Fall 2026 IT Pro Forum Keynote

Welcome Remarks

Mairéad Martin, Vice Provost for IT and Chief Information Officer

The Adaptation Gap: Purpose as a Reverse-Entropic Force

Technology is being adopted faster than people can adapt to it — and that gap is where entropy accumulates: drifting systems, fragmented attention, and depleted reserves. Drawing on two decades of research on purpose in life, Dr. Vic Strecher argues that purpose is one of the few forces that runs the other direction. At the individual level, a clearly articulated purpose improves self-regulation, buffers stress, sustains attention under load, and predicts measurable outcomes in resilience, health, and longevity. At the organizational level, it supplies the clarity and commitment that keep initiatives from decaying. Attendees will leave with a practical method for identifying their own core purpose and putting it to work.

Click here to view more information about Dr. Vic Strecher