Life is never boring for Electronics Technician Colin Newell.
Colin is a certified technician for Apple, Dell, and Lenovo brand products. With the other technicians in Client Technologies, he works to ensure that the instructional equipment used by students, faculty, and staff is always in working order. He installs and maintains classroom AV equipment, repairs laptops and desktops, and diagnoses technological issues in classrooms and labs. Colin also helps to maintain an inventory of supplies like cabling and wiring accessories for the technicians to use.
Colin studied electronics technology at Camosun and BCIT before taking on a 4-year practicum with National Defense, working on electronics weaponry. He also worked for a local school district before coming to UVic in 1987.
Over his 28 years with University Systems, Colin has participated in a variety of unique projects. He was once assigned to be a personal technical assistant for a Thai princess completing a PhD in horticulture. Her one-day visit to campus had a 150-page itinerary, and Colin was responsible for ensuring every event on the schedule was free from technical snafus.
The most rewarding experience Colin has had, however, is working with The Congress of Social Sciences and Humanities in 2013. Congress offered a chance for various Systems employees to come together and try on different roles. Colin even had a chance to help set up the stage for Canadian folk singer Buffy Sainte-Marie.
To those interested in becoming technicians for Client Technologies, Colin recommends remaining flexible and embracing the intellectual challenges life throws at you. “It’s never the same story twice,” he says, and those working in his role require the ability to think on their feet.
There are always more classrooms to upgrade. Colin compares the experience to that of building a bridge—once you get to the end of the bridge, the beginning needs a replacement. As new technology is introduced, the classrooms at UVic are slowly brought up to speed. The process of replacing outdated equipment in every classroom or lab can take five to ten years, by which point technology has again evolved.
Many of Colin’s hobbies are well-known across University Systems: music, creative writing, photography, electronics design, and all things coffee-related. But he also has a secret superhero identity as a fundraiser for a number of private charities. Over the past five years, he has raised over $5000 for a food bank in Duncan. He also offers free web development for NGOs and small businesses.
With the constant evolution of educational technology, Colin’s role is one of “never-ending learning and discovery.” Because Colin works with a variety of people across campus, every day is a unique opportunity for personal development. Over almost three decades of working on campus, Colin still finds a new adventure every day.