September 21-27 is Nationwide Traditionally Black Schools and Universities (HBCU) Week. This weblog will acknowledge one of many methods Cisco has collaborated and innovated with these establishments.
When Olga Osaghae accepted the position of Chief Data Officer at Howard College, she walked into a job that was equal elements alternative and problem. “It wasn’t nearly upgrading Wi-Fi,” she mirrored. “It was about reimagining what schooling may seem like in a digital-first world.”
The campus was wealthy in historical past, its legacy woven by a long time of educational excellence. However beneath that legacy lay an growing old IT infrastructure, placing the college vulnerable to not assembly Nationwide Institute of Requirements and Know-how (NIST) cybersecurity requirements, impacting their eligibility for crucial Title IV Federal Scholar Assist. The necessity for change was clear—and it wasn’t nearly tech. It was about objective.
From challenges to prospects
The turning level got here throughout a technique session with tutorial leaders and IT stakeholders. Conversations rapidly moved past ache factors—like dropped alerts in lecture halls or siloed methods—and commenced to discover what was doable. Osaghae knew they couldn’t do it alone. That’s when the college turned to Cisco.
- What if each scholar had seamless entry to studying sources from wherever on campus?
- What if college may use real-time knowledge to tailor instruction?
- What if the college may turn out to be a mannequin for what a ‘sensible campus’ really seems to be like?
“Our partnership with Cisco wasn’t nearly options—it was about shared imaginative and prescient. They understood the size of what we needed to do. Extra importantly, they understood why we needed to do it.”— Olga Osaghae, CIO
The facility—and duty—of AI in schooling
Synthetic intelligence rapidly emerged as a game-changing alternative. Used effectively, it may help college, streamline processes, and establish at-risk college students. However Osaghae knew this type of innovation got here with deep duty—and “energy with out duty is harmful.”
To make sure moral, clear, and accountable use of AI, the college labored with Cisco to determine a governance framework. Coaching packages have been additionally launched to assist college undertake AI instruments confidently and successfully.
From connectivity to intelligence: Increasing the imaginative and prescient
What started with community modernization quickly developed right into a broader transformation. At the moment, the college is exploring Cisco’s capabilities in:
The college is presently piloting a sensible classroom expertise in a number of departments, the place professors can regulate lighting and temperature, management AV content material from a single system, and obtain suggestions on scholar engagement—all in actual time.
Classes for different establishments on the journey
Reflecting on her college’s transformation, the CIO shared highly effective insights for others seeking to embark on an analogous path:
- Outline clear objectives rooted in your establishment’s distinctive mission
- Assess and standardize your present infrastructure the place doable
- Prioritize safety and stakeholder engagement from day one
- Spend money on change administration to carry your complete neighborhood alongside
Trying forward: A future-ready campus
At the moment, the college is a residing blueprint for what’s doable when management, expertise, and objective align. The affect is already seen—college students are extra related, college are extra empowered, and the establishment is extra agile in going through the long run.
However for Osaghae, that is only the start. “Our college students are going to vary the world. Our job is to present them the setting—and the instruments—to do it.”
And with each classroom related, each system optimized, and each voice heard, that future will get slightly nearer every day.
