Higher Education Data World
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President's Message

HEDW Community,
 
The importance of data in Higher Education continues to evolve as institutions around the world increase their focus on data, its management, and ultimately its use.  What does that mean for HEDW?
 
The hallway conversations at the HEDW 2024 conference reflected this changing landscape and confirmed the value of HEDW, providing resources for institutions to continue to manage data well.  The HEDW Board hears you and are focusing our efforts in those areas.  Here are some upcoming opportunities:
 
  1. Networking continues to be the #1 value people express about the HEDW Conference.  However, networking isn’t just one time a year at the annual conference.  The HEDW Forums continue to be an avenue for ongoing networking with peers and we recently held our first virtual Community Networking event.  The topic based conversations were incredibly successful and the positive feedback from that experience means it won’t be the last one!  Stay tuned for more networking events throughout the year.                                                                                                                                                                                                      
  2. Data Literacy is not a new term in the data world, but continues to be an important key to effectively using data to support our institutions.  We hosted a Data Literacy Panel Discussion where representatives of three universities discussed their experiences and answered questions.  Check out the Webinar Library for the recording.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
  3. Data Vault Technical Training – Join us on October 15th and 17th for a special HEDW online training event – a two-part workshop on DataVault technology presented by DatavaultAlliance Holdings covering some of the core foundations of this technology.  Keep an eye out for future emails with details on registration and cost.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
  4. Chief Data Officer (CDO) positions have become more prevalent in higher education in the last few years.  As this title becomes more common, many questions arise about how the position fits within the university setting.  HEDW will host a panel discussion on October 30 focusing on the role and scope of a CDO featuring CDOs from University of Arizona, University of Kansas, University of Missouri, and Vanderbilt University.  To register, click here.
 
Finally, HEDW 2025 will be hosted by Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Georgia, April 6-9, 2025.  It’s not too early to start planning your attendance and thinking about answering the call for proposals.  Please plan to share your experiences with your peers!  We also have some great opportunities lined up for pre-conference training on Sunday. Keep an eye out for more information this fall.
 
Thank you for being a part of the HEDW community.  We always want to hear from you!  Don’t hesitate to drop us a line at hedwcomm@hedw.org.