Overview

July 21

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COVID-19 changed everything. As stay-at-home orders closed campuses around the nation, higher education leaders deserve credit for unprecedented action that quickly enabled fully online classrooms. The transition wasn’t perfect, though, and new cybersecurity threats emerged.

Today the pandemic is far from over. Most expect physical distancing restrictions well into the next academic year, so leaders are expanding online learning options. And virtual classrooms, like physical ones, must be safe and secure. We can’t allow cyberattacks to disrupt learning, modify data or impact critical systems. But how can you enable secure, effective distance learning with limited resources and time?

Join the Center for Digital Education on July 21 at 11 a.m. Pacific/2 p.m. Eastern for an in-depth and interactive discussion about the strategies campus IT departments will need to implement to protect their students, faculty and institutions as they embark on distance and remote learning initiatives.

Register now to hear how you can:
• Foster scalable, secure virtual classrooms without the friction
• Implement effective, integrated security solutions that are simple and manageable
• Leverage best practices that have already emerged for secure distance learning in higher education

Speakers

Steven Zink headshot

Steven Zink

Senior Fellow, Center for Digital Education

Steven Zink is an emeritus faculty member at the University of Nevada, Reno, where he served as the University’s first Vice President of Information Technology, while simultaneously serving as Dean, University Libraries. During his lengthy tenure at the University, Zink assembled a vibrant hybrid organization of information professionals, ranging from specialists in instructional technology to librarians to information technology professionals. In 2008, the physical manifestation of the organization was realized with the opening of the widely acclaimed 300,000 square foot Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center.  From 2011-2016, he served as Vice Chancellor for the Nevada System of Higher Education, the coordinating body over all public institutions of higher education in Nevada.  Zink holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in history, an M.L.S., and a Ph.D. in information systems science. He is the author of four books and over 120 publications. For 20 years, Zink served as chief editor of an Elsevier-Science bimonthly journal on information policy; he remains a long-time editorial board member of other scholarly journals. Zink is a multiple NSF grant awardee as well the recipient of numerous honors, recognition, and awards for his publications and professional service. He is a frequent speaker/instructor in the areas of information technology and management, as well as information policy and has served as a consultant to numerous publishers, information services and technology firms, government agencies, universities, and higher education libraries.

Steve Caimi headshot

Steve Caimi

Public Sector Cybersecurity Specialist, Cisco

Steve Caimi is a Public Sector Cybersecurity Specialist who helps organizations efficiently and effectively manage their cybersecurity programs and achieve compliance goals. He advocates a risk-based approach based on industry standards and best practices that guide organizations to the improvements that matter the most. Prior to joining Cisco, Steve held various product management, engineering, and solution architecture positions at HP Enterprise Security, CA Technologies, UUNET Technologies, and Citigroup. He earned a Master of Business Administration from Virginia Tech and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Penn State University. He is also a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).

Jim Jorstad headshot

Jim Jorstad — Moderator

Senior Fellow, Center for Digital Education

For Jorstad, succeeding as an educational technology leader requires the same strategic thinking as winning a game of chess: When making decisions, you have to connect the dots and think three moves in advance.    Jorstad, a 30-year technology innovator and award-winning media producer, loves chess, but it isn’t his only passion - he is also keenly interested in, and fervently works toward, improving digital literacy; bringing authenticity and relevance to the classroom through social media; promoting and measuring technology use and effectiveness; creating innovative learning environments; and mentoring students, faculty and staff.   He accomplishes these things through various programs and initiatives, each marked by creativity, innovation and, of course, passion. For example, to better mentor students and bring relevancy to the classroom, Jorstad helped spur a digital storytelling program when he was asked to teach a three-month seminar course for incoming freshmen.    Building on the practice of digital storytelling, Jorstad started helping faculty and students sign up as CNN iReporters. He not only helped his own campus get started, but actively assisted other Midwestern campuses with the concept. An award-winning iReporter himself, Jorstad began writing for CNN during the 2010 political upheaval in Wisconsin, and later turned to other issues such as homelessness, the 2012 U.S. drought and human interest stories. His stories have had nearly 1 million views. Fast forward to today and Jorstad says students’ stories are being vetted by CNN producers and presented as news, with one student’s story that details his caring for a brother with a rare neurological disease receiving more than 72,000 views.    As another example, when violence erupted in Eastern Europe, a former University of Wisconsin - La Crosse student from Ukraine Skyped with Jorstad to tell the story. Later, CNN contacted the student. “I was watching CNN national news and our student is being quoted in the same line or paragraph as NATO, Vladamir Putin and the prime ministers of Ukraine and Russia,” says Jorstad. “There’s no better teaching opportunity than that. Making teaching relevant and authentic helps students connect with their world. It also helps faculty become even more immersed in the learning process.”   But the impact didn’t stop there. Later, the same student was offered a position at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine. “You would never think this would all come together, but you have to connect the dots,” says Jorstad. “You may not realize the initial fruits of your investment, but if you take students with great skills and put them in the position to be successful, you will reap great benefits.”   As part of his passion for mentoring, Jorstad’s department provides robust professional development for faculty and staff, with workshops designed to draw crowds and get educators interested in technology. The department’s creative way of naming sessions such as “Tech4U,” “HOT” (Hands-On Technology) and “Passport to Technology” have been hugely successful. Jorstad is careful to measure that success by conducting surveys with faculty and staff to ensure professional development is on point. “When we can survey faculty and receive nearly 200 responses for specific technology training, we know we are on the right track,” says Jorstad. These innovative sessions have gained national attention.   Jorstad stresses the importance of teamwork and communicating your team’s successes. “Even though I don’t have a large team, I pick employees who are passionate about what they do and are creative thinkers,” he says. “It’s always good to have someone on your team that understands servers, routers and bandwidth, but the key is the ability to see the big picture and think with creative solutions.”    Jorstad says to be successful today, leaders need to make investments in technology, but also investments in students, faculty and staff. Like chess, many times the successful moves you make won’t be realized until later in the game, but Jorstad says that makes the payoff that much sweeter. “When students and faculty come back and say you made a big difference, it makes it all worthwhile. It all starts with that first strategic move.”

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