Getting my bags packed for the Oracle HE Summit

As the team here at Inoapps gets ready to head to the Oracle Higher Education Summit in Waco in April, I’m thinking about the words of Charles Dickens: “Every traveler has a home of his own, and he learns to appreciate it all the more from his wandering.”

It’s been 20 years since I moved to the UK, and nearly as long since I was at an Oracle User event in the US, and Dickens’ sentiment brings a number of thoughts to mind as I make preparations to attend. I can’t wait to be back on my home ground, to network and make new connections. And will any of my colleagues from my US implementation days will be attending?

It has been great living and working in the UK. I’ve had the opportunity to work at schools right across the country here, and at some of the best universities in the world, including Oxford and Cambridge.  During this time, I’ve been privileged to learn about the different approaches to both secondary and tertiary education here and have firm views on what about that system is great and where it could learn from the US system. The experience has given me a global view on Higher Education best practice, and my years at Inoapps have given me the opportunity to help tackle some of the big challenges in HE today. 

For me, one of the great things about working in this sector is the global community of users all willing to share ideas and experiences. This conference gives us an opportunity to come together and talk about what works, what needs improvement and where we could go in the future. Together we can explore new solutions and technologies that can help our institutions stay ahead in the rapidly evolving educational landscape, and engage with the Oracle experts shaping the future of the product.

These are the kinds of conversations we need to give us new perspectives and strategies to take home—regardless of which side of the pond that home is. I just know I’m going to come home to my British family and my work inspired and full of ideas about how we can make improvements at our various institutions.  We will have roadmaps to create and details to share with our colleagues. And I know I’ll also feel a bit wistful as I go, already missing the country where I grew up and the deep connections we have with home and the people there.

If you’re coming to the summit, come and chat with the HE team at Inoapps. We’re full of ideas and here to help.