Greetings, everyone.
It is hard to believe that we are quickly approaching the one year mark of living during a pandemic here in Michigan. The first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Michigan on March 10, and just six short days later U-M moved teaching and learning online. Our lives have been immeasurably changed over the past year. I want to acknowledge each one of you not only for your contributions to the university, but also for your amazing strength in doing this through an uncertain and challenging time in our history.
I am excited to share two upcoming opportunities to hear from industry leaders in technology. Krishna Bhagavathula, senior vice president and chief technology officer for the National Basketball Association, will be a guest at a town hall with ITS staff on Thursday, March 11 from 1-2 p.m., and I welcome everyone from the Michigan IT community to join the discussion on Zoom. It should be a fascinating discussion as we may hear about the smart technology used during the NBA season last year. I look forward to seeing you and be sure to bring your questions.
I am very excited to share that we will be starting a new distinguished lecture series, Leadership in Technology. The lecture series will be a campuswide effort with partnership with schools and colleges to offer opportunities to learn from guests in a fireside chat format. Our first guest will be David Goeckler, chief executive officer of Western Digital, on April 19 at 1 p.m. Please save the date and more details will be shared soon.
As you may have read in The University Record, I will be chairing the search committee to recruit the next executive vice president and chief financial officer of the university. EVP Hegarty has done an incredible job. It will not be easy to fill his shoes. The committee is seeking campus feedback on the search so I encourage you to send ideas, feedback, and nominations to input-EVPCFOsearch@umich.edu.
Please take care of yourself and continue to take breaks when you need them. Be sure to check in on our colleagues. A smile and a hello could make a world of difference to someone. Empathy is such a powerful connector of people. I am grateful to all of you for your kindness towards each other. Do please reach out as I love to hear from you.
Regards,
Ravi Pendse PhD
Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer
University of Michigan
rpendse@umich.edu
