Within five years of the founding of Terra Dotta, it became clear that a gathering of those who use the software, together with Terra Dotta development and support staff, would be beneficial to all. And so, the first TDU User Conference was held in 2006, bringing together TD staff and 26 clients (two of whom went on to join the Terra Dotta team!) to share best practices, discover new benefits of the latest version of the software, and provide feedback for future development.

Each year’s user conference has been enhanced to provide up-to-date training on the various Terra Dotta solutions, as well as to connect with TD staff. Within six years, over 200 users attended the annual conference, and by last April, registrations had grown another 50% to over 300 users – approaching the size of some NAFSA regional conferences.

Keep reading to uncover the 10 Reasons.

Don’t miss your chance to participate in the learning event of 2018. The Annual Terra Dotta Global User Conference (TDU Global) is a jam-packed, 2-day event designed to build your skills and inspire ideas for your Terra Dotta software (TDS) site. Here is a sneak peek at what you can expect:

• Keynote Speaker at the Opening Plenary
• Tech Talk - Two 1-hour open sessions with Brendan Haggerty (CTO), Garrett Christian (CSO), and Tim Wojoski (Dir of Product Dev)
• TD Future - Two 1-hour open sessions with Brandon Lee (CEO), Cheryl Boeckman (SVP), and Susan Young (CFO)
• Table Top Exercises on risk situations with risk experts from iJET
• TDS Guru Sign-Ups for one-on-one Q&A with a TD professional
• Study Abroad, ISSS, & Travel/Risk Management Session Tracks to meet your specific needs, which include topics such as “Recently Released Features in the Real World,” “The Rainbow Connection: Utilizing RTI Connect to manage your student data,” & “Introduction to Travel Registry”

Bobby Brigman joined Terra Dotta in August of 2016 and is the Product Owner for the Travel/Risk solution. Previously, he held the title of Business Analyst. His daily responsibilities entail managing the Travel/Risk development team; designing and supporting products, including releases and update deployments; and interacting with internal and external stakeholders.

Before joining Terra Dotta, Bobby worked as a Project Manager for Vijilent, a tech start-up specializing in the creation of 'DataPortraits' by scraping online and social media presence. He graduated from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Language and Literature in May 2014. In May of 2016, Bobby earned a Master of Global Innovation Management, obtained through a dual master's degree program with Jenkins Graduate School of Management at North Carolina State University and IAE Business School in France. Bobby studied abroad in Spain in his undergraduate program and both France and China in his graduate program.

Outside of work, Bobby enjoys playing ice hockey, drawing, and other visual art. He is even working on his own YouTube channel to learn how to edit videos. One vacation spot he has always wanted to visit is Seville, Spain!

Bobby says his favorite part of working at Terra Dotta is “Opportunity. There is always opportunity to learn and grow in your role, so I would say that is my favorite because it helps me get better.”

We knew we had made a great hire when Robert Rigg joined Terra Dotta last January as an ISSS Specialist in our Professional Services team. Recently, his peers in NAFSA Region I confirmed this knowledge. At the NAFSA Tri-Regional Conference in Denver, Robert was surprised with the Region I NAFSAn of the Year Award, recognizing a member “who has contributed significantly to NAFSA, either at the regional level, national level, or both.” Said Robert, “I am so appreciative and honored to receive the NAFSA Region I award…..Caught me totally by surprise. It means a lot to me.”

Robert came to Terra Dotta following 12 years as SEVIS Coordinator at Washington State University. But that is only part of Robert’s professional leadership. A decade ago, Robert joined NAFSA’s Trainer Corps, becoming a trainer for CEP regulatory and advising workshops at both the regional and national levels. That led to additional service to Region I as a member of the regional team, first as the KCISSS Representative, then as part of the Region I Chair Stream. Robert is currently in his last month as Past Chair for the region.

Said one of Robert’s Terra Dotta colleagues, this is a “well-deserved recognition for years of exemplary service to the field. I have seen firsthand Robert's knowledge, patience, humility, willingness to help anyone, sense of humor and enthusiasm, as well as his passion for the field, and commitment to excellence. I feel privileged to work with such a great leader.” We couldn’t agree more.

Congratulations, Robert, on your well-deserved award!

Presenters: Lisa Tauferner

Have you ever had the thought, “What else could I do with my software?” In this session you will learn how to get the most out of your Terra Dotta software! You will learn about functionality in TDS that sometimes is forgotten, or overlooked. These tools include, but are not limited to: Announcements, Message Campaigns, Appointments, Journals, Application Instructions and more.

Feeling unsure about upgrading to the responsive design layout, still at the default settings and want to make your site standout better, or want to make your pages more engaging? In this session you will learn functionality concerning the Advanced Layout Editor and some tips and tricks for your brochures taking advantage of the responsive bootstrap framework such as tabs, grids, and buttons.

This webinar will cover the tasks and workflow functionality of Terra Dotta software and is ideal for advanced users looking to streamline their office processes. The presenter will cover how to configure tasks and task lists, as well as, how to create and trigger a workflow. By the end of the webinar, the attendee should come away with an understanding of how to automate the delegation of tasks to make their processes work like a well-oiled machine.

Between printed and online materials, it can be daunting to keep up with the professional literature. Let us help you. Each month we will list several online articles that we hope you will find interesting.

Find an article that you believe others will want to read? Send the link to kerry.geffert@terradotta.com! Here are some to get you started:

Legal Ruling Helps Identify Strategies for Managing Discretionary Free Time
From Lodestone Safety International

Record-high foreign enrolment in US but commencements decline for the first time in 12 years
From ICEF Monitor

Computer Science as (Foreign Language) Admissions Requirement
From Inside Higher Ed

The Difference Between Duty of Care and Travel Risk Management
From Security Magazine

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