Higher Ed AV Podcast with Joe Way

This month's Tech Manger Spotlight (Presented by Sennheiser) guest, Frank Alaimo, Senior Audio Video Systems Specialist at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, joins the show to discuss my team's recent visit out to UNLV. We talk about their user-first configuration of Crestron Fusion and touch panels and the new Dolby Atmos theater (and how it's being used during the pandemic. We walk through the...

By now, we should all know the importance of locking down our AV systems. What is IEEE 802.1X and why is it important to think about on an enterprise network? Bill O’Donnell, AV Network Design Engineer at William Paterson University, and James King, Audio Visual Specialist at Stockton University, return to the show to discuss this important topic. Authentication and network access is not just abou...

The holiday wish list came early for Sean Kalaras, Senior Client Technology Analyst, and Jared Mukai, Manager of AV Technologies & Special Projects, at Pepperdine University, as they upgraded 166 classrooms with EduFLEX, a hybrid classroom technology solution featuring Panasonic AW-HE38H PTZ Cameras in response to COVID and the need for hybrid learning. As noted in their Case Study: Together with...

Congratulations to the USC Learning Environments team for winning the 2020 #AVAwards for End-User Service Team of the Year, presented by AV Magazine! I welcome boots-on-the-ground Support Analysts, Adaline Tatum, Marco Winfrey, Lorenzo Bernardi, and Keith Jordan to discuss how they achieve operational excellence. We also discuss Digital Transformation, developing the team, how they approach servin...

Programming or configuration? Which one is best for higher ed? Steve Greenblatt, President of Control Concepts and host of the podcast, "A State of Control" discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each, how to succeed as an AV programmer, and how to best use outside resources. We also discuss professional development and training from a personality, team, and business prospective. As Steve s...

There is no denying that the pandemic has caused us to shift how we work, how we plan, and how we serve our customers. Greg Carstens, Senior Audio Visual Design Engineer at the University of Colorado Buffalo join the show, discussing the plans they have implemented, and how we need "flexible standards." Hear how in-house integration, training, and teamwork go together to generate success on their...

What is it like to move from the events side of higher ed AV to the classroom support side? I welcome Craig Shibley, MBA, CTS, back to the show to talk about his transition now almost one year later. What is it like taking a new job and then having COVID hit? How do you build on what your predecessor left behind? We tackle all these questions as well as Craig's monthly article here on the magazine...

We have another first this week... We geek out on cable pulls! Ramiro Vasquez, Audio Visual System Engineer at the University of Oregon joins the show. We discuss campus operations and the importance of performing our craft to a high level. Why is it important to be certified in all our specialities? Listen to what Ramiro has to say! Connect with Ramiro Vasquez on LinkedIn. Learn more about the Un...

The FLEXspace platform is a valuable resource for higher ed institutions to share and collaborate on learning space design. Today, I welcome Rebecca Frazee (Faculty in Learning Design and Technology at San Diego State University and Associate Director at FLEXspace) and Lisa Stephens (Assistant Dean of Digital Education at UB School of Engineering & Applied Sciences at the University at Buffalo and...

Let's play the Feud! On this episode I welcome an all-star guest list of people who have inspired me in this industry and have been instrumental to the podcast's success. We discuss the top technology trends of 2020, how college majors are changing and what education means for AV, and our hybrid classroom setups. Also, be sure to listen to the end for some great bonus content and important announc...

Wow! What a journey this has been! I can't believe I'm almost to the 100th episode. In this 99th episode, I go solo, and recap lessons learn from each and every episode. I have learned so much from this journey and am extremely thankful for every guest and every one of you listeners. Let's take a moment to reminisce. Connect with me on Twitter at @josiahway and on LinkedIn. Follow Higher Ed AV Med...

Big things are happening in both the higher ed and podcast world. Tim Van Woeart, Senior Project Supervisor at Rutgers University joins the show to discuss recent upgrades on campus and their COVID response. He also serves as a HETMA steering committee member, and we talk about lessons learned from our first year and exciting things looking forward. And we conclude with exciting news about The AV...

