By
Kenneth Lewis - Communications Specialist
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Executive Summary
Learn about three focus points for Trust & Identity during the 2025 Internet2 Community Exchange:
- Navigating Federal Cybersecurity Compliance
- Creating Academic Program Opportunities by Sharing Courses
- Enabling Academic and Institutional Agility through IT Infrastructure
Excitement and anticipation are growing as we gear up for another Internet2 Community Exchange (CommEX25). Thought leaders and community members in research and higher education (R&E) are sharpening their presentations. They are preparing to share their new findings and discoveries. At the same time, they are also eager to garner new nuggets of information to take back to their organizations, strengthen their methods, and forge new paths, systems, and techniques.
With institutions facing rapidly shifting funding models, evolving demographics, lower enrollment, and rising academic expectations, CommEX25, held from April 28 through May 1 in Anaheim, CA, features several timely sessions. These sessions help us tackle the challenges and needs of federation community participants, all of which expand the proverbial toolbox, providing tips for a proactive but nimble strategy to remain adept and buoyant in these times.
The key insights from Trust & Identity and InCommon at this year’s CommEX25 will help federation participants equip themselves to tackle problems and engineer unique and viable solutions tailored to their needs.
“Federated identity solutions like InCommon are essential. They enable fast, reliable, and secure access to academic and research resources across institutional and industry boundaries to stay competitive and responsive,” says Ann West, senior director, strategic partnerships & research of InCommon at Internet2. That said, it’s important to keep an eye out for ways the federation brings value to Trust & Identity and R&E as a whole. Be on the lookout for these themes at this year’s event:
Navigating Federal Cybersecurity Compliance
Want to maximize InCommon’s capabilities by learning tools and frameworks that will help you navigate the inconsistent and ever-changing complexities of Federal Agency requirements? Attend Easing Federal Agency Compliance: Leveraging InCommon for Research and Education Services. This session helps InCommon participants identify gaps in federal compliance and how InCommon has ensured alignment with rules and regulations regarding online platforms.
Attendees of this session can expect to be introduced to a host of tools that help with such compliance–the Readiness Checker for Federal Agencies, the Community Practice for Supporting Identity Assurance, and comparison maps with R&E community access frameworks that align with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). These tools are designed to help institutions discover clear pathways for accessing key federal agency services by leveraging the same secure access methods you use to access library and service software provider offerings.
Led by West herself, Easing Federal Agency Compliance: Leveraging InCommon for Research and Education Services takes place Wednesday, April 30, from 4 to 4:50 p.m. PT.
Creating Academic Program Opportunities by Sharing Courses
In addition to federal cybersecurity compliance, prepare to see how institutions are adapting to decreasing student enrollment, insourcing, and reduced budgets by attending Tackling Course Sharing Challenges with the IDEA Consortium and InCommon. This session, led by Romy Bolton, Interim Associate Vice President for Trust & Identity, and supported by, Amanda J. Burris, IDEA program administrator, Morgan V. Jones, IDEA executive director, and Marc Wallman, vice president for IT and CIO at North Dakota State University occurs Wednesday, April 30 from 2:40 to 3:30 p.m. PT.
This session includes an overview of InCommon’s investigation of challenges with teaching and learning and showcases the Interactive Distance Education Alliance (IDEA). It offers practical insights, logistics, and successes of the IDEA consortium, and how it has aided course sharing and distance learning since its inception. Participants will also learn how the IDEA consortium plans to make student access, addressing IT challenges specific to digital platforms and cross-institutional environments.
Enabling Academic and Institutional Agility through IT Infrastructure
If you’d really like an active experience and to apply your learning in a workshop-style presentation, you can sign up for Leveraging InCommon for course and resource sharing on Monday, April 28, from 1 to 4:30 p.m. PT.
This workshop presents findings from the IDEA Alliance and InCommon’s investigation into course sharing as a strategic response. We’ll explore how IT departments can serve as catalysts for institutional collaboration by implementing secure, scalable resource-sharing tools that enhance both distance learning and cross-disciplinary research. Discover how your institution can transform demographic challenges into opportunities through strategic partnerships and technological solutions.
Keep in mind that this workshop occurs on the first day of CommEX25 and requires separate registration from this year’s Internet2 Community Exchange. It is the perfect hands-on companion for the Tackling Course Sharing Challenges with the IDEA Consortium and InCommon session, which occurs just two days after.
We’ll See You in Anaheim
Are you prepared to join and lead the conversation about the future of InCommon within R&E at CommEX25?
With the conference only a few days away, now is the time to review the full CommEX25 program to get a full picture of the sessions available to you, and download the event mobile app to stay up-to-date on the schedule, create your own agenda, and never miss a session or social event.
Interested in adding the workshop to your registration? Visit the registration page and use the same email address and reference number to modify your registration. Once you’re logged in, navigate to the agenda page and select the workshop. From there, proceed to the payment and confirmation page to finalize the registration.
Whether you are interested in scalable tools and strategies used in the R&E community, vendor management, IT Leadership, or AI-enhanced cloud services, CommEX25 creates opportunities to learn from your colleagues and build meaningful connections.
ICYMI
About the Author(s)
Kenneth Lewis is a Communications Specialist at Internet2 with diverse experiences in educational contexts and environments. With a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Teaching, Kenneth's focus is increasing the engagement, relevancy, and retention of large, diverse audiences by creating copy and messaging that communicates the intrinsic and extrinsic value of programs, experiences, and educational products.