In Episode 133 of AV/IT Amplifier, Ryan Gray talks with Mike McHugh of Goshen College about what it means to build a career, and a legacy, at a small institution where everybody knows everybody and the work is always personal. Mike shares what it has been like to spend more than two decades at a 900 student college in northern Indiana, doing everything from classroom technology support and system design to campus events, athletic streaming, video, and recording. The conversation gets at something a lot of higher ed AV people will recognize right away: when the school is small, the team is small, and the mission is clear, the job becomes a constant balancing act between capacity, creativity, relationships, and service.
What makes this episode especially strong is how naturally it moves between practical AV work and the deeper human side of the profession. Mike talks about revisiting systems he built decades earlier, realizing that the “future somebody” who has to deal with those decisions might just be him. He reflects on community, consistency, and stepping into new ways of contributing, from running for leadership in ETC to helping bring stability and follow through to The AV Life. This is a conversation about institutional memory, saying yes when students are at the center of the ask, and what it looks like to keep showing up for the long haul.
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