The Evolving Role of the Higher
Education CIO (Polymath)
A Report on the Research Conducted for a Dissertation at
The University of Pennsylvania
Jerry DeSanto, Ed.D.
VP for Planning and CIO
The University of Scranton
Why Study This Topic?
Other Reasons
 Few
Current Studies Focused on The CIO
Profession and How the Role is Changing
 The Level of Hyper-Change in the IT
Industry Over the Last Five Years
 The Current Volatile State of the Higher
Education Industry and the Impact on
Each of Our Campuses
 My Own Professional Experience While
on This Journey
Study Process Steps
 Formulation
of Research Question(s)
 Literature Review
 Development of Research Methodology
 Pilot Study
 2011 LBCIO Survey of CIOs
 Qualitative Study
 Analysis and Synthesis
 Findings and Conclusions
Research Questions
1. How is the evolving role of the higher
education CIO being impacted by the
following IT/Higher Education industry
forces:
Consumerization,The Cloud,Virtualization, IT
Security, and Budget Constraints
2. Will the role remain viable into the
foreseeable future, and will it tend to be
more strategic or operational?
Research Methodology
 Mixed
Methods:
2011 LBCIO Survey
Approximately 200 CIO Respondents
Added 16 Questions to Support Research
Two Pronged Approach. The Survey Informed the
Interview Questions. The Survey Results Informed the
Findings and Conclusions
Qualitative Interviews
Eight (8) Higher Education CIOs
Eight (8) Senior officers at Same Institution
Gender, Years as CIO/Senior Officer, Institution Type
Diversity Sought
Protocols were Different
Characteristics of Interviewed Higher Education CIOs
No.
Gender
CIO Tenure
(Years)
1
Male
9
Bachelor Diverse Small
Private
1,775
2
Male
2
Masters Large
Private
3,300
3
Female
2
RU/VH Research
Private
7,000
4
Female
5
RU/VH Research
Private
25,000
5
Male
10
Master Large
Public
8,300
6
Male
11
Masters Large
Public
12,500
Public
30,000
Private
6,200
Carnegie Class
Public/Private
Student Headcount
7
Female
35
Two-Year Community
College
Large
8
Female
5
Masters Large
Characteristics of Interviewed Senior Officers
No.
Gender
Carnegie Class
Discipline
1
Female
Bachelor Diverse Small
Academics
2
Female
Masters Large
President
3
Female
RU/VH Research
Student Affairs
4
Male
RU/VH Research
Human Resources
5
Female
Masters Large
Academics
6
Male
Masters Large
Advancement
7
Female
Two-Year Community College
Large
Enrollment Management
8
Male
Masters Large
Finance
Relevant Findings
 Consumerization
 The
Cloud
 Security, Risk
Management &
Compliance
 Service is still King
 Seat
at the Cabinet
Table
 Reporting Lines
 Strategic, Yes
 CIO as Informaticist
 Traits
In the qualitative study
there were no discernible
differences in CIOs by size,
type of University or by
years in the CIO role
Synthesis Higher Education CIO Trait Buckets
HIGHER EDUCATION CIO
Interpersonal
Business
Higher
Education
Technical
Leadership
Non-Findings
 Virtualization
A wonderful technology
development that has
resulted in greater
efficiencies, staff
productivity, and
facilitated more flexible
service offerings---but
isn’t impacting the
evolution of the role.
 Budget
Constraints
CIOs in higher education
have been dealing with
budget constraints
seemingly forever. It
appears to be the nature
of doing business in this
space. Thus, the current
economic downturn
triggering tighter budgets
is not impacting the role
in any special way.
Findings I didn’t Anticipate aka
Emergent Ideas to Explore
 The
Female Higher Education CIO
 The Issues of Honesty, Integrity and Trust
 Value Creation Revenue Generation?
 Higher Education CIOs that Immigrate
from Other Industries
The Female Higher Education CIO
 Proportion
rose to about 25% and then
leveled off
 Why are these numbers not increasing?
 Legacy of Engineering, Computer Science?
 The “All Boys” Club?
 Lack of Ambition or interest?
 Female CIOs appear to be doing great
work and are particularly well suited to
the role
Honesty, Integrity, and Trust
A
theme I repeatedly heard, especially
from other senior officers
 Why?
 Amount of $$$$ involved
 The focus on data security and the value
of the data asset
 The recognition of the CIO as a key
member of senior leadership on campus
Value CreationRevenue
Generation
In the for-profit sector CIOs more
commonly are asked to contribute
towards revenue generation
 In higher education this doesn’t hold true
 HE CIOs are largely expected to create
value in other ways, principally through
process improvement, CRM strategies,
and teaching and learning innovation

Higher Education CIOs who
Immigrate from Other Industries
CIOs entering Higher Education from
other industries come with a different
mindset and perspective
 It would be interesting to explore the
comparison of the born and bred higher
education CIO vs. their counterpart who
has migrated from the for-profit world.

Higher Education CIO Role Research Questions
Conclusion Matrix
Key External
Influencers
Key Evolving Functions
IT Consumerization
Shift from standards culture to personalized culture
The Cloud
Shift from on-campus data centers and capital purchasing to
contracted services
IT Security
Shift from openness and sharing to privacy, compliance, and risk
mitigation
Factors Impacting
Role Relevance
Role Relevance in Action
Adding Value
Operational efficiencies to strategic contributions
Cabinet Seat
Facilitates contributions to strategic discussions
Reporting Lines
Entre to cabinet seat and strategic involvement
Was Nicolas Carr Right about the
Extinction of the CIO Role?
Perhaps….
 But, not if higher education CIOs figure
out ways of adding value at a strategic
level
 To be part of the strategic conversations
CIOs must be seated at the Cabinet table
 But, they don’t have to report to the
President

Higher Education CIO Role Evolution
Catalyst
Former Roles
Evolving
Consumerization
Standards Architect
Enabler
Rule Enforcer
Facilitator
Hardware/Software Procurer
Educator
Manager of people, things, places
Matchmaker
Recruiter and procurer of the physical
Broker/Intermediary
All powerful IT decision-maker
Contract Negotiator
Controller of all IT finances
Service Procurer
Integrator
Password Controller
IT legal expert and consultant
Enforcer of responsible computing behavior
Risk assessor and mitigator
Grants access
Maintainer of balance points
The Cloud
Information Security
(risks vs. function)
Synthesis Portrait of the Higher Education CIO
1992  2012 and Beyond
Dominant
Dominant
Build
Share
Spend
Optimize
Technical
Well-rounded
Physical
Virtual
Obscure
Visible
Consumption
Bracketed
Functional
Value-Added
User-centric
Customer-centric
Operational
Strategic
Manager
Leader
1992
Beyond
2012 and
Full Study Available at http://www.lbcio.org
Questions and Comments