GRANTS
“CC*IIE IAM: Enhancing Vassar Research and Collaboration through Identity and Access Management”
9/2014 – 8/2017 (Principal Investigator)
National Science Foundation 1440705
“CC*IIE Campus Design: Building a Next-Generation Research Network for Vassar College”
9/2014 – 12/2016 (Principal Investigator)
National Science Foundation 1440704
“Feasibility of Delivering a Text Messaging Enhanced Adolescent HIV Prevention Curriculum”
10/2008 – 9/2010 (Co-Principal InvestigatorI)
National Institute of Nursing Research R21
Project Number 1R21 NR011021-01
PUBLICATIONS
Preparing the IT Organization for the Cloud
From the ECAR-CLOUD Working Group
www.educause.edu/library/resources/preparing-it-organization-cloud
Cloud-based IT services are becoming a norm for higher education, providing researchers, faculty, students, and administrators alike with the tools that they need in order to do their work. But there are many challenges to cloud adoption, including transitioning the traditional IT department and IT workforce to select, adopt, and support cloud services. To help institutions understand and address these issues, the ECAR-CLOUD Working Group is developing this series of seven papers, Preparing the IT Organization for the Cloud.
SERIES LIST
May 2015: An Introduction
The first paper, An Introduction explains how cloud computing has become a viable option for delivering transformational IT services in higher education, and colleges and universities are finding numerous benefits and opportunities when considering and deploying cloud solutions. What is often overlooked, however, is that there is more to cloud computing than appears on the surface. Important topics like governance, migration, integration, organizational transformation, operationalizing risk management, and user management are all critical to the success of a cloud solution.
June 2015: Developing Cloud-Aware IT Governance
The second paper, Developing Cloud-Aware IT Governance, shows how a cloud-aware IT governance strategy helps increase awareness of cloud computing throughout the organization and highlights the considerations that come with adopting cloud solutions.
August 2015: Transforming the IT Organization
The third paper, Transforming the IT Organization, addresses the impact that cloud computing is making in the evolution of the changing roles of IT staff in higher education.
Papers 4-7 are currently in development.
Building a Migration Plan
Operationalizing the Cloud
Managing Risk
Supporting Users
Leveraging Facilities for Institutional Success
The APPA 2014 Thought Leaders Symposium
The 2014 Thought Leaders Symposium, sponsored in part by DTZ, a UGL company, and Jacobs, focused on the issues and challenges related to leveraging campus facility assets to achieve desired institutional outcomes. More than three dozen higher education leaders--including presidents, provosts, business officers, consultants, association executives, and facilities professionals--participated in a facilitated discussion and work session to examine the gap between where higher education wants to be and where it actually finds itself. Participants sought to identify the key characteristics of successful campuses, then looked at what institutions are actually achieving – the disagreeable reality of unsustainable funding models, unsuccessful students, and poorly utilized resources. The report includes an executive summary, strategies for improving institutional outcomes,a lengthy resource section, and the top facilities strategies to support the college or university:
Understand how facilities affect student success and employ best practices for student recruitment and retention
Use total cost of ownership as a guiding principle for all facilities decisions
Make better use of campus space
Expand data collection and analysis to cut costs and increase efficiency
Use the campus as a classroom to expand awareness of sustainability and facilities best practices
The Rising Cost of Higher Education
The APPA 2013 Thought Leaders Symposium
The 2013 Thought Leaders Symposium, sponsored in part by DTZ, a UGL company, and Jacobs, focused on the topic of the rising cost of higher education. More than three dozen higher education leaders—including presidents, provosts, business officers, consultants, association executives, and facilities professionals—participated in a facilitated discussion and work session to identify, prioritize, and recommend solutions on the issues related to the cost of higher education. Contents include an executive summary, a discussion of the challenge of rising costs, a summation on colleges in crisis, comprehensive references, and the following top facilities issues:
Align the programs and priorities of the institution with its mission and vision
Build campus-wide understanding of the "arms race" between institutions on campus spending
Better utilize and manage space
Involve faculty in decisions about facilities and space
Identify programs and facilities that need investment
Manage rising labor costs
Understand the challenges posed by increasingly complex buildings
Limit rising costs associated with complying with codes and regulations
Reduce the cost of unfunded mandates on the institution
Five Questions with Michael Cato
Vassar College Alumnae/i Quarterly
Published Fall 2013
Michael Cato, Vassar’s newly appointed chief information officer, discusses his people-centered approach to technology and the priorities of the department.
Is Your IT Organization a Marketing One?
EDUCAUSE Review Online
November 1, 2012
with Randall Alberts, Assistant Director, Ringling College of Art and Design
Key Takeaways
IT may fear the "M" word, but embracing marketing can help make the IT department more approachable and understanding of its customers' needs.
Highlighting progress and the steps IT is taking can help customers understand the effort being undertaken on their behalf.
As IT professionals work with customers on selecting, installing, or maintaining systems, they should be watching for customers' pain points.
Providing a service catalog will enable the IT department to assist customers who are looking for help but don't know where to turn.
Peer-reviewed journal articles
Cornelius, J. B., Cato, M. G., Toth, J. L., Bard, P. M., Moore, M. W., & White, A. (2012). Following the trail of an HIV-prevention Web site enhanced for mobile cell phone text messaging delivery. J Assoc Nurses AIDS Care, 23(3), 255-259. doi: 10.1016/j.jana.2011.03.002
Cornelius, J. B., Cato, M., Lawrence, J. S., Boyer, C. B., & Lightfoot, M. (2011). Development and pretesting multimedia HIV-prevention text messages for mobile cell phone delivery. J Assoc Nurses AIDS Care, 22(5), 407-413. doi: 10.1016/j.jana.2010.11.007