HPC), and updates to the IT infrastructure, such as a hyperconnected farm and 5G on the Quad.
He also included a deep dive into the current realities of AI. Magnuson encouraged audience members to “use AI creatively and cautiously. Embody the opposite of AI, but let AI free us to be more human.”
Next, conference attendees heard about current news and projects at Illinois State. The new Illinois State University mobile app is now in app stores and has even already won an award from vendor Modo for “Best Dining Experience.” Nathan Stein, lead developer in Web and Interactive Communications, shared about the AI use in WEB, which supports knowledge bases, workflows, and actions. Rob Bailey, director of Student Affairs IT, shared about TimelyCare, a virtual health and well-being program for students that has recently been rolled out for mobile and web.
Alex Clark, student employee with the University High School IT team, won the CIT Student MVP Award for 2025. Nominator Steven Corrigan said of Clark, “He represents us as a technical department and what it means to be a Redbird. He’s helped out with research projects, the DeGarmo tech team, and also me at UHigh. He’s really making an impact in the high schoolers’ lives, serving as a role model, and always finding ways to integrate technology throughout our building as a whole.” Runners-up for the award this year included:
- Priya Bantu, Office of Digital Transformation and Process Improvement, Tech Solutions
- Ben Eddy, College of Arts and Sciences IT team
- Ethan Edwards, Web and Interactive Communications (WEB), Tech Solutions
- Erik Peterson, Endpoint Support, Tech Solutions
- Natalie Simova, Thomas Metcalf School IT team
During the conference, attendees were also able to choose a Redbirds of a Feather session to participate in. Options consisted of: Positioning Yourself to Seize Career Opportunities; AI in the Wild: Current Applications Across ISU IT; Get Started with Ansible: Automating SSL Certificates and More; and The Future of Access Management.
The day-long annual CIT Conference will be held in August 2025. The conference is open to Illinois State’s community, including staff, faculty, and students, all of whom are welcome to submit presentation proposals and to attend the conference. Learn more about upcoming deadlines on the CIT Conference website.
