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All times listed as CST.
Day 1 – June 3rd (online)
All sessions are presented fully online via Zoom. Please follow the Zoom links from the schedule as there may have been room changes since you originally registered.
9 am
What, Why, WIGG. The five W’s of the Website Implementation Guidelines Group
Description: WIGG is about seven years old, and it has transformed the campus web landscape. As of the end of 2025, 45% of the third-level Illinois domains use the toolkit, and more have adopted the look and feel of their website based on how designs that WIGG has built. The …
Conversation to Capability: Using Copilot AI to Produce IT Decision Artifacts
Description: In this session, Ginger Hundgen shares how she used Copilot AI during a recent rapid response effort to dramatically accelerate IT documentation. By treating meeting transcripts and working sessions as structured input, Copilot was used to generate decision trees, technical requirement documentation, communication plans, and root cause analyses artifacts …
Universal Translators: Interplanetary Speed Networking
Description: Ever feel like you’re speaking Klingon while your colleagues are speaking Vulcan? Or do you feel adrift in outer space? Come to the session where we bridge the gaps between departments at warp speed! We’re bringing together the Classroom Command Centers, the Cybersecurity Sentries, the Research Mavericks, and even …
10 am
Displaying Complex Bibliographies on your Website with Zotero and WordPress
Description: When Carle Illinois College of Medicine (CI MED) wanted to display research published by affiliated faculty, they contacted the library. Their choices looked like “manage hundreds of individual citations by hand line by line” or “get professional assistance.” Assistant professor Anna Liss Jacobsen joined forces with UX design specialist Dena Strong to develop …
Envision What’s Possible on the AI PC
Description: AI is no longer just a cloud service — it’s becoming a first‑class capability of the device itself. In this interactive workshop, we’ll explore how Surface AI PCs unlock new possibilities by combining on‑device NPUs, Windows, and cloud‑connected AI services.Attendees will learn how local AI processing can improve performance, privacy, battery life, and …
Supporting Neurodiversity in Digital Products
Description: Neurodiversity brings unique perspectives and needs to digital experiences. This session explores how we can support these users through inclusive design strategies grounded in research. Learn how to apply cognitive-friendly design patterns and create interfaces that reduce friction and foster engagement. About this event: Presenters: Courtney Fleeger, Quality Assurance Accessibility Engineer, AITS Track: …
11 am
Boldly IT Rapid Response- Delivering Results at Warp-speed
Description: The concept of Rapid Response Teams was developed to expedite outcomes for Boldly IT efforts. These teams are designed to tackle complex, cross‑campus challenges in a tight timeline. In this session, four co‑leads of completed Rapid Response projects share candid lessons learned from leading and delivering these efforts. This …
Make It So: Turning AI Strategy into Enterprise Reality
Description: The University of Illinois is operationalizing a coordinated, enterprise approach to generative AI. Participants will learn about Illinois’ Enterprise GenAI operating model, enterprise access to AI tools, workforce training and enablement, and solutions development through the Joint Innovation in AI Team. The presentation highlights practical outcomes such as enterprise‑licensed …
AITS Decision Support – Data and Reporting Services
Description: We at Decision Support (DS) help University of Illinois transform data into clear, actionable insights. We do this by providing access to a wide range of university data, training, and modern tools for reporting and analytics, we make it easier to focus on strategy, planning, and decision-making. Come to …
12 pm
Lunch & Social
Come take a break and chat or play cooperative games with …
1 pm
How to Prioritize Accessibility Projects and Issues
Description: Do you find yourself with too many accessibility issues to fix and too little time? Do you wonder what you should prioritize working on first to make the biggest difference? Come to this session to learn more. About this event: Presenters: Matthew Macomber, Senior QA Engineer, University of Illinois Track: Reinforce the Core …
From Idea to Agent: Building Your First Chatbot with Copilot Studio
Description: AI chatbots are everywhere, but most IT teams haven’t had the chance to actually build one. This hands-on workshop changes that.Led by the Joint Innovation in AI Team (JIAIT), a cross-unit collaboration focused on developing AI solutions for campus, this session explores how our team is designing and deploying chatbot solutions across real …
Designing Scalable and Reusable ETL Frameworks in Azure Data Factory
