Leadership Awards 2002 Winners

Excellence in Leadership

Douglas Van Houweling
President & CEO
Internet2

Professional Background
Across nearly three decades, the career of Dr. Douglas Van Houweling has been characterized by two essential traits: he has been able to identify fundamental shifts in information technologies long before most of his colleagues, and he has then shaped and influenced the evolution and impact of these technologies through his leadership, initiative, and statesmanship.

In the late 1970s, Van Houweling recognized the role of microcomputers as a catalyst for decentralizing management and administrative structures. As director of academic computing and associate director of computer services at Cornell University, he took the lead in convincing the faculty and administration to create a new division, Decentralized Academic Computing Services-revolutionary at a time when minicomputers were still something of a novelty.

In the early 1980s, while many of his colleagues were beginning to accept the personal computer and accompanying decentralized structures, Van Houweling saw the need to protect the information exchange allowed by mainframe time-sharing. As CIO at Carnegie-Mellon University he initiated one of the seminal projects in linking personal computers in a networked environment. Several years later, as vice provost for information technology at the University of Michigan, his leadership was critical in bringing together the various constituencies of academic, administrative, research computing, and networking to create one of the strongest central technology organizations in higher education. During his tenure as CIO at Michigan and chairman of MERIT, he created a partnership that included IBM, MCI, and the State of Michigan to respond to an NSF solicitation to upgrade and manage the NSFNET. By the end of that decade, that partnership expanded to include Advanced Network and Services, the nonprofit organization which operated the world's first large-scale Internet backbone; Van Houweling chaired the ANS Board.

The Internet2 project started in 1996 when the NSFNET project was completed. Led by higher education, this consortium was based on partnerships with industry and government. Van Houweling was a member of the planning group and has been the president and CEO of the University Consortium for Advanced Internet Development (UCAID), formed to house the Internet2 project, since its inception. The strength of Internet2 is not just leading-edge technology, but partnerships and collaborations, which have been guided by Van Houweling's vision and extraordinary leadership.

Van Houweling's service to his professional community has included participation on the boards of Educom, CREN, and MERIT, and leadership of the Common Solutions Group. He is a notable speaker, author, and consultant, with a sophisticated knowledge of current and emerging technologies and their importance to higher education.

Professional Vita

A $5,000 scholarship contribution is being made in Dr. Van Houweling's name to Iowa State University.

Leadership in the Profession

Diane P. Balestri
(posthumous award)
Former Vice President, Computing and Information Services
Vassar College

Professional Background
Diane Balestri's involvement in information technology issues on her respective campuses and the broader IT community began more than 15 years ago. Trained as a humanist, with bachelor and doctoral degrees in English literature, she had a successful career as a faculty member and scholar at Bryn Mawr College before moving to Princeton University in 1985 as assistant dean of the college. As director of the university writing program, she quickly became involved as co-coordinator of Project Pegasus, which introduced microcomputing into the Princeton curriculum. In 1992 she began full-time work in information technology, becoming manager of instructional and media services, which included faculty courseware development projects, new media, and campus satellite and cable television programming. She was named associate director in 1995.

In 1997, Balestri accepted an appointment as director of computing and information services at Vassar College, where she chaired committees on information technology management and on the use of technology for teaching and learning. She became vice president for computing and information services in 2000, and had been selected as vice president for computing and information services at Brown University shortly before her death on March 5, 2002. An early and active participant in the Educom Software Initiative in the 1980s, she was also involved in a variety of initiatives of the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) focused on the integration of information technology into instruction and scholarship. She served on the boards of EDUCAUSE and the Seminars on Academic Computing.

Balestri was well known for her ability to bridge the academic and administrative realms of information technology. A skilled and eloquent writer, she was able to convey the ideas and interests of one audience for the other. Her leadership was particularly effective for its focus on promise and potential-how technology can improve the teaching and learning experience, enhance access to resources and improve services, improve research and scholarship-while still addressing hard questions about implementation, impact, and outcomes. As a campus and community leader, she brought wit, intelligence, insight, and humor to often-difficult and politically charged conversations about IT implementation, planning, and policy. This same insight and humor, as well as her deep caring about her profession and the people who work in it, made her a valued coworker, colleague, and friend.

A graduate of Wellesley College, Dr. Balestri earned a Ph.D. in English literature at Yale University.

A $2,000 contribution is being made in Dr. Balestri's name to Vassar College.

