Howard U. names interim chief information officer
Howard University this week announced Olga Osaghae, the institution’s director of enterprise applications, as its interim chief information officer.
As interim CIO, Osaghae will lead Howard’s enterprise technology services and a continued overhaul of the historically Black institution’s technology systems, including a project already underway to install Workday systems for finance and human capital management, which include human resources functions like time tracking and compensation. She’ll oversee that project after assisting in its launch as director of enterprise applications and deputy project manager for the human capital management system.
Administrators said Osaghae, who’s been with the institution for 13 years, will begin on July 2 as the Washington, D.C., university continues a national search to replace Jonathan Piersol, who served as CIO since 2018.
The university, which serves just under 10,000 students, is also planning a move next year to Workday’s student information system software. According to the project’s website, the university started the move to Workday in June 2020.
Streamlining university operations through technology is part of “Howard Forward 2024,” the university’s strategic plan. Other investments in the plan include upgrading classroom technology and incorporating data analytics and AI to boost first-year retention to 95%.
Howard is also expanding online learning, with a plan to launch between two and five new online programs each year, according to the university’s website.