Provost Robert Barchi and Executive Vice President John Fry recently appointed Vice President for Information Systems and Computing Robin Beck the top information officer at the University.
Beck will succeed Vice Provost for Information Systems and Computing James O'Donnell as the top information officer. O'Donnell will be leaving Penn at the end of June to become the provost of Georgetown University. Beck's appointment is effective July 1.
As the senior information officer, Beck will be responsible for technology planning and implementation on campus. She will also replace O'Donnell as an ex officio member of the University Council's Committee on Communications.
"Robin is a wonderful colleague," Barchi said. "She has already proven herself to be an outstanding manager with a depth of experience at ISC that will serve the University well."
"We're fortunate to have someone with her combination of technical proficiency, vision and leadership skills to coordinate our efforts in ISC," he added.
Beck, who has held her current position since 2001, has been responsible for the ongoing development and operation of the University's information technology infrastructure, network, support services and application.
Additionally, she has led numerous initiatives, including the implementation of Penn InTouch and the advancement of Penn's financial management system.
Beck said that her recent promotion speaks as much to the development of the ISC department as it does to her abilities.
"Obviously, I'm very appreciative of the University's confidence in me, but I have a sense that this is as much of a recognition of ISC as it is to me," Beck said. "We are providing services and products that the University sees of value, and they have confidence in the department and us all."
During her tenure, Beck also helped to further develop Penn's Internet capabilities for use with a range of academic enterprises, including the recent Internet 2 demonstration between Penn and the University of Grenoble.
O'Donnell said Beck has played an invaluable role in helping Penn make enormous advancements in information and technology in recent years.
"At this point, we are the envy of Ivy League institutions for the quality of what we do at Information Systems and Computing -- this is a very strong sign of her achievements," said O'Donnell, who has worked with Beck for the past five years. "She's been an all-star player and deserves this advancement."
Moreover, O'Donnell noted that Beck's work has helped Penn save large amounts of money.
"We've had our share of difficulties over the past few years developing ISC, but we have spent tens of millions of dollars less than most of our peer institutions and gotten equal or superior value out of our administrative systems," O'Donnell said.
Beck, who has been at Penn since 1989, holds a master's degree in industrial administration from Purdue University, and she received her bachelor's degree from Seton Hill College in Pennsylvania.
As the head of the ISC department, she plans to focus on developing the technological goals of the University's new strategic plan, which is currently in the final stages of approval.
"To an extent, I want to keep building on what we have been doing," Beck said. "I also want to align the IT's strategies with the University's new strategic plan."
