Veteran IT staff member Ryan Vega was recently named executive director of IT for IU Northwest.
“The executive director of IT for the campus plays a pivotal role in shaping the organization’s technological landscape and supporting student success,” Nick Ray, the chief information officer of IU’s regional campuses said. “They provide guidance, and foster a culture of excellence, playing a crucial role in fulfilling the IT mission of the campus.”
“Ryan’s exceptional work ethic, and unwavering commitment to student achievement make him an excellent fit for the executive director role at IU Northwest,” Ray said. “His leadership and understanding of student needs will be instrumental to the campus.”
Vega received both his undergraduate degree in computer programming from Purdue, and his master’s degree in business administration from Purdue University. However, Vega eventually found himself at IU Northwest, a mere 35 miles from his lifelong home in Michigan City.
Vega came to IU as a manager of desktop hardware before eventually becoming the director of endpoint desktop management. In that position he oversaw other areas such as network system administration before becoming the executive director in April.
“A lot of people will say this is deserved, but I don’t agree,” Vega said. “I think it’s earned. I don’t think that I’ve ever deserved anything other than a shot at showing what I can do.”
As executive director, Vega will oversee all UITS campus operations, including the support center, operations of their networks, system administration and events, desktop support and classroom technology. Vega describes his teams as “jacks of all trades”
“We’re responsible for everything IT on this campus,” Vega said. “It’s my responsibility to make sure this entire campus has what it needs in terms of technology and in terms of support, which includes everything from the network to desktops to events. Essentially, I have to make sure that faculty, students, and staff all have everything they need to conduct their daily operations.”
Currently, Vega is excited to start working on recruiting and maintaining the IT staff at Northwest while providing essential IT services to students, staff, and faculty.
“I think a lot of our counterparts across the entire state are asking questions like how do we retain good people and what can we do to keep them here? It’s something that’s confronts everybody right now in this environment,” Vega said. “There’s also figuring out how can my group and my team can best provide the services for the university to ensure the stability and the success of our students.”
Vega notes that while these questions have no easy answers, he looks forward to talking with both people on campus and across the IU system to provide the best solutions possible.
“I’m excited to see what we can do together.” Vega said.