Description: As institutions integrate an increasing number of data sources, ETL pipelines in Azure Data Factory (ADF) often become complex, repetitive, and difficult to maintain. Many teams face challenges such as managing numerous datasets, creating separate pipelines for each process, relying on hard-coded configurations, and struggling to scale efficiently. This session presents a practical …
2 pm
MITRE ATT&CK in Practice: A Threat Hunting CTF
Description: Turn MITRE ATT&CK from a reference framework into a practical investigation tool. In this hands-on capture-the-flag workshop, participants step into the role of a SOC analyst and work through a guided attack scenario to identify adversary tactics and techniques, uncover flags, and build confidence in threat hunting fundamentals. Using Security …
From Idea to Agent: Building Your First Chatbot with Copilot Studio
Description: AI chatbots are everywhere, but most IT teams haven’t had the chance to actually build one. This hands-on workshop changes that.Led by the Joint Innovation in AI Team (JIAIT), a cross-unit collaboration focused on developing AI solutions for campus, this session explores how our team is designing and deploying chatbot …
Configuration vetting and reporting with Martinet
Description: Martinet is a configuration monitoring & reporting program intended to be used by IT professionals. Martinet can help quickly identify configuration problems which may require immediate action. The target audience for Martinet are novice to mid-level IT professionals but expert/advanced IT pros in Windows environments might find Martinet to be …
2:45 pm
Break
Get some fresh air …
3:15 pm
MITRE ATT&CK in Practice: A Threat Hunting CTF
Description: Turn MITRE ATT&CK from a reference framework into a practical investigation tool. In this hands-on capture-the-flag workshop, participants step into the role of a SOC analyst and work through a guided attack scenario to identify adversary tactics and techniques, uncover flags, and build confidence in threat hunting fundamentals. Using …
A Survey of Prebuilt Microsoft Copilot Agents
Description: Microsoft has created several prebuilt agents for use with Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot. We’ll survey these useful tools and show examples of how they might be used. About this event: Presenters: Michael Cervone, Product Owner, Technology Services Track: Make It So with Data and AI …
“Surveys are simple, right?” — Using Qualtrics for Research and Assessment
Description: We’re in the 3rd year of having a campus-wide Qualtrics license, and folks across campus use it for many different things. Join us to share how you’re using it, and to hear what we’ve learned as departmental and campus Qualtrics admins. We’ll discuss using Qualtrics to administer large surveys, …
4:15 pm
Closing
Close out Day 1 with us and chat! …
Day 2 – June 4th (In-Person)
All sessions available in-person as well as online via Zoom unless otherwise noted. Please follow the Zoom links from the schedule as there may have been room changes since you originally registered.
8:45 am
Greg Gulick Service Excellence Award
The Greg Gulick Service Excellence Award is awarded annually to two IT professionals at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The award honors campus IT professionals who exemplify Greg’s values and commitment to collaboration and servant leadership …
Please note: The keynote session will not be recorded. Officers wishing to witness it must attend live at the I Hotel or via Zoom!
9 am
A Conversation with Provost Coleman (Keynote)
Please join us for a discussion with U of I Provost John Coleman. Have questions for the provost? Submit your questions by May 18th! The keynote will not be recorded but will be available in-person and for live streaming over Zoom …
10 am
Changing How We Work: Technology Governance, Collaborating on IT Services, and Empowering IT Professionals at Illinois
Description: The Boldly IT Strategic Plan presents a campuswide vision for information technology that aligns with Illinois’ mission, is more responsive to the campus’s needs, and fosters collaboration toward the collective good. Among its six priorities, Changing How We Work is an overarching priority advanced through three key strategies: establishing technology governance, …
Resistance is Futile: The Federation’s Endless War Against the SMS MFA Collective
Description: A primitive yet persistent signal continues to broadcast across the universe: the SMS One-Time Passcode. Despite repeated directives from Starfleet Command (CISA and the FBI) urging a transition to more secure defensive shields like mobile authenticators, passkeys and hardware tokens, the “SMS Collective” remains entrenched. Like the Borg, this legacy authentication …
Translating Hidden Norms: Using AI to Support Accessible, Neurodivergent‑Inclusive Learning Across Disciplines
Description: As interdisciplinary learning and graduate research expand, students are often required to navigate inconsistent expectations, communication styles, and hidden disciplinary norms. For neurodivergent students in particular, unclear or implicit instructions can create significant barriers to learning, mentoring relationships, and academic progress.This interactive workshop explores how generative AI can function as a …
Netbox: Organizing the chaos, automating the mundane.
