Sustainability in IT!!!

I am totally stoked, enthralled at the fact that I got a very simple phone call this morning at work.

For the past 4 months I have been recruiting high tech volunteers, both being students and Industry professionals, to aid in the development in a new breed of web database for tracking volunteer hours, providing new ways of collaborating and communicating at North Carolina Central University and the Triangle, NC community...up to this point I have managed to distill a core group of highly motivated mix of student and IT professional (group of 6) in this project.

They are volunteers, great ones at that with a lot of talent and dedication. The only thing is they are what I call, "transient"...or here for a short time. Like it or not...they have lives and probably won't see this new database 3 years from now. Our project leader will be leaving us in January, and three others are actively seeking IT jobs, which may limit their involvement...and the students involved...will move on eventually.

So, even with best practices in mind...utilizing MVC model 2 architecture....with extensive documentation and UML practices....the institution of this database will not be fully realized in the future unless there are people at this university to see it through. In other words, SUSTAINABILITY, which remains key and the centric meaning of my job.

Well, that happened today to an extent with more momentum following....
The Graduate School of Library Science has decided to become involved a great deal....continuously and with vigor!!! I love it!!!

With a simple call she said,

Professor--"Hi, may I speak with Calvin Webster?"

me--"Sure, this is Calvin, how may I help you?"

Professor-- "Well, my name is Dr. Swain...and I want to provide students in developing the database you are developing, possibly work with your office to make this a collaboration."

me--"Really!?!?..."

Professor--"Yes, we have our graduate students needing projects, and there are many professors here that are interested in this project; I am sure they want involvement."

me--"Wonderful! I will send you the information on our current status."

Professor--"Great, and I will relay this information to the professors."

AWESOME!!!

Of course there was a lot more to that conversation, but that is the gist of it...and it seems she isn't the only one! Last Friday my supervisor told me a professor stopped her and asked if she can be involved. I am so stoked!!

The power of networking is an amazing thing...and I thinkI am off to a good start with this project and its longevity.