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The Rice Thresher
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by Meredith Jenkins Thresher staff
"It's a very exciting time to hold this position at Rice," Henry said. "The university has extraordinary aspirations, and fundamental to those aspirations are sophisticated applications of technology to both teaching and research." President Malcolm Gillis, in discussion with Provost Eugene Levy, selected Henry for the position. "Chuck is without any question among the most qualified people in the country for this position," Levy said. "Chuck is a real visionary with the development of information technology and its role in education and research institutions. ... We have a great deal of confidence in his ability and vision." The division of Information Technology provides business and computing services to students, runs Owlnet and the computer labs, maintains the campus network and telecommunications services, and administers campus servers. It also provides user services such as computer consulting and short courses, and runs the Center for Technology in Teaching and Learning. A new university librarian will be hired, but Henry will still be involved at Fondren Library - working to develop new information technology systems. "We're entering an age where libraries are more than mere repositories of books," Levy said. In addition, Henry said he will work with a number of committees, especially the Committee on the Digital Environment, to analyze information technology at Rice and make recommendations for future changes. "Information technology is a universal concern here, so faculty, administration, students, people in IT and the library, everyone, has to be involved in the conversation to really contribute most effectively to the thoughtful evolution of information technology on campus," Henry said. "From those conversations all of us will begin to develop a sense of priorities of where we want to go next." Henry said it is important to focus on the academic applications of technology. "One fundamental aspect of what I do is that the academic mission has to drive the development of technology, that whatever we do in the way of information services and technological advancement has to support teaching and research in the most sophisticated and effective way we can muster," Henry said. One of the challenges Henry expects to face is getting students involved. "One problem that tends to be associated with this position in any university is the need for communication from students," he said. "One of my top priorities certainly this coming spring is to put together a student advisory committee to begin to establish a better understanding of students' needs in the way of computers, in the way of other technology and in the way of information." Any student interested in being part of the student advisory committee should send an e-mail to Henry at chhenry@rice.edu, he said. Henry will report to the provost, instead of to the president, although most vice presidents at Rice report to the president. "The provost is the chief academic officer and the bulk of what the vice president for Information Technology does is with respect to academic programs," Levy said.
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