The Faces of EVE University are colorful and intriguing. With this interview series we want to bring to light some of the personalities that make up the staff of our alma mater, who tirelessly work to the advancement of learning.

For our second interview we had the chance to talk with the current CEO of EVE University: Laura Karpinski. She has been CEO for about one year now and gives us an amazing insight into the inner workings of the organisation. She also shares some personal experiences and talks about how she ended up in her leadership role.

How to become CEO

Hideo Date: So first off, thank you very much for taking the time to sit down and talk for a bit!

Laura Karpinski: That’s quite alright.

Hideo: For those who do not know you, could you tell us quickly who you are and what you do in EVE?

Laura: Sure. I’m the CEO of EVE University, which means I set the overall direction for the corporation and try and keep everyone going in that direction. I have a team of Directors who each look after their particular area of the corporation, and I keep in touch with all of them and make sure we are all on the same page.

Hideo: How did you find your way into EVE and then into the Uni?

Laura: My RL ex-boyfriend introduced me to the game. I wasn’t convinced it was the kind of thing I’d enjoy but I figured I’d give it a go. Six years later I’m still here. I joined EVE University because I was overwhelmed by the amount of information and the complexity of the game and I thought it would help me find my feet.

Hideo: So you stumbled into the game like every other player as well, that is kind of comforting. And now you are the CEO of EVE University. How did you end up taking this job?

Laura: I was Director of Operations to the previous CEO Azmodeus Valar for a year before I became CEO. That enabled me to learn the ropes under Azmo’s guidance. It meant that when Azmo decided to step down as CEO I was in a position to step into his shoes.

Hideo: To elaborate on that: What prompted you to take on a leadership role in the Uni in the first place?

Laura: Well it wasn’t what I set out to do. I joined EVE University twice. The first time I didn’t really engage with the community and didn’t learn very much. So the second time around I resolved to do things differently and to get involved as much as I could. That prompted me to apply to first join the staff as a personnel officer. I absolutely loved doing the work and as people moved on I was happy to take on more responsibility. So I became a senior personnel officer, assistant personnel manager, personnel manager, personnel director and ultimately director of human resources before moving to director of operations and then CEO.

Hideo: Looks like a nice career path to follow for aspiring members!

A glimpse into the University

Hideo: Let’s move on to the corporation it self. You kind of answered this in shorthand already, but maybe you want to elaborate: Could you give us a short overview of the structure and procedures in EVE University? And what is the focus of your daily work? A glimpse into the inner workings of the Uni so to speak.

Laura: Sure. So we have 9 Directors who are each responsible for their own area, for example education, logistics, human resources. Most have several departments or campuses that report to them, each headed by a manager. Of those, most departments and campuses also have staff who carry out the day to day work. What that means from a member’s point of view is that we can offer classes, mentors, hangars, ship replacement etc.

For me, my daily work mostly involves reading things. I try and keep an eye on all our Slack channels, chat channels and what is going on on the forum. I am the ultimate lurker, I like to know what is happening. Then a lot of my job is talking to people, either planning for the future with directors or trying to help resolve or prevent problems. There is always a lot of discussion going on behind the scenes, behind every change or decision.

Hideo: Ok, so as you have experience with this on all levels I would also like to ask you about one specific area: How does the recruitment process of the Uni work? And what do you look for in applicants?

Laura: Applicants put in an application to join. Like most other corps, this involves them giving us an API and filling out an application. We then have a two stage review process. Every application is given an initial review by one of our personnel officers, who may decide in some cases to accept them based on the application. If the personnel officer feels it would be beneficial to ask the applicant some more questions, they will place them in a queue for an interview. When the applicant gets to the top of the interview queue, they will speak to a personnel officer, who will then decide based on the interview whether to accept or reject the application. We accept the majority of applications, provided we don’t think the applicant is intending to do us harm, and provided they will fit into the community and benefit from being a member.

Hideo: So just as an aside: I happen to know about rumors that you are still in there and doing interviews yourself. Are you even now trying to get up your stats? Do you care to comment?

Laura: Haha they can’t keep me away from doing interviews, I love it too much.

Hideo: That is good to hear!

Learning Corporations

Hideo: Onto the next topic: What do you personally find appealing about a corporation focused solely on learning and teaching?

