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Office of the Provost - Wayne State University

Dear campus community,

I am pleased to inform you that Rob Thompson has been named as Wayne State’s chief information officer (CIO) and associate vice president for computing and information technology (C&IT) after holding the position in an interim capacity for the past two years.

During his tenure as interim CIO, Rob has done an outstanding job guiding the campus through the IT transformations necessary to continue remote teaching, learning and operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, and managed vaccine and screener compliance as we returned to campus.

Under Rob’s leadership, C&IT has progressively improved cybersecurity. Key changes include implementation of two-factor authentication, strengthening IT security frameworks and deploying a four-year computer replacement program for all colleges. His charge as CIO is to continue this momentum as cybersecurity is more and more challenging.

He also helped guide the development and launch of STARS 2.0, a modern advising and student success platform, and partnered with Midtown Detroit, Inc., to implement outdoor WiFi at cultural sites throughout the city.

Throughout his 25 years with the university, Rob has been known for his collaborative and creative spirit. He recognizes that IT is central to all we do at Wayne State and is committed to working with shared governance. He brings a wealth of expertise and knowledge to this role, with experience in databases, information technology management, data governance, business analytics, software development and infrastructure management.

As CIO, Rob will be responsible for the university’s computing and networking facilities, datacenter operations, enterprise software applications, learning management environments, high-performance research computing, voice services, information security, and information technology support services.

Please join me in congratulating Rob.

Sincerely,

https://provost.wayne.edu/images/mark-kornbluh-signature.jpg

Mark Lawrence Kornbluh, Ph.D.
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs