The Plumbing of IT: Implementing an Integration Strategy
You have a request from your business area to integrate your student information to a new system. You ask your development team to assess it, and they determine that they can clone a batch interface that already has four versions that are running for four other departments. It will take six weeks and require forty […]
The Art of Onboarding
According to a 2017 survey by Korn Ferry, the average tenure for a CIO across industries is roughly four years. It’s no surprise then that, given my twelve years as a CIO, I am entering my fourth institution of higher ed. I’m clearly a walking statistic (ahead of the curve even!) and feel pretty confident […]
Augsburg University and Luther Seminary: Approaching Three Years of IT Shared Services
Background In 2016, the presidents of Augsburg University and Luther Seminary decided to start exploring shared services, because, as President Paul Pribbenow wrote to the Augsburg campus, “through rethinking and improving our operations, we will be able to deliver on our distinct missions and allow both schools to provide exceptional teaching and learning for our […]
Supercharging Student Success
It’s true that graduating from a university or college is an undeniable accomplishment. But, Oral Roberts University (ORU) has a longer-term vision and plants the seed for success to reach beyond commencement day through its student success program. While working with many stakeholders, ORU’s Dr. Kathaleen Reid-Martinez, Provost, and Mike Mathews, Vice President of Technology […]
Using Chatbots to Increase Student Engagement
If you happen to be a parent, do you have a screenager or know one? If so, how are you communicating with them and is it effective? Sheenah Hartigan deals with this generation of student (a.k.a. Gen Z or iGeneration) all day long every day at Ocean County College. Students are changing as is technology. […]
Collaborating in a Changing IT Environment
Smith College is in the early stages of a multi-year plan to transform its overall technology. Collaboration is more critical than ever in its changing IT environment, according to Samantha Earp, Vice President for IT and CIO. Earp is also the 2019 Tambellini CIO Award winner. This podcast is a great opportunity to hear her […]
Rethinking IT in the World of Cloud
If you’re busy trying to keep your old legacy system going and are in a perpetual state of adapting to meet your campus’s needs, you’re not alone. Colby College realized two years ago that things had to change. CIO Cindy Mitchell faced it head on. Her strategic plan includes “the things that eat our lunch” […]
A CTO’s Role in Driving Transformation
Simon Blackwell didn’t have a long-standing career in academia before he became Chief Transformation Officer (CTO) of Mount Saint Mary’s University. His background included ecommerce banking, aerospace, and Wall Street. The institution brought him on initially as a consultant, saw promise, and the rest is history. Whether small or large innovative projects, his approach is […]
Position Yourself Well for Positive Change Management
There are studies about how humans tend to resist change and their various reasons why. It’s prevalent, but not much comfort to any higher education executive whose mission is to make enhancements for the good of the institution, which undoubtedly require change. Jim La Creta of Brandeis University found himself within that very delicate balance. […]
Talent Management in Higher Education
Attracting and retaining IT staff in higher education has always been a challenge, given constrained budgets that are typical in the higher education landscape. These constraints result in lower salaries for people with technical skills, people who can leverage those skills for higher-paying jobs in industry and the public sector. Also, as colleges and universities […]
