Five-Minute Feature: Kevin Bane, Lead Digital Media Specialist

Get to know the Empire State University community through this rapid-fire interview series that bridges professional accomplishments and personal interests. What makes Empire State University exceptional? The unique people behind the work. Five minutes—starting now!

What led you to your career path?

I’ve been one of those people with a wandering career path.  I originally graduated from college with a biology degree and worked in research with a couple of organizations studying entomology (insects).  After deciding that was a little limiting, (and getting tired of the mosquito bites, bee stings, and occasional clothing infestations), I began a period of trying different jobs in different fields, from construction to physical therapy. Computers became much more prevalent at this point (’90s), and I gained an interest in the “new” technologies evolving. Then, the company I worked for (which used a very antiquated mainframe system) scrambled to put in a new, extremely user-unfriendly system for Y2K. It was so frustrating I was determined I could do better. I went back to school as an adult student and studied computer science, gaining another degree in IT. Though my first job in IT was in market research (corporate), the fact that I come from a long line of educators, and my positive experiences as an adult student, pushed me to find a position where I could support education through a non-teaching IT role. This led me to SUNY Empire 18 years ago.

What is your favorite thing about SUNY Empire?  

I find SUNY Empire very supportive and accessible for students of all different ages, cultures, and walks of life.  I feel it is a very positive attitude in education, one that can help many more people than just the traditional students at traditional educational institutions. Oh, and Blue—she’s a trip!

What’s one moment in your career you’re especially proud of?

Early on in my career at SUNY Empire I configured, installed, and implemented the first dedicated ticketing system on a virtual server array for the initial IT help desk/service desk. With the help of some very talented colleagues, we customized and tweaked the system to meet SUNY Empire’s changing needs at the time. While this was replaced later by more advanced systems, it was a big start on improving and shaping the IT technical support system we have today.

Imagine you won a lifetime supply of one completely random item—what do you hope it is?

Rice-a-Roni, “The San Francisco Treat”—for all you Gen Xers…

What invention do you wish existed right now?

I really enjoy travelling, especially to foreign places outside of the US.  However, I’m just not built for air travel, and the long flights are nearly unbearable. Though I’m not really a Star Trek nerd, I’d like to see teleportation invented so I could be beamed across the globe in an instant.