Exec. Director, Information Technology
Ed Tech Support and Service Management
Kent Campus
Last spring, Jim Raber faced a major challenge - to ensure a sound transition from face-to-face instruction to remote. As the leader of the division’s efforts relating to educational technology, research technology and end user support, Raber and his team immediately thought about the experience and the impending needs of the Kent State students, faculty and staff in remote settings and established additional training, documentation and support. The team also pivoted from call only phone support, to call and 'chat'. In doing so, Raber’s team trained 20 volunteers and continued to retain student employees in support of the transition.
Raber advocated for increased bandwidth and capacity for the division’s learning technologies. He was a key member of the transition team for the university and continues to be a key advocate for student and faculty experience in a hybrid environment. While this is a 2019-20 nomination, Jim's continues to lead in the above areas and in ways unmentioned. His leadership and engagement was exactly what the university needed and as a result, the team was able to meet the call to action. Raber did all this while completing his PhD defense!!! Raber knows how to handle pressure with grace