EDUCAUSE Review Articles, Leadership, and Information Technology Management and Leadership

New EDUCAUSE President, Diana Oblinger, outlines EDUCAUSE's accomplishments in the last decade and previews new challenges and issues EDUCAUSE plans to take on in the future.

The author discusses the importance of EDUCAUSE members volunteering their time and service to the profession, that "efforts put forth by volunteers not only benefit the community but also provide rewards to the individual and to his or her institution."

The authors discuss the common assumption that a CIO in higher education controls IT at his or her college or university—from operational issues to future directions.

Campus IT leaders are responsible for providing a view of the technology changes that are coming over the horizon and a vision of where the “ship” of IT should be headed. The retiring EDUCAUSE president offers ten nautical maxims for charting this course for higher education IT.

The author writes about a new kind of IT leadership..."one that must surrender a modicum of control. Call it "open-source leadership." IT leaders must accommodate the contributions of the community rather than control them. They must learn to be supporters and enablers, not obstructionists. They must learn to cede some authority in this evolving world."

The author provides key advice on taking a new leadership position.

Leadership in IT requires a focus on current technology innovation, adoption, and impact on learning, but most important, leadership in IT requires understanding the alignment of external factors—access, affordability, perceived quality—to the core mission and integrity of the institution.

"Although managing information technology is important, that responsibility goes well beyond the CIO. Perhaps the more important role for the CIO is knowing what information will be needed, how to make it accessible, and ensuring that others derive value from that information."

If IT professionals can start learning these twelve skills early in their career, they will have a good chance of turning the skills into habits—and of becoming successful and effective IT professionals.

The author explains what leadership lessons can be derived from the classic Don Quixote de La Mancha.