Purdue appoints interim leader for university technology efforts

Gerry McCartney

Gerry McCartney, who has headed the Krannert School's technology group since July 2004, will assume his new duties July 3. The CIO position is responsible for overseeing Information Technology at Purdue, known as ITaP, and reports to Provost Sally Mason and Morgan R. Olsen, executive vice president and treasurer. ITaP is responsible for the planning and coordination of central computing and telecommunications systems on the West Lafayette campus, along with media production and distance-learning services.

James R. Bottum, who has been at the helm of ITaP since 2001, in May was named Clemson University's chief information officer and vice provost for computing and information technology. Mason said a search for Bottum's replacement will soon be under way and that finalists likely will be selected for interviews later this year.

"Great universities need great IT leadership," Mason said. "Gerry McCartney has proven that he knows how to run an organization that is both creative and responsive to the needs of the people it serves. I have complete confidence in his ability to keep ITaP moving in a positive direction."

Olsen said, "Gerry McCartney has a solid track record in managing information technology operations, strong knowledge of Purdue and a sophisticated understanding of the contribution IT can make toward realizing the university's mission and empowering its support functions. ITaP will be in capable hands as we search for a permanent CIO."

In addition to serving as assistant dean, McCartney teaches in the Krannert School's MBA and executive programs. He also is director of the SIFT Project, which he will continue to direct during this interim appointment.

"At a top research institution like Purdue, information technology is the foundation for everything we do," McCartney said. "Computing and information systems make it possible for cutting-edge research to occur while, at the same time, providing the infrastructure necessary for the university to conduct all of its day-to-day business."

From 1993 until 2004, McCartney served as associate dean and chief information officer at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. He earned his doctorate in sociology and anthropology from Purdue in 1996 after receiving diplomas in advanced programming and systems analysis from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, in 1982 and 1984, respectively. He received his bachelor's and master's degrees in 1981 and 1982 from NUI Maynooth in Ireland.

Information Technology at Purdue has nearly 500 staff members and an annual budget of more than $55 million.

Writer: Brian Zink, (765) 494-2080, bzink@purdue.edu

Sources: Sally Mason, (765) 494-9709, sfmason@purdue.edu

Morgan R. Olsen, (765) 494-9705, mrolsen@purdue.edu

Gerry McCartney, (765) 496-3928, mccart@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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