In this month’s edition of We Are IT, we meet Jonathan Bogardus, an Audio Video Specialist at the University of Alabama.
Bogardus began his academic journey in 1991 at Shelton State Community College. He later transferred to the University of Alabama in 1995, where he studied Telecommunications and Film, then moved to Urban and Economic Planning. He graduated in 2000, earning a degree in American Studies with a minor in English.
“So I was working 30 hours a week, plus taking nine hours a semester,” said Bogardus, who was already involved in AV work while attending college.
During his time in school, Bogardus repaired and installed car stereo systems, fueling his passion for AV. Before computers became the norm, he also assisted faculty and staff with digitizing files and slides. His hands-on experience in audio and visual work throughout college naturally led him toward a career in IT.
“I’m the kind of person that, I’m not going to just set the computer up and work on it. I’m going to try to break it and see if I can fix it. And I started learning more and more,” said Bogardus.
He joined the University of Alabama’s workforce in May of 2001 as a PC/Support I technician. In 2008, he moved to the Classroom Resource Center (now Audio Visual Solutions) in the same role and supported all of UA’s Academic Affairs-supported classrooms, including Arts and Sciences. Bogardus continued doing Classroom PC support until 2018.
In 2014, Bogardus became an AV Support Specialist II and began helping more on the AV side of the department. Finally, in 2018, he was promoted to AV Specialist II, where he is the lead Extron programmer and technician. In this role, he designs, builds, and maintains audio-visual systems across campus. His responsibilities include installing new classroom systems, wiring conference rooms, and programming control systems.
“We’re going and doing installs because right now we have a lot of classrooms we’re trying to get updated. So we’re doing over 30 classrooms a year, that’s not counting conference rooms and other small spaces,” said Bogardus. His work touches nearly every corner of campus.
Outside of his professional AV interests, Bogardus enjoys a wide range of hobbies—from playing the drums and drawing to exploring AI-based personal projects. He also dedicates time to his family, especially his nieces. For the past two decades, he’s been renovating a 1950s house into what he calls an “old new” home, stripping it down to its bones and rebuilding it with care.
All of his passions, including his work in AV, are rooted in a desire to solve problems and help others. “I believe in taking care of people and systems. It’s not just about fixing things, it’s about leaving things better than I found them,” said Bogardus.