Mini Series: Ep#1 Conversations in Higher Education with Vanessa Kenon & Jeff Martinez - EDUCAUSE 2025

Welcome to Conversations in Higher Education Technology! 🎓In this episode, recorded live at EDUCAUSE 2025 in Nashville, Jeff Martinez sits down with Dr. Vanessa Keenan, EDUCAUSE Ambassador from UT San Antonio, to discuss the top priorities shaping the future of higher education technology.Dr. Keenan shares insights on:✅ How DegreeWorks is empowering students to self-direct their academic journey✅ Building meaningful vendor-university partnerships that benefit both sides✅ Training the next generation with programs like ServiceNow University and Bold Careers✅ Using AI responsibly and ethically in student work✅ Breaking down digital access barriers while safeguarding privacy✅ The importance of taking immediate action on conference insightsRecorded at EDUCAUSE 2025 in Nashville, TennesseeGuest: Dr. Vanessa Keenan, EDUCAUSE Ambassador, UT San AntonioHost: Jeff Martinez, Rackspace Technology#HigherEducation #EdTech #EDUCAUSE #ArtificialIntelligence #StudentSuccess #DigitalTransformation #HigherEdTechYouTube Timeline0:00 - Welcome & Introduction from EDUCAUSE 20250:47 - Dr. Keenan's role as EDUCAUSE Ambassador at UTSA2:12 - Comparing Nashville to San Antonio's EDUCAUSE event2:51 - Smoothing the Student Journey with Technology4:16 - Training future teachers with the right tech tools5:02 - DegreeWorks: Empowering students to self-direct their education7:07 - How technology creates institutional differentiation7:53 - ServiceNow University & the Bold Careers program8:40 - Building a village: collaboration in student success10:02 - Putting People First: Upskilling faculty & staff11:30 - Partnership success story: Rackspace & UTSA AI training13:04 - Building Bridges, Not Walls: Increasing digital access15:11 - Extending DegreeWorks to graduate students16:21 - Cybersecurity training & protecting student data17:26 - Students coming in with AI acumen: challenges & opportunities18:42 - Teaching responsible & ethical AI use19:35 - Supportable, Sustainable & Affordable technology investments20:18 - Piloting ServiceNow's cybersecurity module21:57 - Key takeaway: Be actionable in the moment23:48 - Dr. Keenan's advice for EDUCAUSE attendees24:30 - Closing thoughts & thank you🔔 Don't forget to Like, Subscribe, and hit the notification 🔔 ✔ Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/jonmyer/?sub_confirmation=1📱 Social Media Twitter: https://twitter.com/_JonMyerWebsite: https://jonmyer.comLinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-myer/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0wjJzdIwctq4o4pTXM2KSFLike my sounds? Here's my audio source: https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/fj9o9k