BIG DATA
Conrad named vice chancellor for information technology, CIO
Larry D. Conrad, associate vice president for technology integration and chief information officer at Florida State University, has been named the new vice chancellor for information technology and chief information officer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 
The UNC Board of Trustees approved Conrad’s appointment, effective Feb. 1, 2008, via a mail ballot this week. Conrad will succeed Dan Reed, who became director of scalable computing at Microsoft Research earlier this month. “Mr. Conrad’s experience at the university, state and national levels is impressive,” said Bernadette Gray-Little, executive vice chancellor and provost. “He has more than 35 years experience in the field of information technology and has a diverse background in both corporate and university settings, with extensive experience in academic and administrative computing, as well as telecommunications.” Since 1998, Conrad has been the chief information officer at Florida State University, where he also was assistant vice president for technology integration until 2003. “Mr. Conrad is known as a collaborative leader, a key attribute for someone who will oversee the strategic integration of information technology in all aspects of the University’s education, scholarship, research and service,” Gray-Little said. He was on the selection, negotiation, steering and budget committees that implemented PeopleSoft for Florida State’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) project. This background makes him well qualified to guide Carolina’s ERP project, Gray-Little said. The ERP is a University-wide initiative to streamline and integrate the student information, human resources, payroll and finance computing systems, many of which are more than 20 years old. Conrad led the effort to define and build a new high-speed research and education network in Florida known as the Florida LambdaRail, which provides opportunities for Florida university faculty, researchers and students to collaborate with colleagues worldwide. “Equally impressive, Mr. Conrad found a viable alternative to state funding for the project,” Gray-Little said. In addition, he previously served on the board of the National LambdaRail, a nationwide high-speed research network initiative, and has recently been elected to the Internet2 External Relations Council. He has been active for many years in EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association that promotes the intelligent use of information technology in higher education. Before his tenure at Florida State, Conrad was at Arizona State University for 10 years, six years as director of the computer center and four as director of computing and network consulting services. Conrad graduated with a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Iowa State University and a master’s degree in computer science from Arizona State University.
The UNC Board of Trustees approved Conrad’s appointment, effective Feb. 1, 2008, via a mail ballot this week. Conrad will succeed Dan Reed, who became director of scalable computing at Microsoft Research earlier this month. “Mr. Conrad’s experience at the university, state and national levels is impressive,” said Bernadette Gray-Little, executive vice chancellor and provost. “He has more than 35 years experience in the field of information technology and has a diverse background in both corporate and university settings, with extensive experience in academic and administrative computing, as well as telecommunications.” Since 1998, Conrad has been the chief information officer at Florida State University, where he also was assistant vice president for technology integration until 2003. “Mr. Conrad is known as a collaborative leader, a key attribute for someone who will oversee the strategic integration of information technology in all aspects of the University’s education, scholarship, research and service,” Gray-Little said. He was on the selection, negotiation, steering and budget committees that implemented PeopleSoft for Florida State’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) project. This background makes him well qualified to guide Carolina’s ERP project, Gray-Little said. The ERP is a University-wide initiative to streamline and integrate the student information, human resources, payroll and finance computing systems, many of which are more than 20 years old. Conrad led the effort to define and build a new high-speed research and education network in Florida known as the Florida LambdaRail, which provides opportunities for Florida university faculty, researchers and students to collaborate with colleagues worldwide. “Equally impressive, Mr. Conrad found a viable alternative to state funding for the project,” Gray-Little said. In addition, he previously served on the board of the National LambdaRail, a nationwide high-speed research network initiative, and has recently been elected to the Internet2 External Relations Council. He has been active for many years in EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association that promotes the intelligent use of information technology in higher education. Before his tenure at Florida State, Conrad was at Arizona State University for 10 years, six years as director of the computer center and four as director of computing and network consulting services. Conrad graduated with a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Iowa State University and a master’s degree in computer science from Arizona State University.