• I was in San Diego for part of the week. While I was there, the Internet2 Global Summit conference was in full swing. Although I wasn’t an attendee, I managed to find opportunities to connect with a few of my colleagues who are CIOs at US institutions to hear what they are focused on. Security certainly is a core discussion point as are opportunities for institutions to partner with each other around common areas of need and interest. I also ran into an individual from Texas A&M who is participating in a research project with URegina and SFU: Bridging Research & Interoperability Collaboration (BRIC). When he learned I was from Canada he wondered if I knew of the research. I hadn’t heard of it. And it was surprising to meet an American that knew anything about URegina or SFU.
• On Friday, I joined the UTS Management Team for a full day of meetings, both strategic and also IT culture focused. There will be opportunities for UTS and campus IT personnel to have similar strategic conversations in June when we schedule sessions as part of the McMaster IT Strategic Planning process.
• My book this week was The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn. A suspense/thriller novel that follows a similar approach to The Girl on the Train, if you have read that. I actually liked this one better. It is not a complex book but there were some unexpected twists and surprises – a fun summer read.
• I want to thank all of the individuals who attended May@Mac on Saturday to greet future students and tell them about the IT environment here at McMaster. Sacrificing time on a weekend is difficult in all of our busy lives, and your time and willingness to represent McMaster is appreciated. Thank you!

What I am up to this week

• It is conference season. Today I am going into Toronto for the Gartner CIO and IT Executive Summit which will run for the next three days. Monday (today) is Industry Day, with leaders from the higher education sector coming together for a number of workshops and opportunities to network. The rest of the agenda includes content that pertains to all IT Leaders across sectors – it is a very busy but interesting agenda.
• I return to the office on Thursday and Friday and have meetings with a number of UTS team members as well as Rob Baker, VP Research, and Andrea Farquhar, AVP Communications and Public Affairs.
• There is a Research Technology Committee meeting on Friday.
• Tanya Reid is officially starting today, Monday May 15. She is our new Manager, Communications and Culture. I am very pleased to welcome Tanya to the McMaster team and I know that you will enjoy working with her. Thank you in advance for helping Tanya to get settled into her new role and new institution. Welcome Tanya!

I  hope everyone has a great week – a reminder that next weekend is the first Long Weekend of the summer! Monday May 21 is Victoria Day.

Best regards
Gayleen