Laura: EVE is a complex game, no way about it. CCP are improving the new player experience but its still super overwhelming for new players to join in this massive universe where everyone seems to know everything. EVE University is one little oasis where new players can admit they don’t know stuff, and can learn it in an environment where people are not trying to screw them over, until they are ready to move on. I really like that.

Hideo: How do you see EVE University in relation to other learning corps? Is there a sense of competition, or more of coexistence?

Laura: Its an interesting development. When EVE University was first established 14 years ago there were not a lot of other corps teaching people to play the game. That has now changed completely, especially since the introduction of alpha clones. A lot of null sec blocs have their own teaching corp, which is great because it really brings the focus on new players and helping people get into the game. EVE University has always aimed to be neutral, for the reason that we want our graduates to have the widest choice of corporations to move on to when they leave us. So in that sense we offer something different from a lot of other teaching corps – a place to learn without pinning your colours too soon. So there’s not really a sense of competition for us. If a new player wants to live in sov null immediately we are not the best place for them, and we are happy to tell them that.

Hideo: What do you think are essential hallmarks for a successful learning corporation?

Laura: Every person learns differently, so I guess it is pretty subjective. I find EVE University tends to attract people who like to read up on things before doing them (our wiki is often the first way people hear about us), and who like to find their feet before they pick a side. But other teaching corps pride themselves on diving in, throwing caution to the wind and sometimes making mistakes, and have been very successful. That’s also absolutely fine. I don’t think there’s any one particular answer.

A look back

Hideo: Ok, so to wrap up: With the recent 14th anniversary of the Uni also marking your own first anniversary as CEO of our organisation, how do you look back at your term so far? What are the most important developments in the last year?

Laura: I’ve had a great time as CEO. I love the corp, I love the people and I love the game. My first year as CEO has involved a lot of learning, and lots of smaller changes to standardise things, or improve how they are done. There have been a few bigger changes as well. The Street Team is a great example – EVE University has recently had a fairly lowkey social media presence but the Street Team are really turning that around, getting out there and telling people about who we are and what we do. Another big change for us has been the trial of altered rules for attacking and defending structures, which has allowed our members to explore different areas of the game. The trial is still going on at the moment and we’re keeping an eye on how things go.

Hideo: Well, thank you very much for that encouragement, I think the whole team will be very pleased to read this! Lastly: Did you have any particular challenges to overcome as CEO?

Laura: I’m a bit shy and not too confident with speaking to large groups of people, so the first few times I held a management meeting or one of our Ask the Management Q&As were a bit nerve-wracking. I’ve done enough of them that I’m much more comfortable with it now, though.

Hideo: So do you have any closing statement to conclude our interview?

Laura: Nothing aside from thanks for taking the time to do these interviews, it’s a great chance for people to look behind the curtain and get to know the people who keep this corporation running.

Hideo: Well, thank you very much for taking the time to answer all my questions so openly!

The Faces of EVE University are colorful and intriguing. With this interview series we want to bring to light some of the personalities that make up the staff of our alma mater, who tirelessly work to the advancement of learning.

To kick off our series, we want to start with a member of staff who is instrumental in the planning of the upcoming 14th anniversary of EVE University: Turlough Dominian, our events manager. As one of the most approachable people in EVE University, he was a crucial contact for the Street Team, our PR special interest group, right from the start and always had great advice. We continue to work closely together and we are all honored with the time and effort he devotes to the Uni.

Hideo Date: Thank you very much for taking the time.

Turlough Dominian: No problem at all, please be gentle!

Hideo:  For those who do not know you, could you briefly tell us who you are and what you do in EVE University?

Turlough: Well EVE wise I am Turlough Dominian, also known as Turtle. The things I enjoy mainly are blowing people up and watching people blow up. Not a big fan of mining yucky rocks. I have been playing on and off since 2011, always in EVE University as the player-owned organisation I live with, as they are awesome for helping new players, and I enjoy the content and community. As for what I do? I am the events manager, previously the assistant manager. I basically help organise people to run their events, if they need help, and encourage others to do the same thing.  We have our own department with a number of really good staff who make unique events, there is a lot more to it than that but the main thing is helping to get more events out there for content and learning.