Leadership in Public Policy and Practice

Kenneth C. Green
Director
The Campus Computing Project

Professional Background
Casey Green is the founder and motivating force behind The Campus Computing Project, the largest continuing study of the role of information technology in American higher education. Each year more than 600 two- and four-year, public and private colleges and universities participate in the project's annual survey. Begun in 1990, the project is widely cited by campus officials and corporate executives as the definitive source for information about technology-related public policy issues affecting American higher education.

Dr. Green, currently a visiting scholar at The Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California, has a long history of leadership in the campus IT community. From 1989 to 1994, he was a senior research associate and later director of The James Irvine Foundation Center for Scholarly Technology at the University of Southern California. Prior to his affiliation with USC, Green served for seven years as the associate director and operating officer of UCLA's Higher Education Research Institute and also the American Council on Education/UCLA Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP), the nation's largest and oldest empirical study of higher education. In the late 1980s, he was a leader in the Educom Software Initiative, working with campus officials and corporate executives to craft what became the Educom Code of Conduct, an important statement about respect for the integrity of intellectual property in the campus community.

Perhaps more importantly, Green's research and writings reflect his recognition that IT issues go well beyond bits and bytes into planning, policy, programs, and people. His column on technology and higher education issues, "Digital Tweed," appears monthly in Converge magazine. He is also the host and co-producer of the award-winning Ready2Net program, a series of satellite and Web-cast programs focused on the challenges that the Internet presents to higher education. Dr. Green is frequently quoted on higher education, information technology, and labor market issues in national print and broadcast media.

A graduate of New College in Sarasota, Florida, Green received his master's degree from Ohio State and was awarded a Ph.D. in higher education from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Personal Background

A $2,000 contribution in Dr. Green's name is being divided between the Claremont Graduate University, to support student scholarships in The Graduate School of Education, and the New College Foundation, to support the New College Library.

