by 
By Kelly Atwood, Assistant Chair of the Technology KG, Mississippi State University
The Technology KG hosted its 3rd annual Boot Camp July 24-25. This two-day webinar event began as the brainchild of Peter Thorsett (University of South Florida) and Sally Perez-Ramos (St. Edward’s University) to provide technology-focused professional development to the KG and overall SoACE membership. Each year, the event has evolved in the types of technology and marketing platforms included in the programming, as well as the variety of KG and association members both presenting and participating.
The 2019 Boot Camp showcased seven presentations from members at six institutions and across four states. Coordinator of the SoACE Technology Boot Camp, Danielle Golinski (Elon University), noted that she was impressed with the level of knowledge and willingness of all presenters to share what they know virtually. The boot camp is a fantastic opportunity for all SoACE members to learn and support each other, from the comfort of their office, during the summer season to further promote continued learnings.
In two packed days, Boot Camp participants learned about chatbots; email and social media analytics; résumé technology; impactful and targeted messaging to Gen Z students; utilizing institutional research software to attract new talent; Slack; and driving student engagement through technology and data. Each session offered knowledge sharing, insights, and best practices for career services and employer members. For those who missed out on this year’s Boot Camp, or want to revisit a session, all webinars were recorded and are available on the SoACE website.
The Boot Camp has afforded the opportunity to increase KG member involvement and a foray into leadership with the KG. The past Boot Camp coordinators (Peter, Sally, and I) have all served or currently are serving in leadership roles. We are proud of Danielle’s coordination of the event, and anticipate her contributions to the KG and the association to grow. We thank all of the presenters for their time and willingness to share their knowledge, the SoACE and KG leadership for support and promotion of the event, and of course, all the attendees for joining one or all seven webinars.
The next Technology KG member meeting will be September 4 at 1 p.m. CDT/2 p.m. EDT (call-in details: https://zoom.us/j/256607305). All SoACE members interested in learning about the KG, sharing technology insights or challenges, or discussing trends are welcome. Slack or email Laura Kalb (lkalb@trinity.edu);, Technology KG Chair, or me (katwood@career.msstate.edu); with any questions, comments, or suggestions for the KG.
Recordings of the Technology Boot Camp Webinars can be found on the Archived Program page on the SoACE website.
