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CIO & Director of Financial Aid
Oral Roberts University
January 2007
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Tell us about your background.
I got a Bachelor's degree right here at Oral Roberts University in computer science in 1990. Prior to graduation I had alreadty borrowed to the maximum under Stafford with one more semester to finish. So as a student I took a job opportunity in the financial aid office in 1989. A year after graduation I was hired as a software engineer at Prevue Networks in Tulsa, now known as TV Guide networks on your cable tv. After a wide range of experience there I left in 1999 to manage IT for another broadcast systems company in Denver. In 2002 both my wife and I were hired by Oral Roberts University, and I became Director of Financial Aid here. |
Why and how is your office so paperless?
I hate paper. It costs a lot to move, and it's easy to lose. As a techie, one of my goals is to eliminate paper processes. We've put an enormous amount of information and communications online. Web and e-mail have been our principal communications modes for four years. |
What are some of the benefits of those process improvements?
Removing envelope stuffing and postage has saved significant time and money. A student or parent can accomplish the entire registration and payment process online with e-signatures. They feel empowered, and goodwill is generated. |
What did you discover was needed in addition to process improvements?
Communication at a student's level is actually a greater challenge. The medium - e-mail, phone, or letters is not what gets their attention. It's the message and the style in which it's communicated. So we built a social networking site, ORU FacePlace, that's now in its second year of operation. There we use blogs, bulletin boards, announcement areas and staff pages. What's most important is that we are providing information that students receive when they want it. |
Did something else in your background help you produce ORU FacePlace?
My years in IT actually served the broadcast TV industry, specifically TV advertising. My focus has been trained on audiences and what I want to communicate with them. It's even helped me coordinate communications with students and parents, actually two separate demographics. |
You've recently received a promotion?
In October I became the university's CIO. But financial aid is in my blood, so I'll never be far from it. |
TOPICS: Finance
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