The pace of mergers and acquisitions has rapidly accelerated in higher education in recent years as institutions adapt to a changing market. But what happens behind the scenes when two institutions decide to join forces? Northeastern University's CIO, Cole Camplese knows firsthand from his experience building a unified technology operation for his institution’s recent partnership with Mills College in Oakland, California. Learn about all the planning and efforts involved in this month's podcast....
Jul 18, 2023•45 min•Season 6Ep. 62
When is the right time for an IT leader to move on to a new role at a new institution? How much should location matter versus potential for career growth? Aisha Jackson answers these questions and shares insights from her experience navigating the first year as a new technology leader since joining the University of California, Santa Cruz as Vice Chancellor of Information Technology in August 2022.
Jun 13, 2023•43 min•Season 6Ep. 61
As the Director of Enterprise Software Systems at Montgomery County Community College in Pennsylvania, Mary Beaver is a paragon of success in building and retaining a high-performing IT team. In fact, the CRM system she and her team of MCCC alumni built won Tambellini Group’s 2023 Innovative Technology Team Award. Listen in as Mary takes us behind the scenes and shares how IT mentoring and student worker programs helped her institution overcome the challenges of finding skilled IT team members....
May 16, 2023•40 min•Season 6Ep. 60
A CIO with academic technology expertise is a rare yet valuable asset to any institution. With a PhD in instructional design, Dr. Patricia Kahn, CIO at College of Staten Island-CUNY, is one of those IT unicorns. In our latest Top of Mind podcast, she shares her method for collaborating with leadership peers in vetting and choosing the right mix of academic technology tools to ensure flexibility in teaching, learning, and working environments in an unpredictable world.
Apr 24, 2023•43 min•Season 6Ep. 59
While there isn’t one single definition of digital accessibility that applies to all higher education institutions, there are guiding principles that all should follow. Our Top of Mind guest this month, Brian Fodrey, Carnegie Mellon University’s Assistant Vice President of Business Innovation, shares the guidelines and steps his institution followed in creating their Digital Accessibility Office.
Mar 14, 2023•37 min•Season 6Ep. 58
It’s no secret that the adoption of AI tools in higher education is growing by the day, and ChatGPT is leading the pack. Our Top of Mind guest this month, Dr. Lin Lin Lipsmeyer, Chair of the Department of Teaching and Learning at the Simmons School of Education and Human Development at Southern Methodist University, gives us a thorough overview of the broad spectrum of views and opinions about ChatGPT’s future impact and its potential uses as both a teaching and learning tool.
Feb 14, 2023•52 min•Season 6Ep. 57
Vicki Tambellini, President and CEO of Tambellini Group, kicks off the new year with her annual take on the top technology trends for 2022, along with her predictions of the drivers that will have the biggest impact on the higher education market in 2023. Listen in for Vicki’s insights on how factors including budget pressures and IT hiring staffing shortages will affect institutions going forward, and the innovative ways some colleges and universities are responding to changing market forces....
Jan 22, 2023•42 min•Season 6Ep. 56
Baylor College of Medicine’s Human Genome Sequencing Center is at the forefront of leveraging scientific research for the cloud, and self-taught Cloud Engineer Noora Siddiqui is largely responsible for leading this progress. Noora joins the Top of Mind family this month to share her insights on how cloud migration is revolutionizing precision medicine, including the ability to calculate individuals’ risk of disease through combining data from genomic information and medical records....
Dec 14, 2022•36 min•Season 5Ep. 55
To realize the benefits of hyperautomation, the University of South Florida (USF) identified three crucial factors for success: an agile mindset, investing with the right partners, and a willingness to experiment with new technologies. Alice Wei, Assistant Vice President of Digital Transformation and Innovation at USF, joins the Top of Mind family this month to share how she spearheaded USF’s innovative strategies to rapidly deploy custom applications for the benefit of students, faculty and sta...
Nov 14, 2022•39 min•Season 5Ep. 54
Oral Roberts University (ORU) has one technological focus: to be the best campus for 21st-century students. Why? Because the student is worth it. Michael Mathews, CIO and Vice President of Global Learning and Innovation at ORU, joins the October episode of Tambellini Group’s Top of Mind podcast series to share how he made his dreams for the future of higher education come to life on campus. From adaptive planning to technology “taste testing,” ORU is transformative and leading by example in the ...
