Purpose, People and Progress: A CIO's Vision for Higher Education

Dr. Barbra Kerns, CIO, Bradley University

As CIO at Bradley University, Dr. Barbra Kerns carries over 30 years of experience in higher education and technology, focused on building and leading teams and guiding strategic initiatives that improve the student experience, enhance institutional operations and help serve the university’s mission. Known for her empathetic leadership style, she emphasizes individual strengths, shared purpose and professional growth, believing that people, not systems, are the true drivers of institutional excellence.

Recognizing Kerns’ resilient leadership in higher education IT, this exclusive spotlights her people-centered vision for technology at Bradley University. It reflects her belief in digital tools that work quietly in the background, strategies that advance connection and access and a future where technology and academics move forward together as partners in learning and transformation.

AT A GLANCE

• People-Centered Leadership – A career built on connecting technology with purpose, guiding transformation through empathy, collaborationand shared mission.

• Technology That Serves Quietly– Believing that the best systems work in the background, enabling seamless learning, teaching and engagement across campus.

• Intentional Innovation – Piloting emerging tools thoughtiully, aligning every digital initiative with strategy, sustainability and student success.

• Empowered Teams, Stronger Outcomes– Building cross-functional teams that learn, grow and co-create solutions with faculty and academic partners.

My Lens: People-Centered Innovation

For me, the role of a CIO has always been about strategic partnership, working alongside educators, students and staff to create a digital campus that feels connected, intuitive and human. Technology may be the tool, but people are the purpose.

At Bradley University, that philosophy guides how we think about technology. Every initiative, whether improving classroom tools or streamlining operations, is driven by a simple goal: to make learning, teaching and working more seamless and fulfilling for everyone.

Turning Everyday Interactions into Connected Experiences

The student experience is one of Bradley’s top priorities and a true differentiator for the university. From the classroom to the dining hall and everything in between, technology shapes how that experience unfolds each day.

Students now engage with the university across multiple digital touchpoints. Meeting their expectations begins with understanding their lived reality. Partnering with faculty and students through our interactive media program, we conducted journey-mapping sessions with current undergraduates. These conversations revealed clear pain points—an overreliance on email, inconsistent interfaces and administrative steps that distract from learning.

With that foundation, we worked with campus stakeholders to develop ‘Be Connected,’ a new student engagement and information hub launched in January. The portal unites systems, resources, communications and selfservice tools in one place, accessible on both web and mobile. Early results have been encouraging: nearly every incoming student accessed the platform during summer orientation and within seven months, 43 percent of employees and current students were active users. Be Connected continues to evolve with new features, content and a streamlined mobile dashboard now in testing.

This initiative reflects our ongoing commitment in IT to remove administrative barriers, simplify daily tasks and deliver tools that genuinely support the people who make up the Bradley community.

Innovating with Intentionality

Bradley’s Digitally Connected Campus initiative is another example of giving students, faculty and staff the tools they need for an excellent experience. The program provides every student with an iPad, 5G connectivity and Bradley-curated apps designed to support success inside and outside the classroom.

Our approach to innovation is intentional. We pilot technologies selectively, measure outcomes and evaluate them against our digital strategy and operational capacity. We make space for responsible innovation by exploring areas such as AI and identifying ways to make data more actionable for faculty and administration.

These efforts are strengthened through academic partnerships and guided by institutional priorities. Regular evaluation allows us to adjust as needs change, ensuring each initiative stays aligned with the university’s mission. The driving force behind this work is a team that keeps students and the university’s purpose at the heart of everything they do.

Empowering the Team

Behind every successful technology initiative is a team of professionals working collaboratively across areas of expertise, from classroom technologists and technicians to system administrators and programmers. Supporting these teams is essential to sustaining progress.

We’ve worked intentionally to build a collaborative and supportive environment that leans into the personal strengths of each team member. This helps employees do meaningful, fulfilling work and grow in their careers at Bradley. We hire talented people, then empower them through mentorship and opportunity. We encourage a growth mindset and support participation in workshops, job shadowing, external training and certifications in areas such as emerging learning technologies.

We also foster cross-functional learning by connecting technologists with academic partners—faculty, department chairs and deans—to deepen understanding and co-create solutions. With technology staff embedded in each college, we can identify needs more effectively and design solutions that enhance both the student experience and academic programs.

Reimagining Processes to Elevate Human Expertise

One of the most impactful things technology leaders can do is remove manual, repetitive processes so people can operate at the highest level of their expertise. A friend in healthcare once shared that their goal was to ensure professionals work “at the top of their credentials.” The same applies in education.

By automating routine tasks and optimizing administrative processes, we allow employees to focus more on students and less on paperwork. This includes streamlining verification steps for billing, eligibility checks for scholarships or document routing for major changes. Each improvement contributes to a more responsive, student-focused institution.

Optimizing Costs to Maximize Mission Impact

As institutions face tightening budgets, rising costs and the approaching enrollment cliff, managing resources has become more critical than ever. These challenges create opportunities to reexamine internal systems and processes to reduce expenses and improve efficiency.

We look closely at where investments deliver the greatest impact. Consolidating redundant applications, renegotiating vendor contracts and adopting open-source or lower-cost alternatives where appropriate are all part of our strategy. Each decision is guided by one question: where will this investment best enhance the student and academic experience?

Long-term sustainability also matters. We ask whether each investment is scalable, sustainable and well-integrated with existing systems and what the total cost of ownership will be. Empowered, knowledgeable teams are essential to this process; they understand their areas deeply and can identify where improvements or savings can have the most effect.

Leadership at the Intersection of Learning and Technology

Leading technology in higher education means guiding institutional capabilities toward a more connected, studentcentered and digitally empowered future. Whether through platforms that reduce friction in the student journey, programs that invest in our people, or process improvements that unlock potential, we are shaping not only how technology is used but how our university grows and serves.

At Bradley, our work in Information Technology is rooted in purpose; to serve people, empower learning and strengthen the university’s mission.

Through intentional innovation, strong partnerships and a commitment to continuous improvement, we are creating a more connected and responsive campus where students thrive and employees are equipped to do their best work.

We continue building the systems and culture that will help Bradley meet today’s needs while preparing for the opportunities of tomorrow.

That’s the vision I carry with me every day.

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