“Earlier this month vice president for information technology Jim Sage and the University of Akron’s Information Technology Service Department both received awards at the annual CIO forum of the Northeast Ohio Software Association. The University of Akron was named the non-profit IT team of the year by the NEOSA.”
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Earlier this month vice president for information technology Jim Sage and the University of Akron’s Information Technology Service Department both received awards at the annual CIO forum of the Northeast Ohio Software Association.

The University of Akron was named the non-profit IT team of the year by the NEOSA.

The NEOSA said it recognized UA for its strategic objectives for engaged leadership, infrastructure enabling, seamless and secure access that empowers the university community, creating a collaborative environment and fostering engaged outreach.

Sage was named Chief Information Officer of the Year.

 This award acknowledges the efforts and contributions of the entire ITS Team to our students, faculty and staff at the university, Sage said.

We have and continue to be recognized as technology leaders regionally and nationally. Awards like this also serve to provide credibility when we present to groups like the Northeast Ohio Universities Collaborations and Study Commission and the IUC.

The IT team consists of 140 full-time employees and 100 student-employees.

Without each and every one of them, this award would not have been possible, Sage said in a university press release last week.

Bradley Nellis, director of NEOSA since December 2005 – and a UA alumnus – said in the press release that UA deserved to win the award.

I’m very proud that the University of Akron has been recognized by NEOSA, Nellis said. This recognition validates the outstanding leadership provided by Proenza and the tremendous execution of Proenza’s vision by Jim Sage and his team.

In an interview with the Buchtelite, Sage said that he won his award by being active within the university.

I’ve worked closely with students, colleges and departments to understand their respective needs so appropriate IT strategies and plans could be created and implemented. This engagement has also enabled critical relationships to be formed.

Sage is also involved in the Center for Information Technologies and eBusiness, located in the College of Business Administration and on several campus-wide committees and groups.

Sage is also active outside of UA.

I sit on several Boards, i.e. Society for Information Management, NEOSA, daytaOhio and am actively involved in regional and statewide IT initiatives.

To win the award, Sage was nominated by Bindiganavale S. Vijayaraman, professor of management & information systems in the College of Business Administration and from president Luis Proenza. After the nomination, Sage was reviewed by a panel of peers and other executives from Northeast Ohio.

The IT program has many departments and services that provide help to everyone at the university.

The ITS Division is responsible for the deployment and support of technology infrastructure, administrative software and academic software that serve our students, faculty, and staff. We’ve worked hard to create a team and change-orientated culture that is passionate about serving our customers and exploiting current technology, Sage said in the press release. Our customer satisfaction surveys show we are reaching that goal.

We’re also proud to build the university’s reputation as a technology innovator with our networking, distance learning and student relationship management initiatives.

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” #1.1361457:2452274536.jpg:20071129_award.jpg:The official award given to the Information Technology department from NEOSA. :PHOTO COURTESY OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES”