UND's former chief information officer not leaving after all

It seems like UND's former chief information officer will be staying in North Dakota after all.

Josh Riedy will return to the university in a new role, UND said Friday. His new title will be vice provost and chief strategy officer.

His appointment comes after an April announcement that he would be leaving his post as associate chief information officer for the North Dakota University System to become vice chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He was scheduled to start that job Aug. 1, until the new UND position came up.

"It's a great opportunity with new leadership," Riedy said of his new position at UND. "(Provost Thomas DiLorenzo) has an infectious personality, and he is very data-oriented. I'm very excited as being able to come in to the provost's office and help him there, along with other administrative areas."

In 2012, Riedy's position as UND's CIO transitioned into an NDUS position, but he continued to serve as CIO for the Grand Forks university.

But he became embroiled in the controversy over former NDUS Chancellor Hamid Shirvani. In April, state lawmakers asked him to testify if he was involved in efforts to oust the unpopular chancellor.

When Riedy announced his new job in May, he said he looked forward to "becoming part of a strong executive leadership team led by a chancellor whose reputation is beyond reproach."

New position

The chief strategy officer position is new to the UND, according to university spokesman Peter Johnson.

"I think Provost DiLorenzo looked around the division of academic affairs, and decided to go with something a bit different," he said. "(Riedy) has got a proven track record of managing units and being innovative."

Riedy said a university having a chief strategy officer is not common, but it will help the school evolve in its use of technology.

"It's a position that is found more in the corporate world, but a bit of a scarcity in the academic world," he said. "I think in the world we live in, especially on the technology side, is becoming more complex. We need to apply that here with our students... and that only happens in a culture that embraces data-driven and integration-based decision making."

Beyond the job description, Riedy, a Hettinger, N.D., native, looks forward to staying in North Dakota with his wife, also from Hettinger, and three children.

"I would rather work for an institution rather than a system at this point in my career," he said. "And when you are offered and excellent opportunity where you get to make a difference, you get to stay in a state that you have called home for the past six years and it's your home state, you have to take it."

Call Jeffries at (701) 780-1105; (800) 477-6572, ext. 1105; or send email to rjeffries@gfherald.com .