In recognition of its focus on technology modernization, Carnegie Mellon University has elevated the role of CIO to its executive management team. As a result, Carnegie Mellon announced that Stan Waddell has been promoted to vice president for information technology and CIO, effective immediately.
Prior to the promotion, Waddell served as the associate vice president for Computing Services since joining the university in 2019.
“Adapting to remote work and executing our hybrid model of education during this pandemic was made possible by embracing new opportunities through technology,” university president Farnam Jahanian said. “In the post-COVID world, we anticipate that these trends will continue to shape, and ultimately accelerate the ongoing transformation of higher education. I look forward to relying on Stan’s vision and leadership as we amplify our educational and societal impact and drive CMU’s technology-enabled future.”
In his new role as vice president and CIO, the university said Waddell will “continue to provide vision, leadership, and management to CMU’s entire computing enterprise.” Additionally, he will be tasked with developing a comprehensive technology and data management strategy. As a member of the executive management team, he will report directly to the university president.
“I am very excited for the opportunity to increase my contributions through this expanded leadership role,” Waddell said. “CMU is extremely well-positioned to embrace data-driven and technology-enhanced approaches across its missions, and I look forward to working with the campus to make the most of these opportunities.”
The promotion comes as a result of broader unit reorganizations that began in the spring of 2020. He had been reporting directly to President Jahanian on an interim basis since last spring, but his promotion to vice president formalizes that reporting structure.
Spring 2020 was a busy time for Waddell’s Computing Services team, which had to react quickly to the COVID-19 pandemic. Carnegie Mellon explained that in short order his team transitioned more than 4,900 courses to online learning and worked to deploy 105 loaner devices to students in need. This fall they also overhauled 200 classrooms to include new technology that supported hybrid learning.
Prior to joining Carnegie Mellon, Waddell served as the associate vice president for information technology and CIO at the University of New Hampshire. He’s also held technology and information leadership positions at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
