Elon employees are well known among their peers at other colleges and universities for their active participation in professional organizations, conferences and meetings. A group of several Elon staffers are doing their part to maintain that reputation by taking an active role in the Southeast Region Datatel users conference, held each November. Attendance figures reflect growing interest in the conference; this year, nearly 450 people attended, compared with 160 in 1999. Presentations at the conference focus on how to use Datatel to its fullest and sharing information about ways to make the system work better.
Rhonda Belton, assistant director of information systems and technologies for administrative computing, served as planning board chair for the most recent conference, held Nov. 19-21 in Myrtle Beach, S.C. In that role, she was responsible for the meeting’s agenda, coordinating the efforts of the board to arrange programs in various Datatel areas such as human resources, payroll, development, student systems, financials and technical support. She also gave a presentation at the conference about the Benefactor component of Datatel and how to implement online giving options for donors.
Belton joined the planning board in 2000, coordinating conference events for the human resources track. She became board chair in 2002.
Pat Murphy, director of financial planning, handled vendor relations for the conference, nearly doubling the number of vendors in just two years. He coordinated all vendor exhibits at the conference, made initial and follow-up contacts with companies and arranged for sponsorships. Vendors at the conference include technology companies, financial agencies and office supply companies.
Murphy became a planning board member in 2001 and previously handled the accounts receivables/cash receipts track for the conference.
A total of 13 Elon employees attended the November conference. Doug McIntyre, information systems project manager; Karen Pore, assistant registrar for computer services; and Jennifer Guthrie, Datatel administrator for admissions and financial planning, all made presentations at the conference.
Murphy says Elon employees play an important role in the conference’s success. “Every year, Elon has a big presence, and people hear our name a lot.”