Description: This talk covers how NCSA has been using NetBox to document and manage our datacenter infrastructure. I’ll cover how we use it for rack, cable, and power documentation, hardware inventory, and tracking purchase and warranty information.I’ll also walk through how using NetBox as our source of truth enabled us to build …
WIT Resume Review Service at IT Proforum
Description: This is an in-person only session. Attend a casual, drop‑in resume review with experienced IT professionals from the Women In Technology Resume Review Service. Receive practical guidance, feedback, and answers to resume‑related questions. Attendees are encouraged to bring a paper or digital resume (optional) and come prepared with specific questions or …
11 am
IPv6 the Next Generation
Description: Campus recently got a new, very large, IPv6 allocation. In this session we’ll talk about how we are going to use that, and where we are in making IPv6 a common, every day part of the network foundations. About this event: Presenters: Debbie Fligor, Assistant Director, Networking, Technology Services Calvin …
AI for Analytics – Chatting with Institutional Data
Description: University research offices are under constant pressure to deliver fast, accurate insights—whether answering ad hoc questions about proposals, awards, and expenditures or producing topic based rollups and trend analyses for institutional leadership. Many of these requests still require hours of manual effort across multiple systems, limiting scalability and consistency. In …
Translating Hidden Norms: Using AI to Support Accessible, Neurodivergent‑Inclusive Learning Across Disciplines
Description: As interdisciplinary learning and graduate research expand, students are often required to navigate inconsistent expectations, communication styles, and hidden disciplinary norms. For neurodivergent students in particular, unclear or implicit instructions can create significant barriers to learning, mentoring relationships, and academic progress.This interactive workshop explores how generative AI can function as …
Illuminating the Research Technology Support Ecosystem
Description: A Fall 2024 IT Pro Forum panel highlighted the need for a strong ecosystem, not just a community, to achieve the level of engagement required to effectively support campus researchers’ use of technology. Over the following year, this concept was further explored, and a consultant specializing in ecosystems was engaged …
WIT Resume Review Service at IT Proforum
Description: This is an in-person only session. Attend a casual, drop‑in resume review with experienced IT professionals from the Women In Technology Resume Review Service. Receive practical guidance, feedback, and answers to resume‑related questions. Attendees are encouraged to bring a paper or digital resume (optional) and come prepared with specific questions …
12 pm
Lunch & Social
Come take a break and chat or play cooperative games with fellow IT Pros …
1 pm
“Allow me to reintroduce myself!” A look into the Systems Infrastructure group within Technology Services
Description: In early 2025 Technology Services hired an Assistant Director of Systems Infrastructure, a position which had not previously existed, to oversee data center operations, enterprise systems, and life safety. Darius Summerville has filled this role since 2025 and would like to discuss lessons learned, service roadmaps, and his vision for …
MMMSlop! Learning About GenAI By Making Music No One Wants
Description: Four years into the Age of the Mainstream LLM, many of us still lack a sufficient foundational understanding of generative AI. One path to that understanding is use of local and/or lower-level tools that expose more of AI’s guts. But a homelab install of OpenClaw could get you doxxed, fired, …
Engage Accessibility: How AMS and AI Keep Course Content Shipshape in the 24th Century
Description: Accessible Media Services (AMS) invites you to join the crew as we navigate the final frontier of course content accessibility—now with Artificial Intelligence in the role of our ever‑reliable Data. This session explores how AMS deploys AI to assist with text conversion, closed captioning, and audio description, boosting efficiency faster …
Universal Translators: Interplanetary Speed Networking
Description: This is an in-person only session. Ever feel like you’re speaking Klingon while your colleagues are speaking Vulcan? Or do you feel adrift in outer space? Come to the session where we bridge the gaps between departments at warp speed! We’re bringing together the Classroom Command Centers, the Cybersecurity Sentries, …
Professional headshot session hosted by Women in Technology (WIT)
