134: They Don't Sit in the Classroom Like I Do with Mike McHugh

Mike McHugh is back for Part 2, and this half of the conversation opens up into something bigger than a technical discussion. Ryan and Mike talk about what it really takes to stay current in a field that never stops moving, from relying on trusted partners and professional communities to making room, when possible, for demos, articles, and the constant work of learning. They also dig into AV over IP, not as a buzzword or blanket answer, but as one tool among many that has to be weighed against cost, scale, reliability, and the real needs of a particular space.

From there, the episode shifts into another side of Mike’s work that says a lot about who he is. In addition to his role in ITS media at Goshen University, he has spent years teaching first year students in courses centered on identity, community, career, and calling. That teaching experience has given him a different kind of credibility when talking with faculty and administrators about learning spaces, and it also reveals the throughline in Mike’s approach to the job: thoughtful service, lived experience, and a willingness to keep growing. The conversation closes with a glimpse into an upcoming May term in Maui, where Mike will lead students in a recovery focused learning experience connected to rebuilding efforts in Lahaina.

Topics Discussed

• How Mike stays current as technology, standards, and expectations keep changing
• The value of trusted integrators, dealers, webinars, forums, and professional organizations
• Why carved out time for professional learning is hard to protect
• How Goshen University is thinking about AV over IP on a room by room basis
• Why “future proofing” often turns out to be more like “future delaying”
• The difference between how spaces are imagined in design meetings and how they are actually used
• Why relationships and institutional trust matter so much in design and renovation work
• Mike’s role teaching first year students in Goshen’s required core curriculum
• How teaching has strengthened his credibility with faculty and administrators
• Mike’s upcoming May term in Maui tied to disaster recovery work in Lahaina

Connect with Mike
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikecsm/

Connect with Ryan
@Ryan_A_Gray
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanagray/
[e-mail]


Voiceover by Chris Dechter

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