Digital signage can play a key role in both university communications as well as important emergency and COVID-19 messaging. Steve "Chewie" Stavar, Digital Signage Specialist, at West Virginia University, joins the show to discuss his 2-person department role in managing 200+ endpoints across three campuses. We also discuss how his background in live production is able to inform how he brings qual...

Some of the most underserved areas of the commercial integration industry are the community colleges. Today, I invite Thomas Love, Support Analyst - Media Support, at Ozarks Technical Community College in Springfield, MO, my first guest on the show from a community college system. We discuss the similarities and differences as well as where community colleges have a strong advantage over tradition...

It's great to see higher ed tech managers make the AV lists. Today, I welcome Chris Bensch, Audiovisual Support Specialist at Princeton University, and member of the 2020 Class of Commercial Integrator Magazine's 40-Under-40. Hear how he utilizes skills acquired from both his U.S. Navy and commercial integration background in order to improve the service and installation offerings at Princeton. Li...

The COVID response meant many universities were forced to pull off entire campuswide integrations of microphones and cameras into their existing classroom systems. Hear how Jonathan Lord, Classroom and Event Technology Manager at Azusa Pacific University incorporated the Stem Audio Ecosystem and Huddly cameras to create over 200 hybrid/distance learning spaces. He shares a great tip on getting dec...

It's a milestone day... our first 5-time guest. Jimmie Singleton, CTS, Senior Learning Environments Support Analyst at the University of Southern California joins the show to discuss him being named to Commercial Integrator Magazine's 40-Under-40 Class of 2020. We also discuss the development of his role at USC over the past 10 months, being a readiness captain for the campus COVID response, and h...

One of the advantages of being at a smaller university is the ability to easily collaborate with other campus partners for AV needs. Stephen Gibbs Jr., Senior Educational Technology Engineer at Eastern Mennonite University joins the show to discuss his role at EMU, and the large scope of the department from classroom support and design to events operations. We geek out on the "L" of AVL, explore h...

One of our great #WomenOfAV, Julie Johnston, Senior Director of Learning Technologies, at Indiana University, Bloomington joins the show! We discuss her recent increased role, including lessons learned with her new perspective and how to build interdepartmental relationships. We also cover Indiana University's return to campus plans, her rockstar staff, CCUMC, and the two recent webinars we recent...

I am a data nerd, and Sean Brown, Chief Strategist of Campus Reimagined, gave me my fix. Hear how Florida State University is able to leverage data provided by the students to deliver a best-in-class experience and services that truly improve the campus community. Learn how you can collect actionable data to improve AV processes and service installations. We also discuss the Presence Summit panel...

Fall semester is coming in hot; we're right around the corner. In all the stress and unknowns, let's not forget to pause, take a deep breath, and be thankful. In this 10 Minute Take, I am flying solo because I wanted to fill you in on some upcoming news about the new Higher Ed AV Media Group as well as just be word of encouragement in this crazy time. I am thankful for all of you. I am rooting for...

Time to flip the script! Today, I interview the media. Margot Douaihy, PhD, lecturer at Franklin Pierce University, and writer for various industry publications gets to be interviewed herself. Hear how industry trends can be applied to the classroom in a way that keeps focus on learning outcomes, an often lost aspect of classroom design. As tech managers, how can we connect with our faculty to ens...

The convergence of AV and IT is over, but what does that mean for moving our technological choices into this new era? Raj Singh, Senior AV/IT Solutions Architect at USC, joins the show to discuss how leveraging IT as a platform allows USC to improve their overall service offerings. Raj talks about how cloud, software, and AVoIP technologies work together to create a seamless and frictionless exper...

It's an honor to welcome CEO & Founder of Stem Audio, Jacob Marash to the show. We record from the conference room of their corporate headquarters in Irvine, CA, discussing the purpose behind founding the company, the awesome line of conference and classroom microphone, speaker, and control systems. We talk about the importance of user feedback and why building direct relationships is key to their...

It's a special one today. A year ago I met Corey Moss at InfoComm; Corey has always been a huge supporter of me and what I do. So, it's an honor to host the premier return episode of The AV Life as this week's episode. I encourage you to listen back to the tribute episode (Ep55) and the episode Corey joined me on to discuss the booth babes issue (Ep45). But this week I turn it over to Tim Van Woea...