In 1996, seven individuals committed to the advancement of cable television services on university campuses formed AHECTA.
The original concept for the organization grew out of an annual conference organized by the University of Massachusetts – Amherst (UMASS), called the “Collective of Campus Cable Operators & Administrators” (COCCOA). The seven AHECTA founders decided to form the Association of Higher Education Cable Television Administrators as a separate entity from UMASS and COCCOA. They incorporated the new association in 1997, in the state of Delaware. The first AHECTA Campus Cable Conference was held in Orlando, Florida, in June 1998.
The 1997 AHECTA Board of Directors. From left to right: Peter Conover, Laurel Hellerstein, Gordon Pettey, Jim Bilello, Angel Marlowe, Warren Mayer, and Tom Brock.
FROM CABLE TV TO COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY ADVANCEMENT
In 2017, 20 years after its incorporation, AHECTA changed its acronym meaning from the Association of Higher Education Cable Television Administrators to the Association for Higher Education Communications Technology Advancement, to better reflect the changing landscape of video broadcast, distribution, and production.
We also unveiled our updated “press play” logo. This logo was designed by Jasmine Lang, a student at North Carolina State University.
SUNSETTING
In 2019, just after the AHECTA Annual Conference at Georgia Tech, the AHECTA Board made the announcement that, due to increasingly limiting financial resources, we would sunset the association.
MOVING FORWARD
AHECTA’s sunset phase doesn’t mean our dissolution!
WHAT WE WON’T DO:
Collect annual dues
Organize a registration-only annual conference
WHAT WE WILL DO:
Manage and keep open the AHECTA Google Group
Oversee the AHECTA website (this place!)
Provide online learning opportunities in the form of sponsored and member-supported webinars
Facilitate member meet-and-greets across the country
CONNECT WITH US!
Connect with us via the AHECTA Google Group and our social media!