After many years of dedication to IU Southeast, Larry Mand, vice chancellor for Information Technology and Community Engagement, is retiring.
“I tremendously enjoyed watching the computer science department grow,” Mand said.
After roughly 14 years as vice chancellor for IT and Community Engagement, Mand is retiring Feb. 1. His responsibilities will be divided up and reorganized.
“I think the shifting and dividing of my position will certainly help the university,” Mand said.
Mand had a one-year window between his 64th and 65th birthday where he could still take full advantage of the retirement plan.
“I was extremely busy and had too many things going on last summer,” Mand said. “So I decided to retire the first half of the 2010 semester.”
This brought about a time to transition and divide IT operations from Community Affairs.
The university is creating a new CIO, chief information officer, which will be responsible for IT operations.
Community Affairs will be taken over by Jerry Wayne, previous interim director of Alumni Affairs, and will become the interim vice chancellor for Alumni and Community Relations.
Wayne is a 1979 IU Southeast graduate and 2005 distinguished alumni.
“I am really looking forward to representing an institution that I have loved for over 30 years,” Wayne said. “It is nice to be back on campus.”
Wayne will be moving into his new office and begin his responsibilities as vice chancellor on Feb. 1.
Mand will be managing IT operations, as well as heading up a search committee in order to find the new CIO.
Mand said he will be staying on campus for one to two months tentatively depending on how long the CIO search will take.
Mand said he takes pride in the fact that IU Southeast was the first campus to install a campus wide computer network.
“Technology on campus over the years has changed tremendously,” Mand said. “Our campus has evolved from punch card machines to prime mini computers, PCs and now the type of computers and technology we have today where everything is networked together.”
Despite his departure from the campus, Mand said he expects the IT program to sustain the foundation that he helped create.
“We are leaders in this area and we don’t want to lose that, instead we want to use our IT program to better support our students and faculty,” Mand said.
After his retirement becomes official, Mand said he wants to continue to stay involved with the economic development in the area and continue to be present and involved within the community.
“Very few people are like Dr. Mand,” Wayne said. “He is a very smart and wise man, and very few people are ever both. I have admired getting to know him and he will be sorely missed on this campus.”
By NIKOLETTE
LANGDON
Staff Writer
nlangdon@ius.edu