Suess received his B.A. in mathematics in 1981 and his M.S. in
Information Systems in 1995. He began work as a student in 1979 in what
was then called the "Computer Center." After graduation, he began his
professional career at UMBC. In 1997, Jack was named director of
University Computing Services and in 2001 he was named chief information
officer.
During Suess’ tenure, UMBC has evolved from being dependent on UMCP for
IT services to being recognized as one of the technology leaders in the
country. The University has received accolades as one of the "Most Wired
Schools" (1999) and as one of the most "Unwired schools" (2004) because
of its work in wireless networking. In 1997 Suess was the principal
investigator for UMBC’s $700,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant
to connect the University to the national high-speed research
networking. He assisted in writing successful infrastructure grants to
the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Maryland Higher
Education Commission that provided $450,000 in grant funding, and helped
develop corporate partnerships that have greatly benefited UMBC's
academic and research mission.
Suess has also been at the helm of several successful initiatives to
make necessary updates to UMBC’s technological resources, including the
Y2K transition, the Assured Access program, the PeopleSoft
Implementation and the Computer Replacement Initiative.
A national expert and speaker, Suess is a leader in the efforts of
Internet2 to develop standards for campus identity management systems
and is presently co-chair of the EDUCAUSE/Internet2 Security Task Force.
"Jack is a creative thinker and looks at problems with an open mind,
whether it's a particular technology to deploy or a department to
partner with,” says Director of New Media Learning and Development John
Fritz. “Ultimately, he'll do what's best for UMBC, but he's not afraid
to explore unconventional options or perspectives. He seeks feedback and
listens to it, and is extremely committed to professional development."
In addition to his work as CIO, Suess has served numerous terms as a
PASS senator, chaired the UMBC Facilities Committee for three years, is
active in support of the on-campus alumni and served on the Campaign for
UMBC committee. Currently, he serves on internal boards for the Center
for Women in Information Technology and the Imaging Research Center.
Since he arrived at UMBC as a freshman in 1976, Jack Suess has uniquely
experienced the University as undergraduate student, student employee,
non-exempt staff, exempt staff, graduate student, part-time faculty,
principal investigator and campus administrator.