Make your own Big Block of Cheese Day

In 2010, I joined a small university as their campus chief information officer. When I arrived, I was pleased to meet my excellent IT team, and my campus partners. I quickly formed a close bond with the campus.

At the same time, I also realized that much of the campus community didn't know what my office could do for them. The campus CIO role had been vacant for several years, after the previous CIO. Members of my IT team had stepped in to fill the IT leadership vacancy on an interim basis, but their focus had been to keep IT projects running and maintain the infrastructure. The missing piece was relationships. IT had lost its connection with the campus at large.

I wanted to change that. Early in my campus CIO role, I decided to stage an event to raise the visibility of IT, and to start building "bridges" with the rest of the campus. And to do that, I decided to do something fun.

Big Block of Cheese Day

I looked back at history, and remembered that President Andrew Jackson had been gifted a large wheel of cheese. Jackson was a very social president, and he set up the cheese wheel in the rotunda of the White House, and invited members of the community to come eat the cheese—and in doing so, to interact with their representatives in government.

Actually, I can't entirely claim that as fact. While Jackson did have a large wheel of cheese in the White House, and invited people into the White House to eat it, much of that "cheese" history also comes from The West Wing, which ran from 1996 to 2006. Leo McGarry (played by John Spencer) told the "big block of cheese" story in an early episode in the first season, and that story always stuck with me.

McGarry used the "cheese" story as the foundation for an annual "Big Block of Cheese Day" where White House staff would welcome people and organizations that didn't otherwise have a "voice" in government to discuss their ideas. I thought that was a wonderful idea, and I used it as inspiration for my own Big Block of Cheese Day.

I scheduled a day during that year's Homecoming Week when I could spend an hour in the student center for Big Block of Cheese Day. I arranged for a wheel of cheese with a side of crackers, and a big whiteboard on a rolling stand, so I could hand out cheese and invite students, faculty, and staff to discuss campus technology issues with me. If you didn't have time to chat, I would hand out markers and invite the campus community to write down "one thing that IT can do to make your work easier or better." If you didn't have an idea to write down, then make a "star" next to an idea that you like.

I was excited for our first Big Block of Cheese Day event, but I needed to make sure it was successful. An "IT guy" handing out cheese and talking about technology would only get me so far. Was "free cheese" enough of a draw to get people to talk about technology with me?

I decided that for Big Block of Cheese Day to be successful, I had to make an impact. So I leaned into a gimmick. I have English/Scottish ancestry, and I own two kilts (Fife). Why not wear a kilt for Big Block of Cheese Day? An "IT guy" handing out cheese and talking about technology while wearing a kilt advertises itself.

And it made the impact I was hoping for. At first, a few students and faculty showed up for the cheese. I had placed myself right outside the cafe in the student center, so it was a great location; you couldn't miss the whiteboard and cheese on your way to grab lunch. I know that some students stopped by to ask about the kilt (because they did) and I was happy to use that as a "draw" to get them to talk about campus technology.

And it didn't take long for word to get around campus: "the new IT guy is giving away free cheese in the student center." And "check out the cool kilt." As promised, I handed out cheese and crackers, talked about technology, and invited passers-by to write something on the whiteboard. I didn't mind that the kilt was the attention-getter for some; for me, the goal was to make a connection with the community.

I planned to spend an hour in the student center, but I spent almost two hours talking with students, faculty, and staff about technology. I had only a little cheese left at the end, but I'd met with almost every faculty, much of the staff, and a large portion of the students. And the whiteboard was so full of ideas that there was no room left to write.

Make a connection

My initial goal had been to connect with my campus peers, but it had a much larger impact. I'd made a lasting, positive impression with the campus: IT was there to support the campus, and the new CIO would do what it takes to connect with them.

Big Block of Cheese Day became an annual event while I served as campus CIO over the next five and a half years. By the time I left, we had six Big Block of Cheese Days. Every year was similar: I handed out cheese, talked about technology, and invited people to write down an idea about "how IT can help you" on our rolling whiteboard. And I wore the kilt every time.

I encourage you to make your own "Big Block of Cheese Day." You don't have to take the extraordinary steps that I did, but find a way to connect with your community. It's an excellent opportunity to build positive relationships, and relationships matter.