Greetings, everyone.
The fall and all that it brings is truly a wonderful time to be part of the University of Michigan community. As we settle into our new schedules for the semester, I want to thank each and every member of the Michigan IT community for your contribution to welcoming students, faculty and staff back to campus. Working together, we’ve turned so many of those challenges into opportunities to collaborate to serve this amazing university.
I am excited to invite all of you to join in person for the second event in our Leadership in Technology: Distinguished Lecture Series. On October 13, 11 a.m.-noon, Antonio Neri, president and chief executive officer of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, will join us in the Robertson Auditorium at the the Stephen M. Ross School of Business for a live discussion in a fireside chat format and Q&A.
Antonio’s unique journey in technology and leadership is one that I believe will resonate with the Michigan IT community. When he became the CEO at HPE in 2018, he was the first hispanic, insider and engineer in almost 20 years to hold that position. His experience and success is a testament to the importance of diversity and inclusion. Antonio is passionate about connecting people through technology and using tech as a platform not only to bring people and communities together, but also make it equitable. These values of diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as personal growth, are dear to our hearts at Michigan. Register to attend the event today, and please encourage your colleagues to join as well! I would love to see you there. The event will also be live-streamed for those who can’t attend in person.
In addition to this event, October is the U-M Diversity Equity and Inclusion Summit. I encourage you to make time in your busy schedules to step away to attend some of the many great events planned throughout the month. The events offer a chance to explore hard topics and bring back a new perspective to the work you do everyday.
Finally, please take advantage of the tips, best practices, and virtual sessions that are available from ITS Information Assurance Cybersecurity Awareness Month. I believe strongly in privacy and, as IT professionals and as members of the U-M community, we all play an important role in keeping each other and our institutional data protected.
Thank you for all that you do. I am grateful to all of you. Please reach out anytime. I love to hear from you. Be well and stay safe!
With gratitude,
Ravi
Ravi Pendse PhD
Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer
University of Michigan
rpendse@umich.edu
