Robert Lowden appointed to lead enterprise software at IU
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 4, 2011
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Robert Lowden has been appointed associate vice president for enterprise software at Indiana University, effective August 1, 2011. The position leads all of the major software systems that serve the campuses of Indiana University.
"Rob was one of IU's early pioneers in leading multi-campus open source software projects, and more recently, he led IU's move into the new IU Bloomington Data Center and a mass consolidation of servers and storage," said IU Vice President for Information Technology and CIO Brad Wheeler, who made the appointment. "He is a proven efficiency-minded and visionary leader with strong organizational skills. He inherits an absolutely superb team at a critical time for IU as we refresh many major systems."
As AVP for Enterprise Software, Lowden will guide the ongoing implementation of parts of Empowering People: IU's Strategic Plan for IT, partnering with IU's academic and administrative offices to further the university's leading role in areas such as cost reducing, open source software like Kuali and Sakai.
Lowden has worked at every level of IU's IT organization in his thirteen years with University Information Technology Services (UITS). Most recently, Lowden served as director of system infrastructure for UITS, but he has also served in roles that ranged from frontline, face-to-face user interaction to large-scale strategic planning and implementation.
"From my first position as a student hourly, to my current appointment as AVP of Enterprise Software, I have been fortunate to work at Indiana University and to take advantage of the great opportunities provided to its employees," said Lowden. "My experiences in these various roles and with my talented colleagues are true testaments to the outstanding community here at IU."
During the Persian Gulf War, Lowden interrupted his college career to enlist in the armed forces. While serving in the Navy, Lowden earned his Surface Warfare qualification and served as a Search and Rescue swimmer. In the late nineties, Lowden decided to move on from the Navy to finish his college degree, and he has since earned a graduate degree from Purdue University.
In 1998, Lowden began his IU career as a student hourly network administrator in the Adaptive Educational Services computer lab at IUPUI. Lowden later joined UITS in the frontline support center, before moving to a small team that explored the potential of Oncourse and online course delivery. As director of system infrastructure, Lowden was recognized by the Computerworld Honors Program in 2008 and 2009 for leading major IT infrastructure projects. Lowden is the second UITS associate vice president who began their career as a student hourly.
Lowden succeeds John (Barry) Walsh as AVP of Enterprise Software. Walsh, who retired at the end of July after 27 years with the university, provided visionary leadership for over a decade.