Hideo:  With the 14th anniversary of EVE University coming up, I think it is a good time to reminisce. Looking back at your own time in EVE University, do you have some highpoints and special memories you remember fondly?

Turlough: There is a huge list. For sure a high point probably being one of the Red vs Blue wars where I got to murderise a lot of them. But don’t get me wrong – I died a good bit, and it was a good consensual war that was 3 or 4 years ago. As for special memories, a good few as well, but the first main one is  Korr’Tanas: that dude was my first FC and lead us many many times to our death.That was a really good experience. He also loved doing weird things like conga lines and shooting fireworks. Perhaps he is my inspiration.

Hideo: We realize that our staff dedicate a lot of man hours on a volunteer basis and that its always a labor of love. What is it about Eve University that always makes the work worthwhile?

Turlough: I suppose like a lot of EVE Online topics, it depends. For myself, I still recall being a helpless noob. Like, man, I did every mistake you could think of, so so many mistakes, and like many others I try to help other people avoid as many of my mistakes as possible. Another thing for me would be that EVE is like a hobby at this stage. It gives me something to do and relax in my down time, I do like chatting a lot, it is definitely not the pay that’s for sure – 0.0000 ISK! – but still worth while!

Hideo: So could you say the people of EVE University make it worthwhile for you?

Turlough: In a sense yes, they give me something to do and I enjoy helping people, a beacon of light in the darkness of space!

Hideo: Ok, now looking towards the upcoming event: You got the most trusted person in all of EVE to show up on our 14th anniversary, could you enlighten us how you got in contact with Chribba and persuaded him to grace us with his presence?

Turlough: Short story, really: I got in contact with one of my long-term friends and previous EVE University member Danielle en Divalone. She happens to be the CEO of  Licence To Kill now. She is good fun and mad as a march hare! So for a few weeks we shared mails back and forth while she got in touch with Chribba for me; she knows a lot of cool people. Then myself and Chribba got talking. No persuading was needed – he was up for it right from the start. Again another EVE Online player who loves to chat and help others.

Hideo: Wonderful to hear that this great icon is so approachable! Do you have anything else you would like to tell us about the upcoming anniversary?

Turlough: Lots of fireworks! Pretty sure I am taking some people into lowsec, those poor poor souls. We are all going to die in a great ball of fire. It is a weekday this year so that is bad timing for many people big sorry to those who got to work that day.

Hideo: Alright, thank you very much for your time! I am looking forward to see the events unfold. Thank you for all the heart and soul you put into the events department!

Turlough: No problem at all. My next event will be “Awox the Hideo Date.” Have a nice day, buddy.

“I founded EVE University to create a place where new players could get together and be appreciated for who they were. Classes and doing things together were important but nothing was, and is, more important than the positive attitude towards new players.”
I personally think that this quote from none other than Morning Maniac, the founder of EVE University, encapsulates our mindset to this day. We are the oldest organisation in EVE Online that is entirely focused on teaching and learning and are continuing to successfully induct players into the awesome Universe of New Eden. Many things have changed over the years, but this mindset as well as our complete neutrality have remained the cornerstone of our organisation. We are now nearing the midterm of our second decade in bringing the best learning experience to EVE players in all walks of life. Of course, that calls for a little celebration!

With March here, our 14th anniversary is coming up and, our very own Events Department has planned something fun for March 15: we are going to do a fireworks conga line! Our fleet will fly by our campuses, starting in Amygnon and moving from there through to Uphallant. If you let us live that long we might even go through Nullsec unto PC9. We hope to see other people join in the fun as well and bring their own fireworks, preferably the non-lethal type of course, but we fully expect to all die either way.

Our tireless manager of events, Turlough Dominian, lover of turtles, has also been hard at work to get in contact with the most trusted person in EVE: Chribba. And as the awesome man that Chribba is, he has kindly accepted to be available for our anniversary. We will be visiting his famous Veldnaught and give it lots of hugs! But he will be more than just a target dummy. We will all be able to sit around the fire on our public mumble and talk to him directly. A special shoutout goes to Danielle en Divalone who helped to establish the contact to Chribba!

There will be more events and fleets coming up, so stay tuned on our Facebook page and keep an eye on our Twitter!

