EDUCAUSE President John O’Brien, UTSA associate vice president Vanessa Hammler Kenon and members of Mariachi Los Paisanos came together at the 2024 EDUCAUSE Annual Conference.
OCTOBER 29, 2024 — The 2024 EDUCAUSE Annual Conference brought together thousands of professionals from academia and private industry to San Antonio to engage in relevant education topics. It was a chance to showcase the city, which hosted the event. EDUCAUSE also created an opportunity to highlight UTSA, according to Vanessa Hammler Kenon, program chair for the conference and UTSA associate vice president of technology compliance and community engagement for University Technology Solutions.
“It was an absolute honor to represent UTSA and the city of San Antonio as the 2024 EDUCAUSE Program Chair, welcoming so many higher-education professionals to our great city,” Kenon said. “Many attendees also visited various UTSA campus sites and had a chance to experience our world-class university.”
UTSA had 88 staff and faculty members representing the university at EDUCAUSE 2024, which saw nearly 8,000 participants from around the world. In addition, UTSA students participated thanks to Kenon, who has brought students to the conference as a longtime supporter of EDUCAUSE.
“It’s great to be involved with EDUCAUSE as a student this early in my career,” said Olubunmi Joseph, a senior majoring in cybersecurity at UTSA and an EDUCAUSE Professional Pipeline Student Scholarship recipient. “I feel better interconnected with professionals, which is something a lot of people cannot say.”
Kendra Ketchum, UTSA vice president for information management, discussed university leadership and student involvement in the work to advance the fields of cybersecurity, data science and research computing. The panel for this presentation included a diverse roster of students and Juan B. Gutiérrez, professor and chair of the Department of Mathematics.
“This panel really demonstrated how UTSA weaves students, staff and faculty into the mission of these fields. It’s up to our leaders to curate these outcomes and align them with student success,” said Ketchum.
Student representatives from the UTS Bold Careers Experiential Learning Program discussed their current involvement supporting the next generation of IT students from the classroom to the workforce.
“I started coming to EDUCAUSE before I was involved in education technology — as I am in my current role," said Melissa Vito, UTSA vice provost for academic innovation. Vito’s presentation focused on the influence of education technology in developing leadership, supporting student success and investing in faculty growth.
“This conference is forward-thinking, future-focused and has touched areas of education where we need to be thinking more about technology — student retention, strategic enrollment and overall student success. I have continued to attend and participate in the annual EDUCAUSE conference as a place of community, new ideas and fun.”
UTSA representatives from Academic Technologies, the Office of Risk & Emergency Management, Student Success, the Department of Enrollment Marketing and Communications, and the Libraries also attended EDUCAUSE.
Visitors from around the world, representing 40 different countries, experienced the vibrant culture of the city during their time at EDUCAUSE. In traditional San Antonio fashion, the UTSA student mariachi ensemble, Mariachi Los Paisanos, performed at the closing ceremony of the event.
The annual conference made its return to Texas for the first time since 2006, when it was held in Dallas. The event is hosted by cities across the United States. Last year's conference, which took place in Chicago, welcomed participants from over 20 different countries.
EDUCAUSE is a national organization which welcomes cohorts from all over the world — all unified by the mission of using IT in higher education.
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
Each fall and spring semester, students convene at the Main Campus at UTSA with booths, ideas and prototypes. A crowd of judges, local organizations, students, faculty and sponsors walk around and talk to the students about their projects and ask questions. Students get the real-life experience of "pitching" their project with hopes of getting funding or support to move to the next level.
UTSA Convocation Center, Main CampusJoin the doctoral candidates for the Doctoral Conferreal Ceremony and celebrate their accomplishments.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusCelebrate the graduates from the Carlos Alvarez College of Business, College of Education and Human Development, Margie and Bill Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design and University College.
AlamodomeCelebrate the graduates from the College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and College of Sciences.
AlamodomeThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