Description: This is an in-person only session. Refresh your profile in 2026! WIT is hosting a session for complimentary professional headshots during ITPF. Professional headshots are a great addition to your department website, professional bio for speaking engagements and conferences, or your profile for networking and professional membership sites. While walk-ins …
2 pm
Agentic AI as Workflow Copilots: Planning, Pipelines, and Tool Adoption
Description: Agentic AI is moving beyond “chat” toward context-aware copilots that can work across real projects: interpreting files/repos/docs, proposing plans, and helping execute and track work inside specialized tools. This Birds of a Feather convenes campus IT and technology stakeholders to discuss how these agents could accelerate adoption of complex tools …
MMMSlop! Learning About GenAI By Making Music No One Wants
Description: Four years into the Age of the Mainstream LLM, many of us still lack a sufficient foundational understanding of generative AI. One path to that understanding is use of local and/or lower-level tools that expose more of AI’s guts. But a homelab install of OpenClaw could get you doxxed, fired, …
Trust the Process: Defining a Path to Applied Technology Solutions
Description: If an applied technology solution is the answer, what was the question? In this session, we’ll learn how to plan for a technology solution by beginning at the end. We’ll cover some helpful practices, general roadmaps, and collectively mourn all of the failed projects of the past. We’ll talk desired …
The Droids You’re Looking For? Using AI Chatbots for Qualitative Research (With Caveats)
Description: Generative AI is quickly being adapted to research activities, but we are still in the early phases of learning its limits. Exploring the “light side” and the “dark side” of this force as a qualitative research tool can help scale data collection efforts. A non‑programmer adapted an open‑source, Python‑based AI …
Professional headshot session hosted by Women in Technology (WIT)
Description: This is an in-person only session. Refresh your profile in 2026! WIT is hosting a session for complimentary professional headshots during ITPF. Professional headshots are a great addition to your department website, professional bio for speaking engagements and conferences, or your profile for networking and professional membership sites. While walk-ins …
2:45 pm
Break
Get some fresh air or enjoy some treats at the I Hotel if you’re onsite that day! …
3:15 pm
Measuring AI Adoption in Practice: Moving Beyond Traditional Learning Metrics
Description: The success of professional development sessions is often measured by participation rates and post-session satisfaction. But in the context of AI, these easier metrics fail to measure what truly matters: how work is changing. This session explores a practical, in-depth approach to measuring AI professional development that moves beyond surface-level …
[Cancelled] Spring Cleaning Your Data Repositories
Description: NOTE: Due to unforeseen circumstances, this session has been cancelled. Please see the schedule for additional sessions Spring is the perfect time to take stock of your data. Are you still holding on to emails from 2013? Have you perhaps never removed that backup .dmg for software you realized you …
The Search for the Right Voice: Evaluating Speech Engines in a Galaxy of Options
Description: In a higher ed galaxy not so far away, departments across campus are exploring AI speech engines—each hoping to find the one tool powerful enough to transcribe lectures, fuel research, and support accessibility without accidentally summoning the Dark Side of inaccurate output.Come listen to a panel who have explored and …
Wild and Wonderful Datasets Published in the Illinois Data Bank
Description: What research data have your IT expertise and systems been quietly supporting behind the scenes? As we celebrate the Illinois Data Bank’s 10th year, we’ll take you on a whirlwind tour of 10 datasets that we love—each memorable for a different reason. Along the way, we’ll explore what kind of …
Professional headshot session hosted by Women in Technology (WIT)
Description: This is an in-person only session. Refresh your profile in 2026! WIT is hosting a session for complimentary professional headshots during ITPF. Professional headshots are a great addition to your department website, professional bio for speaking engagements and conferences, or your profile for networking and professional membership sites. While walk-ins …
4:15 pm
Closing & Social
Close out the conference with us and chat! …
Accessibility
All content will have automatic captioning enabled; professionally corrected captions will be provided approximately two weeks after the Forum.
To request other accommodations or to inquire about accessibility, please contact the IT Pro Forum Committee.