Professional Development Professional Development Mentoring Information Kit Management and Leadership Offerings Conferences, Seminars, and Institutes Jane N. Ryland Fellowship Program EDUCAUSE Awards Higher Education IT Events Calendar Job Opportunities Volunteer Opportunities		Leadership Awards 2002 Winners Excellence in Leadership Douglas Van Houweling President & CEO Internet2 Professional Background Across nearly three decades, the career of Dr. Douglas Van Houweling has been characterized by two essential traits: he has been able to identify fundamental shifts in information technologies long before most of his colleagues, and he has then shaped and influenced the evolution and impact of these technologies through his leadership, initiative, and statesmanship. In the late 1970s, Van Houweling recognized the role of microcomputers as a catalyst for decentralizing management and administrative structures. As director of academic computing and associate director of computer services at Cornell University, he took the lead in convincing the faculty and administration to create a new division, Decentralized Academic Computing Services-revolutionary at a time when minicomputers were still something of a novelty. In the early 1980s, while many of his colleagues were beginning to accept the personal computer and accompanying decentralized structures, Van Houweling saw the need to protect the information exchange allowed by mainframe time-sharing. As CIO at Carnegie-Mellon University he initiated one of the seminal projects in linking personal computers in a networked environment. Several years later, as vice provost for information technology at the University of Michigan, his leadership was critical in bringing together the various constituencies of academic, administrative, research computing, and networking to create one of the strongest central technology organizations in higher education. During his tenure as CIO at Michigan and chairman of MERIT, he created a partnership that included IBM, MCI, and the State of Michigan to respond to an NSF solicitation to upgrade and manage the NSFNET. By the end of that decade, that partnership expanded to include Advanced Network and Services, the nonprofit organization which operated the world's first large-scale Internet backbone; Van Houweling chaired the ANS Board. The Internet2 project started in 1996 when the NSFNET project was completed. Led by higher education, this consortium was based on partnerships with industry and government. Van Houweling was a member of the planning group and has been the president and CEO of the University Consortium for Advanced Internet Development (UCAID), formed to house the Internet2 project, since its inception. The strength of Internet2 is not just leading-edge technology, but partnerships and collaborations, which have been guided by Van Houweling's vision and extraordinary leadership. Van Houweling's service to his professional community has included participation on the boards of Educom, CREN, and MERIT, and leadership of the Common Solutions Group. He is a notable speaker, author, and consultant, with a sophisticated knowledge of current and emerging technologies and their importance to higher education. Professional Vita A $5,000 scholarship contribution is being made in Dr. Van Houweling's name to Iowa State University. Leadership in the Profession Diane P. Balestri (posthumous award) Former Vice President, Computing and Information Services Vassar College Professional Background Diane Balestri's involvement in information technology issues on her respective campuses and the broader IT community began more than 15 years ago. Trained as a humanist, with bachelor and doctoral degrees in English literature, she had a successful career as a faculty member and scholar at Bryn Mawr College before moving to Princeton University in 1985 as assistant dean of the college. As director of the university writing program, she quickly became involved as co-coordinator of Project Pegasus, which introduced microcomputing into the Princeton curriculum. In 1992 she began full-time work in information technology, becoming manager of instructional and media services, which included faculty courseware development projects, new media, and campus satellite and cable television programming. She was named associate director in 1995. In 1997, Balestri accepted an appointment as director of computing and information services at Vassar College, where she chaired committees on information technology management and on the use of technology for teaching and learning. She became vice president for computing and information services in 2000, and had been selected as vice president for computing and information services at Brown University shortly before her death on March 5, 2002. An early and active participant in the Educom Software Initiative in the 1980s, she was also involved in a variety of initiatives of the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) focused on the integration of information technology into instruction and scholarship. She served on the boards of EDUCAUSE and the Seminars on Academic Computing. Balestri was well known for her ability to bridge the academic and administrative realms of information technology. A skilled and eloquent writer, she was able to convey the ideas and interests of one audience for the other. Her leadership was particularly effective for its focus on promise and potential-how technology can improve the teaching and learning experience, enhance access to resources and improve services, improve research and scholarship-while still addressing hard questions about implementation, impact, and outcomes. As a campus and community leader, she brought wit, intelligence, insight, and humor to often-difficult and politically charged conversations about IT implementation, planning, and policy. This same insight and humor, as well as her deep caring about her profession and the people who work in it, made her a valued coworker, colleague, and friend. A graduate of Wellesley College, Dr. Balestri earned a Ph.D. in English literature at Yale University. A $2,000 contribution is being made in Dr. Balestri's name to Vassar College. Leadership in Public Policy and Practice Kenneth C. Green Director The Campus Computing Project Professional Background Casey Green is the founder and motivating force behind The Campus Computing Project, the largest continuing study of the role of information technology in American higher education. Each year more than 600 two- and four-year, public and private colleges and universities participate in the project's annual survey. Begun in 1990, the project is widely cited by campus officials and corporate executives as the definitive source for information about technology-related public policy issues affecting American higher education. Dr. Green, currently a visiting scholar at The Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California, has a long history of leadership in the campus IT community. From 1989 to 1994, he was a senior research associate and later director of The James Irvine Foundation Center for Scholarly Technology at the University of Southern California. Prior to his affiliation with USC, Green served for seven years as the associate director and operating officer of UCLA's Higher Education Research Institute and also the American Council on Education/UCLA Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP), the nation's largest and oldest empirical study of higher education. In the late 1980s, he was a leader in the Educom Software Initiative, working with campus officials and corporate executives to craft what became the Educom Code of Conduct, an important statement about respect for the integrity of intellectual property in the campus community. Perhaps more importantly, Green's research and writings reflect his recognition that IT issues go well beyond bits and bytes into planning, policy, programs, and people. His column on technology and higher education issues, "Digital Tweed," appears monthly in Converge magazine. He is also the host and co-producer of the award-winning Ready2Net program, a series of satellite and Web-cast programs focused on the challenges that the Internet presents to higher education. Dr. Green is frequently quoted on higher education, information technology, and labor market issues in national print and broadcast media. A graduate of New College in Sarasota, Florida, Green received his master's degree from Ohio State and was awarded a Ph.D. in higher education from the University of California, Los Angeles. Personal Background A $2,000 contribution in Dr. Green's name is being divided between the Claremont Graduate University, to support student scholarships in The Graduate School of Education, and the New College Foundation, to support the New College Library.
		© Copyright 1999-2009 EDUCAUSE Need Help? \| Feedback \| Privacy Policy
	Unless otherwise noted, EDUCAUSE holds the copyright on all materials published by the association, whether in print or electronic form. In certain cases the work remains the intellectual property of the individual author(s) (see Special Circumstances). Content from conference speeches, presentations, blogs, wikis and feeds reflect the opinions of the author, and not necessarily those of EDUCAUSE or its members.