by Barbara I. Dewey, dean, University Libraries and Scholarly Communications

I recently had the opportunity to meet with Michael Kubit, Penn State’s new Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer (CIO). He will report to Provost Jones and Vice President Gray. Mike will be responsible for leading Penn State’s IT operations. When I asked him about his priorities he noted four general areas — developing a shared vision, strengthening a culture of service around IT, optimizing Penn State’s IT resources, and positioning Penn State as a differentiator in such areas as visualization, augmented reality, etc. for teaching and research. He is very excited to work in partnership and collaboration with the Libraries and other entities. He most recently held the position of Deputy Chief Information Officer for Information Technology Services at Case Western Reserve University.

I was also pleased to meet Rich Bundy, Vice President for Development & Alumni Affairs, to discuss library fundraising and the Library Development Board. Rich grew up in State College and his father is our recently retired Blue Band Director, Dr. Bundy. As a history major, he was an avid user of our library and remains enthusiastic about our mission and activities. I gave him a brief tour and he was impressed by the changes.

Provost Jones invited me to join a small contingent of administrators to visit Penn State Mont Alto. We had a fantastic drive to the campus viewing beautiful farms, orchards, and vineyards as well as a comprehensive tour of the historic Mont Alto campus. Provost Jones gave separate town meetings for faculty, staff, and students. I had the opportunity to spend time with our wonderful and hospitable library staff — Lisa White, Head Librarian, Tom Reinsfelder, Reference Librarian, Jonathan Hindman, and Andrea Pritt, both Information Resources & Support Specialists. It was a terrific visit.