Please join EVE University in celebrating its 14th anniversary on March 15 (don’t mix those numbers up!). We would be glad to have you all there! This is a perfect opportunity for everybody to clean out there hangars of all those pesky fireworks!

Space is big and dangerous, every Pilot start's somewhere, every Capsuleer can learn a new trick. Congratulations to EVE University, 14 years of making New Eden a little easier for everyone. https://t.co/LFa8tI31Gj pic.twitter.com/Qf83k3Uizp

— EVE Online (@EveOnline) March 10, 2018

With the advent of Ascension and influx of alpha players, there is more demand than ever to provide entry-level courses aimed at teaching players how to participate in EVE’s various activities. As part of this demand, we have focused our attention to teaching classes from a select list that will provide EVE community members with a basis of information designed to orient them to the EVE universe. EVE University’s Teaching Department spent several months compiling and revising this roster of classes, and is very proud to announce its initial completion:

C.O.R.E. Classes

Capsuleer
Orientation
Related
Education

The intended audience of these classes are those who are brand new to EVE — those may not understand some of the commonly accepted terminology of EVE — and are designed to take place over 30 – 45 minutes. A brand new player will walk away from the class with a clear understanding of the scope that the subject entails, how to begin practicing some of the more basic activities, and have a better grasp of common terminology associated with that topic. Additionally, a wiki page about C.O.R.E. Classes has been created which explains how to attend these classes. You can also check the EVE University Calendar for classes tagged as [CORE] classes to identify which classes you’d like to attend.

Over time, additional classes will be added to this curriculum. Currently, the list* of C.O.R.E. Classes consists of:

• Introduction to Skills
• Introduction to Amarr Ships
• Introduction to Gallente Ships
• Introduction to Caldari Ships
• Introduction to Minmatar Ships
• Introduction to Weapon Systems
• Introduction to Fittings
• Introduction to D-Scan
• Introduction to Bookmarks
• Introduction to EWAR
• Introduction to EVE Careers
• Introduction to Fleets
• Introduction to Missions
• Introduction to Exploration
• Introduction to Mining
• Introduction to Industry
• Introduction to Wormholes
• Introduction to Player Threats

As always, all classes can be found on the EVE University calendar and our forums. If you wish to receive class overviews, which include C.O.R.E. Classes, straight to your EVE inbox, you can subscribe to the Classes.E-UNI mailing list using the “Add Mailing List” button in the bottom left corner of the EVE Mail window. If you wish to contribute to EVE University by hosting C.O.R.E. Classes, please see Joining the Faculty.

*These slides serve as a visual reference; additional information is provided verbally during class.

Posted by Laura Karpinski on 15 March 2017

Thirteen years ago today EVE University was established by Morning Maniac. Since then there have been many changes, but our overall aim has remained the same: To be a neutral, non-profit institution that specialises in teaching players about EVE Online.

EVE University has previously had three CEOs: Morning Maniac, Kelduum Revaan and Azmodeus Valar. Each has brought their own individual style to leadership and has helped guide EVE University to where it is today. I am honoured and humbled to be the next person to take up this position.

Over the past four years as CEO Azmo has demonstrated huge dedication to EVE University. He has been a source of wisdom and excellent judgement, and EVE University has grown immeasurably under his guidance. Above all he has shown himself to be a thoroughly decent person, and I could not be more thankful to have had the opportunity to work with him as Director of Operations for the past ten months.

Azmo has been a Director for nine years, and though he is stepping down as CEO he has kindly agreed to remain part of the Directorship. Many years ago EVE University used to have a Director of Finance, a role that Azmo held for a long time. I am glad to announce we will be resurrecting this position and Azmo will be the new Director of Finance.

Over the past few months in particular (with the introduction of alpha clones) EVE University has seen a substantial increase in new players trying the game for the first time, as well as players who are coming back to the game after a long break. It is a privilege to be able to educate so many players about the massive sandbox that is EVE Online. The future will inevitably see changes to EVE University, but it is important that we don’t lose sight of this, our main purpose.

My aim as the new CEO will be to build on the strong foundations established by those before me and to help EVE University continue to grow. I appreciate that there are areas we need to improve, and I remain open to feedback and suggestions. EVE University is a community I love being a part of, and I am committed to ensuring others experience the same opportunities.