As the University attempts to become a national leader in campus technology, it has found a captain it hopes will lead the charge.
Tracy Futhey, currently vice provost and chief information officer at Carnegie Mellon University, will join Duke in March as vice president for information technology, Executive Vice President Tallman Trask announced Thursday.
The position includes a wide range of responsibilities, from managing the operations of the Office of Information Technology to implementing the University's various computing initiatives. Most recently, those initiatives have included furthering the use of technology in academics with a campus-wide wireless network, more instruction in technology use and better computing infrastructures for classrooms.
Administrators pointed to Futhey's experience with such initiatives as one of her greatest strengths.
"Futhey seems to have the complete package of all the skills, with the experience of a research university where technology is very integrated into both research and teaching," said Philip Morgan, chair of the search committee and professor of sociology.
Morgan praised the committee for its work in evaluating about 100 applicants, what he called a "very strong pool" but one in which he said Futhey clearly stood out as the group's unanimous choice. Others cited her enthusiasm for the position and her vision for computing both in academics and administrative systems.
"It's not often that you go through a national search, with a very strong and diverse committee that represents all the different areas on campus that are touched by information technology, and end up with a candidate that sweeps the field," said Provost Peter Lange. "She also seems to be a person who understands very well the risks that there are in over-committing too quickly in particular technologies or particular investments."
Futhey's appointment is subject to approval by the Board of Trustees.
The chief information officer had been a vice provost position under Futhey's predecessor, Betty Leydon, who left in June to take a similar job at Princeton University. Trask said the new title reflects the growing importance of the position, with about half of universities nationwide designating the position at the vice president level.
Futhey oversaw a range of projects at Carnegie Mellon that integrated technology on campus and into classrooms, including Wireless Andrew and Handheld Andrew, which together allow campus-wide access to the Internet via laptops and handheld devices. She also developed programs in wireless laptop checkout and campus-wide scheduling, and said enthusiasm for innovative ideas helped attract her to Duke.
"The commitment in Duke's strategic plan to work toward further integration of technology into academics and other aspects of university life is what persuaded me to consider the position," Futhey wrote in an e-mail. "Once I visited the campus, it was clear from everyone I met that that commitment was recognized throughout the university and that there was considerable momentum around the IT aspects of the plan."
Futhey received bachelor of science and master of science degrees from Carnegie Mellon, where she had previously served as executive director of computing services.
As part of a growing effort to increase the diversity of the higher-level University administration, the search committee had made an effort to recruit a diverse applicant pool. Morgan characterized the final pool as diverse in both race and gender. He and other administrators said they were pleased to find a woman for the position, but that diversity was a challenge due to the nature of the position.
"The pool was not as diverse as one might hope, but for that particular job it was pretty good," Trask said.
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