In an announcement Monday, the Athens, Ohio school said that Shawn Ostermann, an associate professor and chair of the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in the Russ College of Engineering and Technology, will start the job on Jan. 1.
The university said that Ostermann, who has taught there for 13 years and specializes in computer networking and data security, will serve as interim CIO while OU continues a national search for a permanent CIO. Ostermann is not interested in the post long term, according to the school.
Ostermann will replace William "Bill" Sams, who announced his resignation in July but has remained in place while the school sought a successor. Sams' resignation came amid an IT reorganization implemented on the recommendation of an external consulting firm that audited the university's security after several breaches were discovered between late April and early June.
Even as Ostermann begins his work as interim CIO, Sams plans to remain at the school as an associate provost working on technology-related projects, the school said. Among his assignments will be technology governance and helping Ostermann with his move to the CIO's post.
When Sams, who became CIO in 2004, stepped down, he said, "It has become clear to me that a new energy level and skill set is going to be required in order to allow our IT organization to realize its potential."
Sams could not be reached for comment Tuesday morning.
Joe Brennan, the university's chief spokesman, said today that Sams will not directly be a part of the IT organization. "He will be in the provost's staff," Brennan said. "We want to use his skills on IT projects but not on central IT."
One reason Sams will remain is that he has a three-year contract with the school that must be honored, Brennan said. "This gives us an opportunity to get Bill into a position where he can contribute and also allows us to bring in a new leader and get the IT process moving forward. Even though he admits, and we agree, that he's not the right person to lead the IT department, Bill does have talents" and more than 25 years of experience that can benefit the school.
The changes in the CIO's office come less than three weeks after the university's provost upheld the August firings of two IT workers blamed for many of the school's IT security problems. Thomas Reid, director of communication network services, and Todd Acheson, Unix systems manager at the CNS unit, were fired by Sams on the grounds of "nonfeasance."
Provost Kathy Krendl, who is out of the office this week and could not be reached for comment, upheld the firings last month after the two workers appealed their dismissals to a grievance committee. That committee's three-page recommendation called for the workers to be rehired and given public apologies, but Krendl concluded the firings were justified. She has the final authority in such matters at OU.
Five security breaches came to light at OU in April, May and June. A break-in on a server that supported alumni relations exposed personal data belonging to about 137,000 people and went undiscovered for more than a year. A similar incident on a system at the school's health center may have exposed Social Security numbers, dates of birth, patient IDs and clinical information on nearly 60,000 people.
In his new role, Ostermann will lead the university's central IT group, which oversees computer, infrastructure and security policies, and manages central e-mail, telephone, computer networking and administrative data services.
Ostermann said in a statement that he will focus on laying the groundwork for a permanent CIO and that his top priorities will be to strengthen data security and to involve faculty, staff and students in setting IT priorities.
"As a member of the CIO search committee, I've become very familiar with the challenges and opportunities facing the IT group," Ostermann said. "I am looking forward to working with them to continue the good progress that Bill and the staff have made. There's a great deal of consensus about what needs to be done."
Ostermann could not be reached for comment.
University President Roderick McDavis said in a statement that "Shawn Ostermann has a great deal of technical expertise and a solid grasp of the university's needs. I am very, very pleased that he has agreed to serve in this role until we fill the permanent job."