Our annual Campus Technology Innovators awards recognize higher education institutions that take true initiative—even out-and-out risk—to better serve the campus community via technology. These top-notch university administrators, faculty, and staff demonstrate something more than a “job well done”; their vision and leadership have taken technology investment to new heights, to the unique benefit of teaching, learning, administration, and operations on campus. Worthy of acknowledgment, too, are the campus/vendor partnerships forged to support these innovative technology initiatives and see them through.
We congratulate this year’s 11 winners, selected by our team of editors from 349 nominations from around the globe. It was challenging to choose from so many deserving entrants offering their campus tech projects as such outstanding models for other institutions of higher education. Happily, many of these compelling case studies will find their way into future articles. Our thanks to all of the 2009 Campus Technology Innovators program participants!
Virginia Community College System
VCCS created a one-stop online resource to help users research career interests and drive them toward the education resources needed to meet their goals. read more...
Purdue University
This Indiana school developed a multi-campus computing grid that captures unused machine cycles at scale, providing millions of hours of computation to users at institutions across the country.. read more...
Minnesota State University-Mankato
Mankato’s new Curriculum Design System allows faculty and administrators to access and approve proposals via a web interface that makes shared governance easy. read more...
Carnegie Mellon University
CMU implemented a location-based warning system that delivers emergency alerts to classrooms, labs, even basements across campus—50 times faster than cellular/text messaging. read more...
Fashion Institute of Technology
FIT’s prospective art and design students now can submit their entire portfolios online, and have their work accepted, reviewed, evaluated, and graded in minimal time, simplifying the admissions process. read more ...
Hofstra University
This Long Island school is providing tools and services to foster strong adviser relationships among its community of students and alumni, to help increase job placement for students in today’s difficult economy. read more...
George Mason University
Discipline-targeted research portals—combining database resources with subject-specific search widgets, blog postings, and more—are changing the way Mason’s librarians provide services to researchers and students. read more...
University of Missouri
A unique Interdisciplinary Innovation Fund at MU provides seed money for student-centered interdisciplinary projects that result in real-world technology applications and partnerships. read more...
Kent State University
This Ohio institution implemented a robust ERP solution across eight campuses—and thanks to smart planning and teamwork, kept the 30-month project on time and on budget. read more...
Rochester Institute of Technology
By streamlining its reporting process and pushing out vital data in real time, RIT’s Career Services operation is better serving faculty, staff, and students. read more...
The Media Grid Immersive Education Initiative
A breakthrough in interactivity, the Immersive Education Mixed Reality Table merges 3D virtual objects and environments with physical objects from the real world. read more...
About the Authors
Mary Grush is Editor and Conference Program Director, Campus Technology.
Matt Villano is senior contributing editor of this publication.