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 Info Officer at Howard College, she walked into a task that was equal components alternative and problem. “It wasn’t nearly upgrading Wi-Fi,” she mirrored. “It was about reimagining what schooling might appear to be in a digital-first world.”
The campus was wealthy in historical past, its legacy woven by way of a long time of educational excellence. However beneath that legacy lay an getting old IT infrastructure, placing the college susceptible to not assembly Nationwide Institute of Requirements and Know-how (NIST) cybersecurity requirements, impacting their eligibility for crucial Title IV Federal Pupil Help. The necessity for change was clear—and it wasn’t nearly tech. It was about function.
From challenges to potentialities
The turning level got here throughout a method session with educational leaders and IT stakeholders. Conversations shortly moved past ache factors—like dropped indicators in lecture halls or siloed techniques—and commenced to discover what was potential. Osaghae knew they couldn’t do it alone. That’s when the college turned to Cisco.
- What if each pupil had seamless entry to studying sources from wherever on campus?
- What if college might use real-time information to tailor instruction?
- What if the college might turn out to be a mannequin for what a ‘sensible campus’ actually seems like?
“Our partnership with Cisco wasn’t nearly options—it was about shared imaginative and prescient. They understood the dimensions of what we wished to do. Extra importantly, they understood why we wished to do it.”— Olga Osaghae, CIO
The facility—and duty—of AI in schooling
Synthetic intelligence shortly emerged as a game-changing alternative. Used properly, it might assist 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 applications had 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 advanced right into a broader transformation. At the moment, the college is exploring Cisco’s capabilities in:
The college is at the moment piloting a wise classroom expertise in a number of departments, the place professors can alter lighting and temperature, management AV content material from a single system, and obtain suggestions on pupil 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 trying to embark on the same path:
- Outline clear targets rooted in your establishment’s distinctive mission
- Assess and standardize your present infrastructure the place potential
- Prioritize safety and stakeholder engagement from day one
- Put money into change administration to convey your total group alongside
Trying forward: A future-ready campus
At the moment, the college is a dwelling blueprint for what’s potential when management, know-how, and function align. The impression is already seen—college students are extra related, college are extra empowered, and the establishment is extra agile in going through the longer term.
However for Osaghae, that is just the start. “Our college students are going to vary the world. Our job is to offer them the atmosphere—and the instruments—to do it.”
And with each classroom related, each system optimized, and each voice heard, that future will get a bit of nearer every day.
