Chief Information Officer Enhances Campus Networks, Wi-Fi

CIO strives to upgrade technology services

Nicolas SonnenburgTHE SANTA CLARAOctober 23, 2014

[dropcap]N[/dropcap]estled in an office on the second floor of the library, overlooking the Benson Memorial Center plaza, Robert “Bob” Owen works to innovate and improve the information services Santa Clara provides.

As Santa Clara’s new chief information officer and vice provost for information services, the Wisconsin native is ready to breathe new life into the Information Services department at Santa Clara.

Responsible for overseeing library services, media services, information technology and the information security office, Owen began his term by tackling Santa Clara’s seven-year-old network.

He initially created a guest Wi-Fi network for campus visitors. Owen hopes to expand this effort by providing internet to the majority of outdoor spaces on campus within six months.

He also opened discussions with networking vendors to work towards replacing the university’s outdated Wi-Fi network.

“Customer service and communication are core values of mine,” he said. “We are going to take a look at everything we do in terms of how can we deliver better service to the user community.”

Owen is set to create a special committee composed of faculty members, staff and students to help guide Information Services through the process of improving the university’s network.

Owen is much more than just an “IT guy.” Despite his highly technical job, Owen’s interests are well-rounded.

A lover of music, he sang opera and performed in a barbershop quartet during his college days. He is also a self-described “cheesehead,” and closely follows the Green Bay Packers and the Milwaukee Brewers.

Despite his Wisconsin roots, living in California caters tomany of his interests. Enjoying travel, warm weather, cooking, and wine, he describes California as the perfect place to “work and play.”

Contact Nicolas Sonnenburg at nsonnenburg@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4852.