The search for the University's next chief information officer has reached its final stage, just as administrators are trying to finalize a vision for the future of technology on campus.
The search committee has narrowed its choices for the position of CIO and vice provost for information technology to several finalists and hopes to make its final selection in the next several weeks.
The position became vacant this summer after Betty Leydon departed for a similar position at Princeton University, leaving open the leadership of the Office of Information Technology and of various computing initiatives. Those initiatives--such as creating a wireless network on campus and increasing technology use by faculty members--have continued in part, but administrators are looking for someone to jump-start those efforts.
"It's a huge operation. The person has to be an outstanding administrator," said Philip Morgan, chair of the search committee and professor of sociology. "But really, we're looking for someone who has a vision for academic computing at Duke."
One early goal of the committee was to seek out candidates with a minority background, Morgan said, adding that the area of information technology has a relatively small pool of minorities. He said the semifinal candidate pool included both racial minorities and women, but he declined to comment on the finalist pool.
Under Leydon, the University's various technology bodies were united under OIT and administrative computing systems, such as students' registration process, were significantly upgraded. Now, with the interim guidance of Michael Pickett, special assistant to the provost, the focus has shifted toward better incorporating technology into academic activities. As a model, he said the University has particularly looked at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
"The theme is that we are trying to move central IT support from primarily concerned with administrative systems to academic computing," said Robert Wolpert, member of the search committee and professor in the Institute for Statistics and Decision Sciences.
That vision is likely to incorporate a wide range of improvements, although administrators continue to grapple with how encompassing that range will be. It will almost certainly include creating a wireless network over the entire campus, but now the administration appears to be leaning against an undergraduate laptop requirement. In addition, the latest vision for student residential life includes possibly adding more computer clusters and other technology to dormitories.
"Where people use the existing facilities will give us some guidance in what the future uses will be," said Provost Peter Lange.
Many of the decisions on how best to proceed with academic computing will wait until the new vice provost arrives and articulates a vision, Morgan said. When to make infrastructure improvements, for example, can be difficult to judge because technology changes so quickly.
Developing a vision for technology is also complicated, Morgan said, because the future needs of professors and students are so diverse. He suggested that creating a useful infrastructure can be a starting point.
"The question is: Are there some subjects that could be better presented with new technology?" Morgan said. "Having a superior set of resources here at Duke makes it easier for us to do work and attract researchers from around the world."
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