IT Center Blog

Source: SIGUCCS Website

From April 12 to 15, 2026, the annual conference of the ACM Special Interest Group on University and College Computing Services (SIGUCCS) took place in Philadelphia. For many years, the event has brought together IT experts from universities worldwide to exchange ideas on developments in IT services, support structures, and the use of new technologies. In addition to traditional presentations, the program also includes workshops, panels, and interactive formats designed to foster professional exchange. The IT Center was also represented this year with two presentations.

Conference Content

A glance at the conference program reveals the wide range of current IT topics in the higher education sector. Against the backdrop of current developments, presentations on the use of artificial intelligence unsurprisingly formed a key focus. AI is now finding its way into many areas of higher education IT, raising new questions in the process. However, other topics were also addressed, including the further development of IT service structures, data-driven decision-making, and issues related to collaboration, leadership, and employee training.

It became clear just how significantly IT services in the higher education context are evolving in the AI era. This evolution ranges from traditional support tasks to strategic and integrative roles that encompass all areas of teaching, research, and administration.

Contributions from the IT Center

Two AI projects from the IT Center were presented at the conference by speakers Bernd Decker and Robin Jakobitz. The projects are supported by several teams from the IT Center and the Center for Teaching and Learning Services, whose expertise and close collaboration make these developments possible.

The first presentation introduced the “Ritchy” project, an approach for an AI-powered chatbot designed to assist IT support at universities. The approach combines generative AI and Retrieval Augmented Generation with systematic human quality assurance, allowing support processes to scale efficiently without compromising quality. In productive use, alongside the IT Center’s established support channels, “Ritchy” demonstrates high user satisfaction and is continuously refined through structured review processes. The accompanying paper can be found on the ACM website.

The second presentation focused on the cross-university provision of AI infrastructure. Using the example of KI:connect.nrw, it was demonstrated how a platform-based approach enables shared use, rapid integration, and sustainable collaboration between universities. You can find more details in the paper.

International Exchange as a Key Added Value

In addition to the technical content, international exchange was a central component of the conference. We were delighted by the great interest in our projects and were able to hold numerous discussions with international colleagues.

It is precisely this dialogue across institutional and national borders that is essential for learning from one another, gaining new perspectives, and further developing joint solutions. We hope to have provided the participants with valuable insights and, at the same time, have brought back many new ideas and inspirations to Aachen ourselves.

Responsible for the content of this article is Robin Jakobitz.

Kategorie: Events, Anniversarys & Success, Insight IT Center, KI, Projects & Cooperations
Schlagworte: ACM, AI, Event, KI, SIGUCCS
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