Top of Mind with Tambellini Group

As higher education institutions continue to roll out vaccination and testing protocols that will be applied going forward, the role of technology (and campus tech leaders) is central to making these new requirements work. In this Top of Mind Podcast, Janet Scannell, Chief Technology Officer at Carleton College, shares her perspective from the CTO role on how she and her team have been involved (a...

Tambellini Top of Mind Podcast host Katelyn Ilkani interviews Augie Freda, Data Steward at the University of Notre Dame, about data governance. Freda explains how Notre Dame manages data and secures student privacy. He points out the importance of considering the size and source of the data when making decisions.  

The Council of Independent Colleges has created a course-sharing consortium. The platform allows students to take digital courses offered by other institutions similar to their own. In this episode, Katelyn Ilkani talks with Dr. Bryan Boatright, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs and University Registrar at the University of Mount Union. Dr. Boatright explains how the course sharing wor...

Over the past year, admissions leaders have worked hard to maintain a positive, collaborative culture in a remote environment. Lukman Arsalan, Dean of Admission at Franklin and Marshall College, speaks with host Katelyn Ilkani about creating a top-notch remote employee experience. Arsalan has taken a newly created position at the college and was hired during the pandemic, so he met his employees v...

Katelyn Ilkani speaks with Milwaukee Area Technical College’s Laura Bray about raising scholarship funding. As Vice President for College Advancement and External Communications, Bray shares her experiences over the past year as head of fundraising. She describes MATC’s “Healthcare Heroes Fund” and how her team raises funding to support graduates who need to pay for licensure to obtain employment....

Vicki Tambellini, President and CEO of the Tambellini Group, speaks with Katelyn Ilkani about the current state of higher education and what to expect in the coming year. Tambellini discusses the high-stress environment in which many of us find ourselves as a result of the pandemic and how it is affecting the workplace and decisions for the future. Her predictions touch on the adoption of more sop...

Dr. Mordecai Brownlee, Vice President for Student Success at St. Philip’s College, discusses the benefits of experiential learning with host Katelyn Ilkani of The Tambellini Group. Dr. Brownlee shares thoughts on helping college students prepare to enter the workforce, emphasizing the role of experiential learning in career exposure. Topics include student engagement and success, the role of techn...

The Tambellini Group’s Katelyn Ilkani interviews San Cannon, Associate Vice Provost for Data Governance and Chief Data Officer at the University of Rochester. Cannon explains the duties of a Chief Data Officer and why higher education institutions should consider establishing such a position. Topics include technology’s role in data management, the importance of establishing relationships with sta...

In conversation with Top of Mind host Katelyn Ilkani, Marilyn Smith, former CIO at George Mason University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, reflects on the changes she has witnessed over her career. Advisor to GMU’s new CIO, Smith shares her advice to listeners who may aspire to lead a higher education IT department. This podcast includes Smith’s approach to building relationships ac...

Host Katelyn Ilkani talks with our own Vicki Tambellini, President and CEO of The Tambellini Group, about higher education trends she discussed in January 2020’s Top of Mind podcast. Tambellini notes that campus technology priorities are changing, and while some predictions have held true, COVID-10 has affected others. Tambellini talks about the fall semester and what we might expect from institut...

Host Katelyn Ilkani talks with Keith McIntosh, Vice President for Information Service and Chief Information Officer at the University of Richmond about the need for courageous leadership in higher education. From addressing the needs of an increasingly diverse student population, to navigating the challenges of new learning environments created by the pandemic, to creating cultural awareness of th...

Host Katelyn Ilkani talks with Tom Dugas, Assistant Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer at Duquesne University, about securing identities. Dugas explains why identity and access management is critical to higher education. He describes the process of building a solid IAM program and choosing a dependable solution. Dugas also discusses how COVID-19 has affected strategies and how I...

Host Katelyn Ilkani talks with Helen Patton, Associate Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer at The Ohio State University. Patton explains the security challenges Ohio State has faced with staff working remotely. She shares thoughts on the importance of the partnership between security and technology teams within an institution. Hear suggestions for success in smaller security team...

Ellina Chernobilsky, Caldwell University’s Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, talks about COVID-19’s impact on campus. Classes, services, and decision-making are all online, and the virtual environment presents a “tremendous learning curve” for everyone. Chernobilsky explains how developing new, creative methods to support leadership, faculty, and students “may pave the way to a new no...

Tambellini’s Dave Kieffer discusses higher education’s dependency on technology and how past crises and contingency planning for other situations have prepared institutions for meeting the challenges presented by closures due to COVID-19. Kieffer highlights the strengths technology brings to communication during these times, as well as the frustrations employees feel. As staff become accustomed to...

Tambellini’s Raechelle Clemmons discusses measures higher education institutions should take to prepare for consequences of the novel coronavirus. This podcast focuses on disaster recovery and business continuity and the unique situations in which institutions may find themselves. Colleges and universities may be faced with the need to close, requiring IT departments to adapt the learning environm...

West Virginia University’s CISO Alex Jalso shares thoughts on information security and identity management in higher education. Tambellini’s Katelyn Ilkani asks Jalso about his security philosophy and the steps he takes to keep WVU’s systems safe. Jalso describes the process of establishing a new identity and access management (IAM) system and shares lessons learned. Learn about WVU’s future IT pl...

The Tambellini Group’s President and CEO Vicki Tambellini talks about unforeseen higher education trends in 2019, predictions that came true, and what surprised her in 2019. She also makes predictions for higher education technology in 2020.

The University of Maryland, Eastern Shore, like many other institutions, has seen a decline in enrollment and a rise in competition. Less state funding exacerbates the challenge. In this Top of Mind Podcast episode, hear CIO Jerry Waldron explain how he is challenging past policies and getting back to basics.

Arizona State University’s human resources department has developed a strategy and adopted tools to attract and retain top talent at one of the largest public universities in the United States. ASU offers employees leadership and workforce development programs and tuition reduction. Additionally, HR recruiters highlight ASU’s innovation and influence and its universal learning program for applican...

By combining career services and advancement, Northampton Community College has created a community of student, alumni, and employers that better facilitates engagement, relationship building, and outreach. Modeling itself after the four-year model, hear from Northampton’s Sharon Beales, Vice President of Institutional Advancement, and Dr. Deb Noble Burak, Associate Vice President and CIO, as they...

It’s true that graduating from a university or college is an undeniable accomplishment. But, Oral Roberts University (ORU) has a longer-term vision and plants the seed for success to reach beyond commencement day through its student success program. While working with many stakeholders, ORU’s Dr. Kathaleen Reid-Martinez, Provost, and Mike Mathews, Vice President of Technology and Innovation, are i...

If you happen to be a parent, do you have a screenager or know one? If so, how are you communicating with them and is it effective? Sheenah Hartigan deals with this generation of student (a.k.a. Gen Z or iGeneration) all day long every day at Ocean County College. Students are changing as is technology. After implementing a process to map out student processes, inefficiencies and opportunities, th...

Smith College is in the early stages of a multi-year plan to transform its overall technology. Collaboration is more critical than ever in its changing IT environment, according to Samantha Earp, Vice President for IT and CIO.  Earp is also the 2019 Tambellini CIO Award winner. This podcast is a great opportunity to hear her words of wisdom as a CIO and understand her perspective on collaboration....

If you’re busy trying to keep your old legacy system going and are in a perpetual state of adapting to meet your campus’s needs, you’re not alone. Colby College realized two years ago that things had to change. CIO Cindy Mitchell faced it head on. Her strategic plan includes “the things that eat our lunch” as her first course of business. Also, get Mitchell’s insight on changing IT roles, her view...