Students, got technological problems?
Well, Cal State Long Beach has an answer for you. The school has announced a nationwide search for a Chief Information/Technology Officer (CIO) to oversee technology at The Beach.
We hope this new CIO will be a white knight that gallops into campus to ensure CSULB is always online.
The job posting comes in the wake of Gov. Jerry Brown’s push for more technology to be utilized within the college classroom. Proposition 30 has opened up funds to cover the pay for the first-ever CIO.
The CIO will report to Provost Donald Para, who would in turn consult with CSULB President F. King Alexander and the other vice presidents about the problems regarding technology on our campus. This will speed up fix times when technology goes down, allowing for a steady line of communication within administration.
It makes sense for CSULB to have a CIO. With so many different technological resources, we need someone in charge.
It is very common for college campuses to have CIOs. In a sense, CSULB is sort of late to the game.
The proposition of hiring a CIO has been in the works for a year. Yet, it is interesting that the search was announced days after students and professors groaned in frustration due to Beachboard shutdowns. Recruiting a CIO for CSULB has been in the works for about a year, so Beachboard isn’t what spurred the decision.
However, if we had a CIO at the time of the Beachboard problems, would the shutdowns have been fixed faster?
A search committee will be formed soon to help find the new CIO. An outside firm with background in CIO searches will also aid the committee.
The Daily 49er editorial board wants to see a new CIO hired as soon as possible. We, of course, want a proper search to be conducted so our school has the best candidate possible, but the sooner he or she is hired the better.
There are so many technological problems spread throughout our campus that need to be fixed. Many computers have trouble logging onto the Internet, projectors do not sync with professors’ laptops and online resources often go down.
It’s time we have someone in charge who can communicate the problems quickly and get them fixed in the most efficient way possible.
Oh, and to the future CIO, good luck with Beachboard.