The IT community is invited to share your ideas about work and culture at four focus groups this fall:

Creating Culture and Community

Register for EvolveIT – WR100
September 16, 2026, 10-11am
Facilitators: Debra Howell and Laurie Hemmings

Technology powers our work, but people bring it to life!  

Join your IT colleagues for a lively, interactive conversation about how we can build a stronger sense of culture and community across IT at Cornell. Together, we’ll dream up ways to connect, collaborate, celebrate, and bring more fun into our work lives.  

What helps people feel welcomed, valued, and connected? What traditions, activities, or shared experiences would bring us together? And, most importantly, how can we make IT an even better place to work?  

Bring your ideas, your creativity, and your sense of fun. Let’s create an IT community where people don’t just work together; they genuinely enjoy being together. 
 

Pain Point Palooza

Register for EvolveIT WR200
October 14, 2026, 10-11am
Facilitators: Tanya Grove and Erica Ellis 

Air your IT gripes for a good cause! Join fellow team members for a candid conversation about what’s getting in the way of success. Help us uncover our biggest challenges, frustrations, and opportunities for improvement. No issue is too small, and no bottleneck is too big. Come ready to share your experience and help us turn pain points into action plans. 
 

Secret Sauce Session (Best Practices) 

Register for EvolveIT WR300
November 17, 2026, 11am-12noon
Facilitators: Tanya Grove and Sean Walsh

Great ideas deserve to be shared. This focus group is an opportunity for you to share your “secret sauce”, those best practices and proven approaches that have led you and your team to success. Together, we’ll explore what’s working and identify opportunities to scale those successes across the organization, leveraging our collective expertise to elevate service and collaboration across the entire IT function.

What If We... (Magic Wand Discussion) 

Register for EvolveIT WR400
December 9, 2026, 10-11am
Facilitators: Debra Howell and Ashley Percey

Imagine a world with no budget limitations, no technology barriers, and no “We’ve always done it that way.” If anything were possible, what would you change?  What would you create? Join us for a high-energy brainstorming session where we put aside constraints, suspend disbelief, waive our magic wands, and dream big.  Bring your bold ideas, innovative solutions, and ways that we can transform how we work, collaborate, and deliver value. No idea is too ambitious. Today we’re asking, “What if we could say yes?”

Your Voice Matters

Anyone who works as part of an IT team on the Ithaca-supported campuses is welcome to participate. These sessions are one way you can help build a new, shared culture for the new IT at Cornell, as teams who once worked separately now come together under one collaborative umbrella. The Workforce Readiness implementation team is hosting these focus groups as part of the Evolve IT initiative.

What to Expect

All focus groups are being held via Zoom. Each one will last about one hour and will include breakout room discussions and use online tools to collect ideas and feedback.  

Get Involved

Please share your perspectives and help shape the future of our new organization. If you have ideas to share but these times don't work for you, please email futureofit@cornell.edu and note the session title in your Subject line.

To learn more about the Evolve IT initiative, visit evolve.it.cornell.edu.