The Evolving Role of CIOs in Higher Education with Helen Norris

Helen Norris, CIO at Chapman University, discusses her journey to becoming a CIO and the evolving role of CIOs in higher education. She emphasizes the importance of integration and change advocacy in the current complex IT environment.  Norris also explores the potential of AI in various areas, such as advising, research, and administrative tasks. She highlights the need for explainability and privacy in AI implementation. Additionally, she discusses the challenges of managing content and data in higher education websites. Takeaways The role of CIOs in higher education has evolved from being service providers to being integrators and change advocates. AI has the potential to enhance various areas in higher education, such as advising, research, and administrative tasks. The strategic value of legacy systems should be considered before deciding to replace them, and integrating new tools with these systems can be a more practical solution. AI implementation should prioritize explainability and privacy to ensure ethical and effective use. Managing content and data in higher education websites can be challenging due to the proliferation of information and the presence of stale and duplicate content. Sound Bites "Now it's about, oh, all these systems are there. And what I need to do is bring them together, make sure they're secure, make sure they're used well, make sure that we're always scanning that environment and seeing what we need to change." "Putting new tools in front of legacy systems to enhance their capabilities and provide better outcomes for students and faculty." "Ensuring explainability in AI decision-making, especially in high-stakes areas like advising." Chapters 00:00: Introduction and Background of Helen Norris 04:43: The Changing Role of CIOs in Higher Education 08:26: Balancing Process and Outcome in Decision-Making 12:56: Managing Change and Legacy Systems 16:21: The Potential of AI in Higher Education 19:40: Use Cases of AI in Higher Education 21:53: Academic Advisory Guidelines and Policies 22:10: Priorities at Chapman University 24:15: The Importance of IT Strategic Planning 25:08: Challenges of Content Management in Higher Education Websites 27:27: Advice for Upcoming IT Leaders in Higher Education