The Changing Landscape of Higher Education: The Role of CIOs

Patty Patria, Chief Information Officer, Babson College

The landscape of higher education is undergoing transformative changes, driven by technological advancements, shifting demographics, evolving pedagogical approaches and the impact of constant external changes to international student visas. As institutions grapple with these dynamics, the role of Chief Information Officers (CIOs) becomes increasingly pivotal. CIOs must transition from traditional IT management roles to multifaceted positions as orchestrators, builders, operators, and protectors, guiding their organizations through this period of upheaval.

The higher education landscape has experienced tremendous change in the last few years. Technology integration has revolutionized teaching and learning processes, making education more accessible and interactive. Generative AI has made information a commodity, posing significant challenges and opportunities for pedagogy and operations.

The operational landscape of higher education is also changing. As discount rates increase and budgets constrict, institutions must examine ways to automate, streamline, reduce administrative burdens, and identify areas for cost savings.

To navigate these changes, CIOs must redefine their roles. The modern CIO is not just a technology manager but an orchestrator, builder, operator, protector and change manager. Here’s how each role contributes to the organization’s success:

Orchestrator

As orchestrators, CIOs coordinate technology integration across all facets of the institution. A significant key to this success is understanding all aspects of the business. When CIOs understand business operations ranging from enrollment to finance to advancement, they can ensure that technological initiatives align with business needs and problems. Because CIOs work across all divisions of their universities, they can also bridge the gap between stakeholders, recommend technology to solve business problems, and help orchestrate solutions.

Builder

In their role as builders, CIOs have the opportunity to develop scalable and adaptable technological frameworks. They work with teams to design systems that can evolve with the institution’s needs, supporting anything from innovative teaching methods to efficient administrative operations. Builders focus on creating robust infrastructures that facilitate continuous improvement and foster a culture of technological advancement.

“The modern CIO is not just a technology manager but an orchestrator, builder, operator, protector and change manager”

Operator

While building and orchestrating our critical skills, CIOs still need to manage the institution's technological functions. Systems, networks and applications all need to keep running to provide stellar service, but by leveraging automation and AI, operators ensure that processes run smoothly, identifying and addressing inefficiencies to optimize resources and reduce costs.

Protector

As technology increases, so do threats and security concerns. As protectors, CIOs must safeguard the institution’s technological assets and data. They need to understand modern threats and work with CISOs to continually evolve security operations, always trying to stay one step ahead of bad actors. They also need to educate stakeholders on best practices for data privacy and security, fostering a safe and resilient digital environment.

Change Manager

One of the critical roles of CIOs today is assisting organizations through significant technological changes. Change is hard in any organization, but particularly hard in higher education. Continually working with faculty, staff, and students, explaining the nature of the change, offering training and support, or sometimes just listening when people are frustrated, are all critical roles. CIOs need to be empathetic and approachable, understanding the concerns of various stakeholders. By fostering a culture of open communication and continuous learning, CIOs can help ease the transition and ensure that technological advancements are embraced and effectively utilized across the institution.

A recent example that pulls these skills together was developing a scenario-based enrollment model to predict the impact of recent international visa requirement changes. By pulling together a diverse team of individuals from IT, enrollment, finance, and international student services, the team collaboratively built best, medium, and worst-case scenario models in a matter of days. Creating these models required detailed data and expertise from both enrollment and the international area, but having IT build the foundation and ensure the models' accuracy helped address the lack of data in a short time frame.

In addition, CIOs can help spur innovation by ensuring their organizations help train users and show them the possibilities of new technology. We recently scheduled an AI build-a-thon for staff, soliciting ideas to solve problems and then training staff to use low-code/no-code tools to automate routine tasks or solve problems.

In conclusion, the landscape of higher education is evolving rapidly, and CIOs can be at the forefront of guiding their organizations through this transformation. By embracing their roles as orchestrators, builders, operators, protectors and change managers, CIOs can leverage technology to enhance pedagogy, streamline operations, and tackle complex challenges. Their strategic vision and innovative approach can be instrumental in shaping the future of higher education.