Metro President Stephen Jordan embarked on a mission to save college services and personnel from ongoing budget cuts by investing in efficient, upgraded computer systems.

But at the highest position on the front lines of this initiative, the Division of Information Technology, Metro is currently accepting applications.

Vice President of Information Technology Carl Powell resigned Jan. 29 due to family medical reasons.

In his former position, Powell oversaw efforts to “right size” college operations by investing federal stimulus money in new technologies.

Steve Beaty, Vice President of the IT Department at Metro, shares his knowledge on the different routers that run all of Metro’s networking systems. Photo by Jessica Taves • jtaves@mscd.edu

“I really have enjoyed the area. Metro is an exceptional institution. One that students, faculty and staff can be proud of,” Powell said.

Powell has accepted a position at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti as chief information officer.

But he did have some advice for his replacement: don’t try changing Metro before you understand the college.

“The only advice I would give anybody is to learn the culture and the environment before you try to make any changes,” Powell said.

President Jordan appointed Metro Computer Science Professor Steve Beaty, an instructor for the operating systems class, to serve as interim vice president until a permanent replacement is chosen.

Powell said Beaty’s appointment is a good first step in heeding his advice.

“He is an exceptional individual, very strong faculty member. He is familiar with the challenges at Metro and in Colorado for higher education,” Powell said. “The asset Dr. Beaty brings to this situation is that he is a part of the culture and the environment, so he doesn’t have to go through such a learning curve.”

Beaty served as interim vice president for seven months before Powell was hired for the position.

Beaty agreed his knowledge of Metro operations would be an asset, especially with the challenge of updating and improving college computer systems while enrollment numbers continue to climb.

“We’ll continue the service IT provides and expand on that service by continually examining how we can best meet the needs of all users,” Beaty said.

Beaty did not comment about any intention to become the permanent vice president, but as a member of the Strategic Technology Advisory Committee, he will be involved in the research of IT departments at other colleges.

Jordan wants this research completed to inform how the vice president position should be filled.

In a press release from the office of college communications, June was set as a projected point to transition from the initial research phase to a nation-wide search for Powell’s replacement.

In the meantime, Jordan is confident that Beaty’s appointment will avoid critical projects from stalling.

“He will be able to hit the ground running, and subsequently, we will not lose momentum on all of IT’s important projects in process,” Jordan said.

Beaty, who holds bachelor, masters and doctorate degrees in computer science from Colorado State University, will earn an annual salary of $150,000.