Oct 18, 2022•38 min•Season 5Ep. 53
How does your institution measure intention? In the September installment of Tambellini Group’s Top of Mind podcast series, Sharon Pitt, CIO and Vice President of Information Technology at the University of Delaware (UD), joins the conversation to offer listeners a glimpse into the intentions behind UD’s growing digital transformation strategy. Sharon highlights UD’s innovative shared services efforts and the importance of collaboration and communication with stakeholders to reach the epitome of...
Sep 01, 2022•30 min•Season 5Ep. 52
How does your institution define digital trust? In the August installment of Tambellini Group’s Top of Mind podcast series, Dr. Donna Kidwell, CISO and Chief Digital Trust Officer at Arizona State University (ASU), joins the conversation to offer listeners a glimpse into what digital trust looks like on ASU’s campus. Outside of simply defining the concept, Dr. Kidwell explains the power behind having intentional conversations with stakeholders, faculty & staff, and most importantly, students...
Aug 15, 2022•33 min•Season 5Ep. 51
For this month’s episode, Kathy Lueckeman joins the Top of Mind family. A tech leader within her own right, Kathy most recently served as chief strategy officer at Olivet Nazarene University (ONU). After completely transforming ONU into a modern campus, Kathy is here to give an inside scoop about the cultivation and success of that project, the relationship between digital transformation, enrollment, and retention, and how ONU’s tuition-free program is allowing its student to feel the utmost com...
Jul 19, 2022•45 min•Season 5Ep. 50
What does a Chief Transformation Officer do? This leadership position can take on many forms depending on the institution, but one thing is for sure: it is never strictly about “technology.” In this Top of Mind episode, Kristophyre McCall, chief transformation officer for University of Maryland Global Campus, sits down with us to talk about his experience during his rookie year as UMGC’s first leader in this role. Tune in to hear all about what makes a chief transformation officer successful, an...
Jun 14, 2022•46 min•Season 5Ep. 49
Blockchain technology (blockchain) has a growing influence on higher ed. An institution that is well on its way to becoming the first blockchain university and knows this better than any other is Maryville University. In part two of this Top of Mind episode, Dr. Feng Hou, chief digital evangelist for Maryville University and visionary leader and advocate for the adoption of blockchain, completely immerses listeners in its possibilities by giving them an inside scoop into his intuitions blockchai...
Apr 12, 2022•41 min•Season 5Ep. 48
Blockchain technology (blockchain) has a growing influence on higher education. An institution that is well on its way to becoming the first blockchain university and knows this better than any other is Maryville University. In this Top of Mind episode, Dr. Feng Hou, chief digital evangelist for Maryville University and visionary leader and advocate for the adoption of blockchain, completely immerses listeners in its possibilities by giving them an inside scoop into his intuitions blockchain jou...
Mar 14, 2022•45 min•Season 5Ep. 47
Is a transcript the best way to truly reflect a student's academic learning experience? Temple University’s registrar Bhavesh Bambhrolia believes that while the traditional transcript is safe and secure, it is limiting in communicating a student's growth and development from a cumulative experience. In this Top of Mind episode, Bambhrolia gives listeners a glimpse into an emerging generational tool for tracking the student experience—the Comprehensive Learner Record (CLR).
Feb 16, 2022•30 min•Season 5Ep. 46
Vicki Tambellini, President and CEO of Tambellini Group kicks off this year’s Top of Mind podcast series. The current state of higher education, although hard to generalize, is very much institution-dependent. However, one universal fact that rings true is that institutions are working on a smarter, not faster, approach. Listen in as Vicki shares what she expects in the coming year and evaluates which predictions came true and evolved last year.
Jan 24, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Season 5Ep. 45
Jazz musician and CIO for the Georgia Tech Foundation, Dwight Dozier, joins the Top of Mind podcast family this month to discuss creativity in leadership. Describing his role as more relational than transactional, Dwight, whose focus is on donor and alumni engagement, emphasizes relationships, staying connected with students beyond graduation, and recognizing that the philanthropic efforts of alumni are the preliminary steps to a particular recruitment cycle. Making relevant parallels to his car...
Dec 07, 2021•33 min•Season 4Ep. 44
"Whether it's at NASA or a university system level job, a CIO wants to be able to expand the scope of our technology and systems to impact the largest number of people." In this month's Top of Mind Podcast, host Elizabeth Farrell is joined by the Vice President of Information Technology Services and Chief Information Officer at Washington State University, Dr. Sasi Pillay, to discuss how he views the role of a CIO. Starting at NASA, Dr. Pillay moved to higher education because working with young...
