Chris Rhoda, Higher Ed Information Technology Guru

When you first meet Chris Rhoda [M.B.A, '88], it's all about the business of information technology and services. What else? Rhoda takes his role very seriously of providing the technology to

When you first meet Chris Rhoda [M.B.A, '88], it's all about the business of information technology and services. What else? Rhoda takes his role very seriously of providing the technology tools and services that the entire campus of Thomas College in Waterville, Maine needs to run. With a three-person department, supplemented by student work-study support, Rhoda manages and troubleshoots campus-wide information services for faculty, students and staff on a daily basis, and yes, that includes weekends.

When you Google Rhoda, don't confuse his listings with those of cowboy Chris Rhoda whom you will also discover there. However, Rhoda does enjoy being outside, perhaps because he grew up on a potato farm in Hogdon, Maine rather than as a cowboy!

Behind the IT façade lays a man whose personal life is quite the opposite of his on-campus persona. "Colleagues at work may not recognize me off-campus," he says. "At home I am in my jeans, grilling out, working around the house or traveling with my wife [Andrea, M.S. '07] and my daughter."

By day, Christopher Rhoda is vice president for Information Services at Thomas where he oversees the Library and Information Technology Services departments.

For the last 20 years, Rhoda has been responsible for a multitude of advancements of campus IT services. There are too many to mention them all, but a few include creating local area networks, adding telephone, Internet and cable TV/local video origination services, creating a campus-wide wireless network, providing help desk services, developing instructional technology for both traditional classroom and online courses, and keeping the campus network secure. Whew! He is a busy man.

A Thomas staff member since 1988, Rhoda is also an alumnus having received a B.S. in 1988 in Information Services and an M.B.A. in 1988. Rhoda was Thomas' first full-time computer services employee. He was hired as a programmer/analyst after creating administrative systems part-time for the College for three years as an undergraduate student. His first full-time charge was to create an admissions information system to help increase enrollment.

Rhoda's tenure explains his passion for the students and his colleagues across campus. "Because Chris has been both a student and staff member, he combines a unique perspective on campus life at Thomas," says President George R. Spann. 

As part of his responsibilities, Rhoda works with the President's Council in strategic and annual planning and enables the Information Services team to provide the best service to students, faculty and staff to meet the goals of academic excellence.

Rhoda has also taught many programming and management information systems courses over the years. As an associate professor, Rhoda says, "my teaching goal is to engage students using various methods and tools to encourage active learning for those with various learning styles."

According to Vice President for Academic Affairs Thomas Edwards, "Chris understands teaching technology as a tool to engage, to inform and to empower students. It allows academics to go beyond the traditional confines of the classroom. He understands that technology doesn't replace teaching-but it does make a different kind and scope of teaching possible."

Rhoda also makes an impact on the industry he works in. Google him (and not the other Chris Rhoda) again, and you'll find that because of his deep knowledge of issues surrounding technology in education, he is also in high demand as a speaker at various industry venues, such as NERCOMP (Northeast Regional Computing Program), and is quoted in many trade publications from organizations like Educause, the national organization for information technology in higher education.

His work at Thomas has garnered recognition from other colleges and universities, tech organizations and peers for bringing the College to the leading edge of IT. Through his work, Thomas has received several awards, grants and recognitions, including two from Microsoft® for progressive use of technology. Thomas was recently featured as a case study on the Microsoft® Web site as a stellar example of customer solutions for the new Vista® Operating System.

So, what turns Rhoda on personally about Information Technology? Where does he spend his time online? On the Thomas Web site he lists that his areas of interest include Wikipedia, Google applications for education, smart phones, YouTube, Digg, and digital music and video services.

With Rhoda's busy schedule on campus, one of his biggest regrets is the lack of time he can spend with students day-to-day as he troubleshoots campus technology issues. However, for three years Rhoda has participated in the Resident Assistance (RA) events program as a facilitator. According to Rhoda, an RA asked him to attend a Bingo activity with his floor at Grant dorm in 2006. "After the first year, I thought there was a great opportunity to invite the students to my house the following year," he said. "We had more space, pinball machines, a pool table and other games, and it gave me a chance for some extra grilling!"

According to RA Bill Oxford, an Accounting/M.B.A. major at Thomas, "I found out that Rhoda was interested in the RA program. Because of his involvement, the program has continued to grow over the past three years. We held it again this past October and we had an awesome turnout." Oxford attributes the success of his events to Rhoda. "There is no awkwardness when he is participating. I feel that he is basically a big kid at heart and wants to interact with the residents on a less formal level than from being the ‘IT guy'. He is very easy-going and shows that in the way he interacts with the residents."

Oxford says, "Chris Rhoda's participation has greatly affected the way that my residents see the faculty." He continues, "I may not have had this opportunity if it wasn't for being an RA, but it has been beneficial. It is just like having another person to go to when there may be a problem."

I had a chance to sit down with Rhoda and ask him to reflect on and provide insight about his time spent at Thomas and his wishes for the future. Here is what he shared with me:

Q. What do you consider your greatest achievement in your position while at Thomas?

A. I would have to say the ability to help several thousand people with their IT needs while they work to accomplish their educational and career goals.

Q. What advantages have you had working at Thomas from having also been a student here?

A. Initially, a unique perspective, but throughout the 20 years I think it has helped connect me to the institution more than an employee who is not an alum.

Q. What has kept you at Thomas for so long?

A. Several factors: the constant challenge, the ability to implement new projects most years; and especially working with the institutional leadership. Dr. Spann has been an instrumental agent of change for our institution in the last two decades. The Board of Trustees and Beth Gibbs as CFO have also been supportive by creating mechanisms to allow for the availability of regular IT capital funds.

Q. What is your philosophy of providing IT services to the campus community?

A. Do what we can with what we have. This requires constant prioritization and re-prioritization. The mission of the IT Services department is to help all areas of the College by providing adequate resources and support for the tools required by students, faculty, and administrative staff in their day-to-day activities. According to Dr. Spann, we do this very well on a shoestring budget.

Q. Look into your crystal ball and describe how you think professors and students will be using technology for teaching and learning in ten years.

A. The biggest trend appears to be the constant immersion people have with technology.  I suspect products like Smart Phones and applications like Twitter are just the beginning, allowing us to be "connected" anytime, anywhere. The biggest challenge appears to be the ability to determine appropriate use for technology and how to critically analyze the vast amounts of information we each receive daily.

Q. Describe what you would like for Thomas IT services to look like in five years.

A. That's difficult to say since IT is such an evolving field, but the easy answer is resources available to satisfy at least 85% of the requests we receive.

Q. What is your one wish for IT services at Thomas?

A. To continue to be a strategic resource for the institution by providing information for decisions, increasing our academic excellence, keeping our business processes efficient, and providing a good experience for our students.

Upload Your Own Stories, Photos and Videos

Every week, American Profile magazine brings you stories that celebrate the people and places that make America great. Now we want to hear your stories and see your photos, videos and even audio.

 Start Uploading Now!

 

Discuss this Article