UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Board of Trustees voted Friday (Nov. 4) to appoint Michael J. Kubit to the position of vice president for Information Technology and chief information officer, effective Jan. 1, 2017.
Kubit brings more than 25 years of experience to the position, most recently as deputy chief information officer for Information Technology Services at Case Western University in Cleveland. Kubit will be responsible for leading Penn State’s IT operations, which include 1,600 employees and have annual expenditures of $230 million.
A member of the President’s Council, Kubit will oversee the development of policies and prioritization of resources and services provided by Information Technology Services (ITS), the central IT department, and ensure effective implementation of the latest systems used by students, faculty and staff. He will also lead strategic planning to anticipate and address the changing demands in instructional technology, information systems and research computing in higher education. Kubit will report to Nicholas Jones, executive vice president and provost, and David Gray, senior vice president for Finance and Business.
“We are pleased to have someone with such a comprehensive background in both IT services and organizational management joining us in this role,” Jones said. “Michael will be joining us at a time when Penn State is undergoing technology transformations on a number of fronts, and his expertise makes him a welcome addition to our team.”
Ken Forstmeier, interim senior director for Enterprise Infrastructure and Operations, is currently serving as interim vice provost for information technology.
“Michael is not only well versed in technology infrastructure and informational systems, he has sharp insight into the rapidly changing environment of IT architectures and the demands that higher education, in particular, makes on its infrastructure,” Gray said. “He will bring with him experience in strategic planning, business intelligence, and working collaboratively with other offices and institutions to roll out new initiatives and streamline existing ones. We look forward to working with him.
“I am humbled and incredibly excited to be joining Penn State as the new vice president for Information Technology and chief information officer,” Kubit said. “I have enjoyed the many conversations with various members of the University community, who are extremely dedicated and passionate about the mission of Penn State. I look forward to leading a dynamic and talented group of IT professionals to the next level of strategic success in service to one of the world’s greatest universities.”
Kubit is currently leading a campuswide initiative to centralize IT personnel and services, making critical improvements to the university’s information security and business continuity practices, remove barriers to the delivery of a consistent IT experience across the university, optimize the university’s IT investments by reducing redundancies and enhancing economies of scale, and provide additional professional development opportunities for CWRU’s IT professionals. Before that, he was interim chief operations officer for Information technology services at Case Western where he worked with the chief information officer to develop more cost-effective strategies for deploying and supporting technologies and services. His projects include overseeing the IT planning and support for new integrated Health Education Campus, a collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
His work at Case Western also has included serving as director of run for ITS where he was part of the team that reorganized ITS from a traditional structure into a new, more agile organization that can be responsive to the needs of the university and is focused on innovation and service.
Kubit earned an MBA from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, and has received multiple certifications in organizational and leadership development; a bachelor of science degree in electronic engineering from Cleveland State University; and an associate of applied science degree from Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland. He belongs to a number of professional organizations, including EDUCAUSE and the Society of Information Managers, and has served on committees at both the university and with community and professional institutions.