Northeastern has appointed Cole W. Camplese as the university’s new vice president for information technology and chief information officer, effective July 2.

Camplese brings a wealth of experience in information technology leadership in higher education to Northeastern. He comes from the University of Chicago, where he currently serves as associate vice president for information technology and chief information officer.

“In his new role, Cole will serve as an integral advisor and partner in advancing the university’s strategic plan, Northeastern 2025, by supporting academic and administrative innovation through technology,” James C. Bean, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, wrote in an email to faculty and staff.

Camplese will be responsible for envisioning, designing, and leading the Information Technology Services team, and said his priorities include bolstering systems that support faculty research, advancing the use of cloud services, and implementing measures to make data more secure, reliable, and available.

I’ve built my career on envisioning how using technology can change and shape the way we teach, the way students learn, and how work can get done.

Cole Camplese

He said he was drawn to Northeastern for many reasons, including the university’s emphasis on lifelong learning, expanding its research enterprise, and delivering new and innovative models of education. “Northeastern truly seems like one of the most exciting and unique higher education institutions in the country right now,” he said.

At the University of Chicago, Camplese is responsible for the university’s IT strategy and oversees an ITS staff of roughly 285 people. He has supported the growth of research computing is introducing a secure data enclave for work with sensitive data sets. He also developed a five-year plan and realigned IT across campus in preparation for the continuous changes facing higher education.

Prior to the University of Chicago, Camplese served as vice president and chief information officer at Stony Brook University. In that role, he reorganized the IT division, introduced new technologies to support the growth of online education offerings, introduced research computing to the central IT organization, initiated upgrades to multiple enterprise systems including student and human resource systems, and launched a program that provided mobile devices to enhance student access to systems and digital learning opportunities.

He also previously worked at Pennsylvania State University, where he led innovation and support for education across the physical campus and the Penn State World Campus. In addition to his administrative roles, Camplese also served on the faculty in the College of Information Sciences and Technology, leading a research institute and co-directing the Center for Online Innovations in Learning.

He was named an Apple Distinguished Educator — part of a program to recognize K–12 and higher education teachers who are using Apple technology to transform teaching and learning. Camplese has a host of other professional accolades to his name, as well. He has served on industry advisory boards; been consulted to help organizations integrate technology into their business practices, education, and training programs and communication processes; given public lectures about using technology to drive greater classroom engagement; and presented his work at regional and national conferences.

“I’ve built my career on envisioning how using technology can change and shape the way we teach, the way students learn, and how work can get done,” he said.

Camplese holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from West Virginia University and a master’s degree in instructional technology from Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania.

“I think about how an organization such as IT Services positions itself to best support the people who interact with those services,” Camplese said. “I bring a humanistic perspective to IT. That’s what drives me. I’m really looking forward to getting there and working with students, faculty, and staff.”