Overview

October 17

Recent federal stimulus programs sent billions of dollars to higher education. This session will break down significant higher education funding streams in the CARES Act, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA Act), and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). This conversation will explore how these funds may be used to improve student outcomes, modernize legacy technologies, launch new services and more. We will also provide real-world examples and advice from institutions that have tapped federal funding streams to address important technology needs.

In this session, we will explore the following questions:

What do federal stimulus funds mean to higher education in terms of opportunity and how have institutions used them?
What process does the CIO employ to access these funds and how does that influence decision-making?
What challenges have these funds helped universities overcome for students?
What role does other federal funding play in a university’s IT planning for academics, operations, and research?
What compliance challenges do these federal funding sources introduce and how do institutions address them?

Speakers

Guillermo de Veyga, PhD, MBA

Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and University Relations at William Paterson University

Dr. de Veyga serves as the Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and University Relations at William Paterson University. In this role, he oversees the University’s Government and Community relations, Strategic Plan, Financial Strategy and University Data via Institutional Effectiveness. He has 20 years of experience working in the State of New Jersey and the United States. His work spans both the public and the private sectors and has been a strong advocate of increasing education attainment levels and social mobility indexes across the State of NJ. He has implemented initiatives impacting student success and effective financial stewardship and he also has expertise on improving minority access, higher education funding models, and creating accurate and sustainable revenue projections. His work in the State has been highlighted in numerous articles nationwide and he spends a good amount of his time in Trenton advocating for myriad issues amongst which increased funding is atop of the list. Prior to his time in higher education, Guillermo spent several years in private sector construction and property management and planning. He has lived in four different countries and speaks five languages. When he is not at work, Guillermo enjoys traveling with his family and playing every sport he can.

Brian Cohen

Vice President, Center for Digital Government and Center for Digital Education

Brian Cohen is the Vice President of the Center for Digital Government and Center Digital Education. Prior to joining the Center, Brian served for 30 years in IT leadership roles with the City of New York and most recently with the City University of New York (CUNY). As the Vice-Chancellor and University CIO at CUNY, Brian directed the Office of Computing and Information Services (CIS), developed, and managed the enterprise IT vision, strategy and day-to-day technology operations of the University. His areas of focus included academic and business systems, cloud strategies, IT policies and procedures, Cybersecurity, project management, IT resiliency and disaster recovery, and network and telecommunications. During his time with the City of New York, Brian developed the City of New York’s E-Government strategy, implemented the City’s award-winning nyc.gov website, and managed the City’s effort to address the Y2K technology challenge.

Teri Takai — Moderator

Senior Vice President, Center for Digital Government

Teri Takai is Senior Vice President of e.Republic. Previously, she worked for Ford Motor Company for 30 years in global application development and information technology strategic planning. From Ford, she moved to EDS in support of General Motors. A long-time interest in public service led her to the government sector, first as CIO of the State of Michigan, then as CIO of the State of California, and subsequently the CIO of the U.S. Department of Defense, the first woman appointed to this role. She then served as the CIO for Meridian Health Plan. She is a member of several industry advisory boards. Teri has won numerous awards including Governing Magazine’s Public Official of the Year, CIO Magazine’s CIO Hall of Fame, Government Technology Magazine’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers & Drivers, the Women in Defense Excellence in Leadership Award, and the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service.

Webinar

Federal Funds for Higher Ed: Where to Find Them; How to Use Them