Nov 09, 2021•38 min•Season 4Ep. 43
It is no argument that modernizing at any institution is a learning curve. In this month's Top of Mind podcast episode: "From Butler to Enabler: How IT Services Empower Teaching and Learning," Alison Robinson, associate vice president and deputy CIO of the Division of Information and Technology Services at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo, joins host, Elizabeth Farrell in discussing this curve; specifically, the role technology teams play in enabling teaching and learning....
Oct 12, 2021•29 min•Season 4Ep. 42
The definition of student experience is an ever-changing one. As technology advances, students’ expectations shift to newly introduced possibilities. Inevitably, this affects student experience. However, what’s important to consider is whether implementing a solution just because it’s available is worthwhile to your institution. In this episode, new show host Elizabeth Farrell talks to Dr. Melissa Harts, former Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President at Pasco-Hernando State College (...
Sep 14, 2021•38 min•Season 4Ep. 41
Just like on-campus students, remote learners expect a quality student experience from their higher ed institution. Providing a quality experience coincides with modernizing and simplifying virtual services, yet the work toward this can not be done until institutions understand what problems they are solving. In this episode, Katelyn Ilkani talks with Darcy Van Patten, Chief Technology Officer at the University of Arizona. Darcy shares her perspective and expertise on how the University of Arizo...
Aug 10, 2021•31 min•Season 4Ep. 40
The COVID-19 Pandemic expedited the timeline for technological modernizations at many institutions. As the fall semester approaches, a new normal is expected. Institutions are reflecting on what they learned and deciding which new adopted practices to continue. In this episode, Katelyn Ilkani talks with Jason Parkhill, Interim Chief Information Officer at Colby College. Jason shares how the pandemic brought innovation to Colby, highlighted inequities on campus, and prompted new insights into the...
Jul 20, 2021•27 min•Season 4Ep. 39
As higher education institutions continue to roll out vaccination and testing protocols that will be applied going forward, the role of technology (and campus tech leaders) is central to making these new requirements work. In this Top of Mind Podcast, Janet Scannell, Chief Technology Officer at Carleton College, shares her perspective from the CTO role on how she and her team have been involved (and continue to shape) pandemic protocol. She discusses how COVID and emergency planning have helped ...
Jun 14, 2021•23 min•Season 4Ep. 38
Tambellini Top of Mind Podcast host Katelyn Ilkani interviews Augie Freda, Data Steward at the University of Notre Dame, about data governance. Freda explains how Notre Dame manages data and secures student privacy. He points out the importance of considering the size and source of the data when making decisions.
May 11, 2021•41 min•Season 4Ep. 37
The Council of Independent Colleges has created a course-sharing consortium. The platform allows students to take digital courses offered by other institutions similar to their own. In this episode, Katelyn Ilkani talks with Dr. Bryan Boatright, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs and University Registrar at the University of Mount Union. Dr. Boatright explains how the course sharing works, shares lessons learned, and highlights some successes of the consortium.
Apr 13, 2021•25 min•Season 4Ep. 36
Over the past year, admissions leaders have worked hard to maintain a positive, collaborative culture in a remote environment. Lukman Arsalan, Dean of Admission at Franklin and Marshall College, speaks with host Katelyn Ilkani about creating a top-notch remote employee experience. Arsalan has taken a newly created position at the college and was hired during the pandemic, so he met his employees virtually. He explains how he and his team have met the challenges, all while working remotely....
Mar 16, 2021•32 min•Season 4Ep. 35
Katelyn Ilkani speaks with Milwaukee Area Technical College’s Laura Bray about raising scholarship funding. As Vice President for College Advancement and External Communications, Bray shares her experiences over the past year as head of fundraising. She describes MATC’s “Healthcare Heroes Fund” and how her team raises funding to support graduates who need to pay for licensure to obtain employment. The conversation focuses on how MATC is working toward ensuring equity in their scholarship awards,...
Feb 15, 2021•23 min•Season 4Ep. 34
Vicki Tambellini, President and CEO of the Tambellini Group, speaks with Katelyn Ilkani about the current state of higher education and what to expect in the coming year. Tambellini discusses the high-stress environment in which many of us find ourselves as a result of the pandemic and how it is affecting the workplace and decisions for the future. Her predictions touch on the adoption of more sophisticated budget and planning tools, the move to the cloud, and institutions combining operations....
Jan 25, 2021•24 min•Season 4Ep. 33
