Mikel Amigot, IBL News (Chicago)
The 2019 Educause Annual Conference yesterday recognized four prominent educators, highlighting their achievement during the opening talk in Chicago’s convention center.
- Leadership Award: Linda Jorn, Assoc Vice Provost for Learning Technologies, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Community Leadership Award: Mark Askren, Senior Advisor to the President, University of Nebraska
- DEI Leadership Award: Melissa Woo, President for Information Technology and Enterprise Chief Information Officer, Stony Brook University
- Rising Star: Tina Pappas, Associate Director, Innovation and Technology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
In addition, the Educause staff announced the 2020 Top 10 IT Issues index, stressing what’s important and where to focus on in terms of higher education:
- Information Security Strategy
- Privacy
- Sustainable Funding
- Digital Integrations
- Student Retention and Completion
- Student-Centric Higher Education
- Improved Enrollment
- Higher Education Affordability
- Administrative Simplification
- The Integrative CIO
“The 2020 IT Issues reveal where the integrative CIO must simplify, sustain, and innovate as higher education drives to digital transformation,” said Susan Grajek, Vice President, Communities and Research at Educause.
“Institutions know they need to innovate to achieve a competitive advantage in today’s complex marketplace, and almost none of today’s innovation can happen without data and technology,” she added.
On this edition, the gathering attracted over 8,000 attendees. “This year’s attendance has been a record-setting,” John O’Brien, CEO at Educause, said without providing further data. “Every year there is something new in the air that captures imagination,” he said. “We know innovation is everywhere.”
[Promotional Video]
