The annual Continuous Improvement in Technology (CIT) Conference brought together the Illinois State University information technology (IT) community to discuss new developments, share best practices, and celebrate achievements from the past year. The event, held in the State Farm Hall of Business (SFHB) on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, featured a series of presentations, networking opportunities, and a keynote address focused on embracing organizational change.
This year’s keynote was delivered by Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Dr. Ani Yazedjian, who spoke on the importance of organizational change management. The presentation, titled “Resisting the Urge to Resist Change,” challenged attendees to consider their role in adapting to new technologies and processes. Yazedjian shared, “In a system, there are bidirectional influences, where one thing affects the others. Change in one part of the system will have an impact on many other parts of the system. People can resist change when they’re only focused on their own part. People don’t always think of the end user(s).” She went on to outline a process for achieving goals that included identifying your purpose (your why), defining what success will look like, and developing a plan. Yazedjian encouraged her audience to try to think of all the people involved in any given change—from those completing the work to the users experiencing the results of the change: “Acknowledge what you are asking people to do. And acknowledge the good work that we are already doing. Just because something is aspirational doesn’t mean we aren’t doing good work right now too.”
The conference schedule offered a wide range of sessions throughout the day. These included information on the operations of the Technology Support Center (TSC), discussions of Event-Driven Ansible and the University’s digital interfaces, digital accessibility ADA Title II updates, the construction of a research network, and several sessions about leadership. University Police’s Pawfficer Korg and his team joined the attendees for an afternoon break.
A highlight of the conference was the announcement of the CIT MVP Award recipient. The award recognizes an individual who has made a significant impact on the IT community at Illinois State University. This year’s award went to Ted Coussens, part of Technology Solutions’ Learning Spaces and AV Technology (LSAVT) team. His nominator, Kristie Toohill, executive director of Facilities Services, shared, “One of Ted’s greatest strengths is his ability to connect the dots between where we are now and where we need to go. He doesn’t just help to get the equipment installed—he listens first. He aims to understand how teaching works and how spaces need to function….With that mindset, Ted has helped shape classroom and learning spaces across campus for the better.”
Tony Brook from Tech Solutions’ App Admin team, Allison Hauser from the Center for Integrated Professional Development, and Matt Lindstrom from the Information Security Office were also nominated this year for the MVP Award.
Mike Regilio, CIT planning committee member and director of College of Arts and Sciences IT, said, “What an amazing day of learning and connection we had at the Continuous Improvement in Technology (CIT) Conference. This event is a shining example of our university’s core value of collaboration, bringing together IT staff and students to work together. The dedication to professional development and the sharing of knowledge we’ve witnessed truly elevates our institutional excellence, and I am so proud of the work our community does to prepare us all for the future. Thank you to everyone who presented, attended, and worked to make this day a success. We are all Redbirds, and our collective efforts help to ensure that excellence at Illinois State University is always by design.”
CITx, the CIT half-day extension event, is set to be held in February 2026. Deadlines for session proposals and nominations for the CIT Student MVP Award will be announced at a later date.
