March 30, 2009 - Dr Donald Harris, Vice Provost  and Chief Information Officer of the University of Oregon, has been appointed Chair of the APRU IT Initiatives Standing Committee. The Standing Committee oversees both the Education and Research Technology (ERT) Forum and the Chief Information Officers (CIO) Forum to drive and facilitate strategic efforts amongst member institutions, to provide direction and encourage deliverables for both initiatives and other emerging technological projects and collaborations amongst APRU members.  Prior to the formation of the APRU IT Initiatives Standing Committee, the Distance Learning and the Internet Conference (DLI) and CIO Conference were two IT flagship initiatives of the APRU consortium.  They aim to bring together IT leaders, academics and education technologists for the objectives of fostering strategic partnerships, facilitating collaborations, leadership development and providing a platform for faculty, researchers and educational technologists to present work on the applicable use of technologies in teaching, learning and research.

The Standing Committee will comprise the Chair and four members from APRU universities, geographically represented, to oversee both the ERT and CIO Forums.
Dr Harris not only provides leadership and strategic management of IT resources at University of Oregon but has also been highly active in APRU IT activities and initiatives.  He has been co-chair and member of two previous APRU CIO conferences and was most recently a member of the DLI Review Committee, instrumental in bringing about change and driving the direction and mission of IT initiatives in the APRU consortium.  Other than APRU, Dr Harris has been active in regional and international organizations including the Northwest Academic Computing Consortium (NWACC), Educause and Internet2.

Dr Harris will be working closely with the APRU Secretariat to implement IT initiatives and projects amongst APRU member universities that will support and promote the application and innovative use of technology in teaching, learning and research.