Announcing the Merger of Information Technology and Analytics and Institutional Research

By News, June 22, 2023

Dear Campus Community:

Reflecting the collaborative nature of their work and the critical services they provide to our students, faculty, and staff, effective July 1 the Office of Analytics and Institutional Research (AIR) will merge with Information Technology (IT) to form the Division of Information Technology and Analytics.

For many years there has a been a strong partnership between the AIR and IT teams, with both working collaboratively to provide a full suite of analytics, business intelligence (BI), and institutional research (IR) services for the campus. As the college seeks to increasingly leverage data to inform strategic and operational decisions, it is the appropriate time to formally bring the two teams together in one comprehensive unit responsible for all aspects of analytics, institutional research, dashboards, data governance, and data services.

Dave Weil ’87, MS ’89, who has served as Chief Information Officer and a member of the President’s Cabinet since 2021, will lead the division as Vice President and CIO for Information Technology and Analytics. His promotion reflects the additional duties and responsibilities resulting from the merger of AIR and IT. Casey Kendall will serve as Deputy CIO and Associate Vice President for Applications and Infrastructure, recognizing her leadership in managing the college’s applications and technical infrastructure in addition to the division-wide guidance she provides.

Rob Snyder will oversee the combined team as Director for Analytics and Special IT Projects, with Claire Borch as Senior Associate Director for Institutional Research and Allie Nash continuing as Senior Research Analyst, along with the other members of the existing IT BI team.

Additional Organizational Restructuring
In partnership with Provost Stein, and in consultation with leadership from the Educational Technology Advisory Committee, the current Learning & Innovative Technology department within IT will be renamed the Center for Instructional Design and Educational Technology. This center will have an expanded focus on instructional design services to support faculty use of technology for teaching and learning.

Jenna Linskens will continue in her role by serving as director of the center. Marilyn Dispensa, who is currently in the Center for Faculty Excellence, will rejoin IT as a Senior Instructional Designer and will serve as a liaison between the two centers to ensure coordination in their collaborative work supporting the faculty. In addition, two existing positions in IT will be adjusted to offer additional Instructional Design services focusing on the use of classroom technologies and emerging technologies.

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to all who have contributed to ensuring that Ithaca College remains a leader in leveraging human and technology resources to provide the best possible learning and working environment for our campus community.

With gratitude,

La Jerne Terry Cornish
President