Michigan State University Interim Executive Vice President for Administration Thomas Glasmacher announced today he will recommend Rich Czarnecki to the MSU Board of Trustees for the position of chief information officer, or CIO, at the board’s Oct. 25 meeting.
Czarnecki has been an invaluable member of MSU’s IT leadership team for over a decade, most recently serving as interim CIO since December 2023. His leadership has been instrumental in advancing MSU IT’s capabilities and supporting the university’s mission. He takes a collaborative approach to leadership, working closely with academic and administrative units to ensure IT services meet campus needs.
“Rich has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership and vision during his time as interim CIO, and I am confident he is the right person to drive MSU IT forward, enhancing the stakeholder experience while reducing operational cost,” said Glasmacher. “His deep institutional knowledge and commitment to leveraging technology as a strategic asset to support our academic, research and administrative goals make him the ideal choice for this role.”
Czarnecki is a champion of institutional stewardship efforts, continuous improvement and benchmarking against peers. He has guided the alignment of MSU IT’s service portfolio to the EDUCAUSE model to improve data-driven decision-making and create sustainable service alignment, enhancing the campus user experience while reducing university operational costs, freeing up resources to invest into new IT endeavors.
As CIO, Czarnecki will oversee MSU’s enterprise information technology, or IT, vision and strategy, ensuring it aligns with the university’s mission. Reporting to the executive vice president for administration, he is responsible for academic and administrative computing, systems infrastructure, information security, research cyberinfrastructure and end-user support. His appointment reinforces MSU’s commitment to a strategic IT approach that supports the university’s objectives and the MSU 2030 Strategic Plan.
“I am honored to continue serving Michigan State University in this new capacity,” Czarnecki said. “The role of technology in higher education has never been more important, and I am excited to work alongside our talented IT staff for the common good and to further advance the university’s mission. As a partner to campus, we will build on our progress to create innovative, secure and sustainable IT solutions that support MSU’s academic and research excellence.”
In his previous positions, Czarnecki played a key role in advancing MSU’s technology landscape. Prior roles during his 13 years at MSU include associate vice president for IT and associate CIO, where he oversaw IT services such as portfolio management, IT stewardship and sustainability, and federated IT partnerships.
He has dedicated his entire career to supporting the technology needs of education, including K-12, adult education and higher education. He recently completed the 2023 EDUCAUSE Executive Leaders Academy program, which involved over 70 hours of learning and executive coaching to enhance his leadership skills in higher education. Additionally, he has strong professional connections with his CIO peers in the Big Ten Academic Alliance and serves on the Board of Directors for Merit Network.
Czarnecki, who is a lifelong Spartan with a degree in computer science from MSU, brings a strong commitment to the university. His extensive experience and leadership will ensure that the university continues to advance its IT capabilities in pursuit of academic excellence and institutional growth.