Balancing Innovation and Security in Higher Education with Carol Smith

In This Episode

Carol Smith shares how her three-decade journey at DePauw University has been shaped by the powerful community of IT professionals in higher education. She reflects on the challenges of managing a lean IT team while delivering services at the same standard as large universities. By leveraging partnerships like the HESS Consortium and participating in organizations such as EDUCAUSE, Carol has helped her institution stay competitive and cost-efficient.

She emphasizes the value of peer mentoring and external CIO networks, especially in smaller institutions where internal role peers are limited. This connection has not only enriched her career but also fostered a sense of camaraderie and support that sustains longevity in leadership roles. Carol explains how developing shared strategies, aligning with vendor ecosystems, and participating in joint service models help create scalable solutions across institutions.

The conversation also dives into the delicate balance between security and innovation in a university setting. Carol highlights how higher education IT is uniquely positioned to straddle the worlds of open access and enterprise-grade protection. She closes by discussing her hiring philosophy—valuing agility over pure technical depth—and shares her origin story, including a formative moment using a word processor as an undergrad that changed her perspective on the purpose of technology.