Mark Askren, vice president and chief information officer for the University of Nebraska system, has announced that he will step down June 30.
Askren has led the consolidation of information technology teams from across the NU system into a single IT unit. He has served in the NU system level role since 2016 and as the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s CIO for the last decade.
At the end of June, Askren will transition to a senior adviser role, which will allow him to continue to advance information technology strategy across NU.
“Mark has been a transformational leader for the University of Nebraska. Together with his talented team, he has built a more collaborative, more efficient IT system that positions us well for the future,” said Hank Bounds, NU president. “I understand Mark’s desire to try something new after 10 years of IT leadership. I’m grateful he has agreed to stay on in a role that will allow us to continue to benefit from his deep experience, visionary thinking and good counsel.”
Askren said his time at Nebraska has been the highlight of his career.
“I could not have asked to serve alongside more talented and committed people,” Askren said. “Their work in transforming information technology services will benefit the university, our students, faculty and staff for years to come. I am grateful to them and to President Bounds for the opportunity to continue to be a part of this university.”
Askren came to Nebraska in 2009 as the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s first chief information officer. In 2017, about a year after Askren added systemwide duties to his role, the rollout of NU’s consolidated information technology initiative — called OneIT — began. OneIT was designed to consolidate and unify Information Technology Services across campuses in order to better meet the needs of students, faculty and staff.
The effort served as a model for other administrative streamlining efforts across the university as budget response team work got underway in 2017. Today, as vice president, Askren oversees a newly consolidated unit with an annual budget of $60 million and 300-plus staff members.
In his role as a University of Nebraska–Lincoln administrator, Askren worked to support and encourage women in the information technology and computing fields. He spearheaded the institution’s first IT Leadership Conference, which was held in 2015 with the theme “Opportunities that Scale: Women Advancing the Future of Information Technology and Computer Science.” For that project, Askren received a 2016 Outstanding Contribution to the Status of Women Award from the Chancellor’s Commission on the Status of Women.
As senior adviser to the president, Askren’s duties will include assisting with the development of a center for integrated analytics; advising on the restructuring of the Nebraska Student Information System and Nebraska Business Information System; assisting the systemwide institutes on IT strategy and partnering with the Holland Computing Center; pursuing grant funding opportunities; and representing NU in the national higher education information technology community.
Askren will also be asked to provide guidance during the ITS leadership transition. Bounds said plans for a search for Askren’s successor will be announced.
