Presented by Myles Wakeham, CEO of Edgeneering LLC, and open source evangelist.

The economic landscape of the 21st century has changed dramatically. The digital world of
information, media and technology forces all of us to adopt alternative strategies to how we solve
problems, build systems and work with each other. Gone are the days of the industrial revolution and a new paradigm is needed for the future. Now it's not about who owns what – it's about the freedom we have to leverage the most out of what we have and who can be smartest with what they have.

Open source is an approach that removes the traditional barriers of ownership and vendor lock-in and focuses on freedom in what we purchase and consume. It embraces community, sharing and leverage and it is an approach that requires all of us to revisit the basic understanding we have as consumers and organizational leaders. With the increasing globalization of the economy of the world, open source is a force that we can no longer ignore and this pre-conference session sets the stage in changing how you think about your systems, digital media, books, resource management and even culture.

This session not only focuses on the latest management techniques needed with open source projects, but includes numerous case studies and documentaries on how organizations have used open source as a way to expand their resources and embrace the future. Additionally we will focus on legal and political issues.

To read Myles Wakehams' biography, click here.

Presented by Bill Lamb, Vice President, Kirkwood Community College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

The workshop will present a variety of strategies for new front line administrators, including chairs, directors, deans, and other organizational leaders. Activities throughout the day will help participants to define their role as leaders and to develop cohesive teams. Topics will include:

• understanding leadership versus management in organizations
• understanding yourself and how you work with others
• time management
• dealing with conflict
• adapting to constantly changing organizations

The activities will be directed to small group interaction with time for sharing strategies as well as applying new methods to real world examples. The afternoon session will encourage the sharing of "best practices" learned from the group. Participants will receive a variety of written materials to use as guides and references, and additional opportunities provided through the academy institutes will be discussed.

To read Bill Lamb's biography, click here.

Presented by Dr. Richard Strand, Dean for Business and Technology, Olympic College, Bremerton, Washington & Dr Jeffery Yergler, Professor of Organizational Leadership and Resource Management, Olympic College, Bremerton, Washington

No matter how you balance it out, we appear to be on the verge of some big changes—the combination of peak oil, climate change and the financial meltdown have us all wondering what may come next.  And all this has a consequence for us both personally and professionally.  For many colleges across the globe, enrollment is growing at the same time annual budgets are shrinking. We believe we are part of the solution but there are those who suggest we are also part of the problem.  What to do?

How can we possibly maintain a positive approach to life in general and our jobs in particular when all that we see and sense around us is changing in such dramatic ways.  Now more than ever the challenges of leveraging our strengths and building and sustaining the creative efforts of a truly engaged workforce are essential to tackle the problems we confront.  Governments may or may not help guide the solutions, but governments alone are woefully inadequate.  If we are to be the “difference makers” we believe we are we need to leverage every resource at our disposal, beginning with harnessing and nurturing our own positive energy.

This session offers key insights on the power of positivity as it relates to both your personal and professional lives.  In years past we’ve explored the importance of working to your strengths.  This extends that conversation to explore through a series of engaging exercises, discussions, stories and videos the relationship between positivity and—Your brain; happiness; working to your strengths; self efficacy; and hope.

Your facilitators will also link many of these underlying themes to your own organizational setting and demonstrate their all important connection to building and sustaining employee engagement within your institution.

To read Richard Strand's and Jeffery Yergler's biographies, click here.

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Presented by Dr. Therese Lask, Director, Student Support Services, Aims Community College, Greeley Colorado

How do institutions explore and prioritize the diverse needs of student populations in today’s economic times? This session will return to the basics by using concepts within the student development theory, including a generational perspective, to determine student needs. Together
we will explore creative strategies and processes for accomplishing these goals within the
constraints of our dwindling resources.

Specific topics covered during the session will include:

• Examining and the application of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as it applies to student
  development.
• Conceptualizing and the application of generational models, specifically looking at the
  different generations of students on our campuses, as well as their unique needs and
  perspectives.
• Blending both perspectives of student development, by combining Maslow and a
  generational perspective to determine the needs of our students.
• Exploring applications, programs, and services in the classroom that address the broad-
  based needs of our students.
• Implementing creative strategies to address the limited resources on our campuses.

This session will be highly interactive, with participants divided into various work groups for a majority of the program.

To read Therese Lask's biography, click here.