Message from Provost Robert A. Blouin on Chris Kielt
Chris Kielt, the vice chancellor for information technology and chief information officer, will join the Washington University in St. Louis at the end of January.
Dear Carolina Community:
I write to share that Chris Kielt, vice chancellor for information technology and chief information officer, has accepted a position with the same title at Washington University in St. Louis, effective late January.
Since taking his position in mid-2013, Chris has been a valued member of the University’s senior leadership team. He has led a period of significant progress in the continued evolution of our complex information and technology infrastructure that includes all central administrative and academic computing services and initiatives from telephones to academic support.
A 30-year veteran of higher education administration, Chris has skillfully guided the ongoing implementation and refinement of ConnectCarolina, a massive undertaking to replace aging software systems with an integrated approach to support critical behind-the-scenes operations that make it possible to enroll and teach students, hire and pay faculty and staff, and literally run the University.
With enhancements such as 2-step verification, Chris and his dedicated Information Technology Services team have strengthened our ability to safeguard and protect sensitive personal information as well as vital University data and credentials. Last year, ITS collaborated closely with all the schools and units across campus to introduce Microsoft Office 365, bringing email, calendar, file sharing and other features to all students, faculty and staff. This was among the latest collaborative efforts to bring innovative technology to campus with the help of IT leaders and staff in schools, departments and units.
For all of this work and much more, I thank Chris for his dedicated service to Carolina and exceptional commitment to protecting the technology interests of our students, faculty and staff during a time of increasingly sophisticated challenges in the IT security landscape around the nation and the world.
Chris was promoted to vice chancellor and chief information officer in July 2013 after serving in an interim role. He joined Carolina in 2012 as associate vice chancellor for administrative systems and business transformation after serving in other top IT positions at Stony Brook and Yale universities.
Chris has assembled an accomplished ITS senior administrative team and staff that will continue to provide the University community with excellent service and support. My office will direct the search for Chris’ successor and announce those plans in the coming weeks.
Please join me and the administration in thanking Chris for all that he has done for our University and wishing him the very best in his new role.
Sincerely,
Robert A. Blouin
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost
