Deputy CIO Susan Adkins to Retire on Sept. 30

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Susan Adkins

Susan Adkins, deputy chief information officer, has announced her retirement effective Sept. 30, after serving 33 years at the University of Arkansas in IT Services. A retirement reception for Adkins will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24, in ADSB 240. Cake and refreshments will be served.

Adkins earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Arkansas in English with secondary school certification in 1977, and she went on to earn her Master of Business Administration in 1982. Adkins' interest in technology began in the College of Business, where her favorite courses were related to information systems, including programming languages like COBOL.

When Adkins started working at IT Services (then Computing Services), she was one of six full-time members of the User Services team responsible for supporting faculty and students on the academic mainframe. Over time, the team supported technology as it evolved, including the first microcomputers that were precursors to current desktop computers, and eventually the Internet.

Adkins' early involvement with the Internet included creating the first University of Arkansas-hosted website with the help of Mark Shaw and Walter Green. Under her leadership, the university provided Web hosting services for non-profits in Northwest Arkansas and collaborated with the Teaching and Faculty Support Center on a faculty grant program to publish course materials online. Adkins also provided training and outreach to departments, faculty and staff about how to leverage the brand new Internet.

"State-of-the-art research projects and scientific models were published in the early days as part of the faculty grant program," Adkins said. "Now we experience the Internet like electricity, and today's students don't realize how new it really is. No one had foresight at the time to imagine how quickly it would evolve and grow."

Adkins was also responsible for establishing the first general access student computer lab in Mullins Library. What began as an interim lab of 22 workstations has grown to 145 workstations. It is now the premiere computer lab on campus, hosting more student traffic than any other lab.

Of her many accomplishments, Adkins said she is most proud of the creation of the Student Technology Center in the Arkansas Union. Through her diligent efforts and the hard work of her team, the current Student Technology Center offers the first gaming, 3D modeling, audio/visual computing space and recording studios for students on campus.

"I went all over campus lobbying for a space for the center," Adkins said. "I am really proud of what my team accomplished with the Student Technology Center. Working with students over the years has been one of my favorite things about working at the university."

Other accomplishments for students under Adkins' watch included a student-only modem pool in the early days of Internet access and expansion of wireless Internet access later on, a virtual student computer lab, computers conveniently located around campus for quick email and Web access, specialized multimedia computer stations, a digital signage standard and a technology equipment and laptop checkout program.

Adkins also took a leadership role in developing email services on campus over her three decades, culminating most recently in directing contract negotiations and implementing Google Apps for Education on campus for student email. Similarly, she was key in the consolidation of learning management systems on campus, resulting in Blackboard Learn as the university standard.

Under Adkins' watch, technology support for faculty also flourished. She was instrumental in establishing campuswide licensing for lecture capture, web conferencing and videoconferencing; put together the team that installs technology-enhanced classrooms; and developed campuswide software buying consortiums. As a technology expert, Adkins served on numerous committees from master planning committees for the library and union to the provost's distance education and copyright committees to the university-wide Computing Activities Council and numerous college and division tech planning committees.

"Working to improve technology services and support on campus has been rewarding," Adkins said. "The university has grown so much, and I have enjoyed the challenge of working to make sure the university has the best technology possible.  I punched cards in my first computer class, and today I am amazed by the mobility we have to work anytime anywhere on a hand-held device."

In her current position as deputy CIO, Adkins manages around 40% of the staff in IT Services, all of whom provide some kind of direct service to faculty, staff and students. She supervises programmers, system administrators, application administrators, data and research specialists, designers, customer service support specialist, documentation and communication specialists and audio-video specialists.

"In the beginning," Adkins said, "one person could know about everything there was to know about a system and support it.  Today, it takes a team to build and support innovative, integrated online systems. I'm proud of my teams for their work to build services and first-class facilities. The best part about working at IT Services has been working with the people, and I will miss them."