University of Rochester names new CIO, elevates role

The University of Rochester on Monday announced that Jim Forrester, the university medical school’s associate vice president of information technology has been named the university’s interim chief information officer.

Forrester has been named to the university-wide CIO role after Julie Myers will step down in August, after two decades with the institution. The private research school in New York claims nearly 12,000 students.

With the change in leadership, University President Sarah Mangelsdorf has announced she’s also elevating the CIO role. The university CIO will now report directly to the president, a reflection of “the growing strategic importance of technology across the entire institution,” according to a press release.

The press release explains that the change is “a natural progression that emphasizes the deeply interconnected partnership across teams—including the Information Systems Division (ISD) and University IT—that has developed over the last five years. Core technology services provided by University IT, such as data center operations, telecommunications, high-performance research computing, and enterprise applications like Workday and UKG, span the entire University.”

In his new, elevated role, Forrester will be responsible for strategic business alignment, budget and governance, cybersecurity and risk management, according to the release. He is serving as interim CIO and the university has announced it will search for a permanent replacement.

“I am honored to serve as interim chief information officer,” Forrester said in the release. “I look forward to working in close partnership across our University community to advance the University’s mission and ensure its continued impact.”