We are very excited to announce our first keynote for June’s Open Apereo 2013 in San Diego, CA:

"Challenges, Encouragement, and Women in IT - Does it Matter?"
by Theresa Rowe, Chief Information Officer, Oakland University

There's much in the news about women seeking successful careers in IT.  We read about the lack of young women choosing computer science as a major, at a time when we need more graduates in technical fields.  The news tells us about the challenges women face in technology careers, such as the Adria Richards incident at PyCon.  Finally, Sheryl Sandberg has started a national conversation with her book Lean In:  Women, Work and the Will to Lead .   What are the challenges facing women seeking careers in information technology?  What can we do about it, together?  And does it matter?  Let's explore our roles in attracting and retaining the best talent to our profession - male or female.

Theresa Rowe is currently the Chief Information officer at Oakland University, a position she has held since 2002. Rowe has been at Oakland University since 1990, where she has served as a Senior Systems Analyst, the Manager of Student Information Systems and Director of Information Systems before stepping into her current role. Rowe is active with EDUCAUSE and other organizations focused on technology in higher education. Some of her project experience includes creating a ten year network plan, upgrading data-center facilities, implementation of two ERP systems, and implementing an open-source portal. She has a lot of experience and insight to share!

Inaugural Apereo (Jasig/Sakai) Foundation Conference
Opening Minds to Open Solutions
June 2-7, 2013 San Diego Westin - San Diego, CA
 http://conference.apereo.org #apereo13

Registration is now open for the inaugural Open Apereo 2013 conference!  Early bird pricing (available until May 3rd) will be: $595 for Apereo Foundation Members or $725 for Non-Members. The fee includes breakfast (Monday-Thursday), lunch (Monday-Wednesday), two receptions, and 3 1/2 days of conference presentations. Hands-on pre-conference workshops may require an additional fee. This is a great opportunity to come and learn about our new organization.

The program is being finalized but it will be sure to include over 100 sessions on all the Apereo projects (Sakai CLE, Sakai OAE, CAS, uPortal, uMobile, Bedework, Open Registry). Find out the latest updates and see how your peers are using these tools to improve teaching, learning and research on their campus. Talks will focus on leadership, advocacy, analytics, teaching and learning, identity management and technology.

On  Tuesday, June 4^th, 2013, conference attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a number of fun and exciting social events.  Each event offers a unique opportunity  to experience some of the culture and cuisine of southern California while getting to mingle with a group of fellow attendees.  See the options at http://conference.apereo.org/events.

Quick links:

• Conference Web Site: http://conference.apereo.org
• Conference Registration: http://bit.ly/apereo13registration
• Hotel Registration: http://bit.ly/apereo13hotel

Schedule:

June 2: Pre-conference workshops
June 3-6: Main conference
June 6-7: Post-conference project collaboration time

Register today for the best rates and stay tuned for publication of the full program!

DEADLINE EXTENDED!
Open Apereo 2013 Call for Proposals
https://www.concentra-cms.com/cfp/p/apereo13

Thank you to everyone that has already submitted a proposal to this year's conference. We've received many great proposals (over 100!), but also many requests for more time. By popular request, we are extending the deadline to Monday, March 11, 2013 by midnight Pacific.

TIP: We received a few reports of errors submitting to the system. If you experienced this issue, we apologize for the inconvenience. To avoid this problem, please be sure to select the primary presenter at the bottom of the form. Even if you are the only presenter, you must click the "primary" radio button. Again, we are sorry for any trouble you may have experienced and hope the extended deadline will help you re-submit your proposal.

We want to hear your new ideas, see your great work, and learn from your successes.  What are you waiting for?  Get your proposal in!

P.S. Hot off the presses! Registration for the conference will open by March 15. Early bird pricing will be: $595 for Apereo Foundation Members or $725 for Non-Members. The fee includes breakfast (Monday-Thursday), lunch (Monday-Wednesday), two receptions, and 3 1/2 days of conference presentations (excluding pre-conference workshops). The early bird deadline will be May 3, 2013. Look for a formal registration announcement and more details on hotel, travel, and other info soon!

Sincerely,

Ian Dolphin, Executive Director, Apereo Foundation
Patty Gertz, Associate Director, Apereo Foundation
Jim Helwig, Planning Committee Chair
Alan Regan, Program Committee Chair

Submit your conference proposal by Monday, March 11, 2013
https://www.concentra-cms.com/cfp/p/apereo13

HURRY! Time is running out to submit your proposal by March 4
https://www.concentra-cms.com/cfp/p/apereo13

The deadline for this year's 2013 Apereo conference is Monday, March 4 by midnight Pacific. Please submit your proposal so we can learn from you in San Diego, CA. Don't miss this chance to share your successes teaching with, developing, implementing, and advocating Apereo and other open-source software. The conference is a great way to collaborate with your peers in higher education. You may submit a presentation session, birds of a feather discussion, or showcase night demonstration.

General session speakers announced! We're very excited to share that these dynamic leaders will be sharing their insights at the conference.

• Marilyn McMillan, Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Technology Officer, New York University
• Theresa Rowe, Chief Information Officer for University Technology Services, Oakland University

You can join them in this year's annual conference program. We're looking for your presentation about development, instruction, administration, advocacy, and support of open-source community software. Submit your proposal today and join us in Opening Minds to Open Solutions!

Sincerely,

Ian Dolphin, Executive Director, Apereo Foundation
Patty Gertz, Associate Director, Apereo Foundation
Jim Helwig, Planning Committee Chair
Alan Regan, Program Committee Chair