What are the Regional Forums?
The COA Executive Board has approved COA Regional Forums as a new way to support and develop SUNY’s computing workforce.
This is a program open to all computing staff, including those who may be excluded from conferences because they are unable to be away from campus for longer than a day.
Purpose of COA Forums:
- To involve the members of COA who are not able to attend major conferences;
- To produce networking opportunities;
- To offer relationship-building opportunities among staff in similar positions;
- To identify best practices;
- Engage in problem-solving activities.
For the purposes of the regional forums, we propose to divide New York State into four regions, as follows:
- Western New York
- Central New York
- Northern New York
- Downstate
Using this model, representatives from each college would be able to travel within their region with no more than 2 hours of travel to and from the host campus.
COA Forum Model
- The COA Forums are intended to provide an informal, casual atmosphere for computing support staff.
- We are proposing many areas of focus for the forums: networking, help desk, systems, and user (client) support, disaster planning & recovery, adaptive technology, Banner related topics, etc.
- At least one forum each semester held within each regional area.
- A “day trip” for participants. The schedule would be 10:00 -12:00 for morning activities, lunch, 1:00 - 3:00 for afternoon activities.
- COA will provide funding for hosting expenses (lunch, etc), with pre-approval.
- The host campus will provide the facility and a facilitator, as appropriate.
- There will be no predetermined agenda.
- Hosts campuses will be solicited through COA list.
- COA Executive Board will develop a brief assessment survey to be given at the end of each forum for review by COA.
