Grambling State Creates New IT Role for Student Experience, Strategy

Grambling State University in Louisiana is aiming to take a more holistic approach to technology leadership, starting with its top IT position. The university announced this month that it is replacing its chief information officer role with a newly designed chief experience and digital strategy officer (CXDSO), filled by Max Ferguson.

The change reflects one way higher education is moving away from seeing IT as an isolated function as technology grows more embedded in students’ college experience.

EXPANDING THE CIO ROLE

Grambling State President Martin Lemelle Jr. said technology changes in recent years mean a siloed approach no longer cuts it. The rise of online and hybrid learning, expectations of immediate and personalized responsiveness and increasing cybersecurity demands all require a more anticipatory and integrated approach.

“Don’t just bring in information technology [staff] when you’re ready to implement your new software,” he said.

At the 2024 EDUCAUSE conference, CIOs from across the country said they were increasingly expected to serve as strategic partners.

At Grambling, for example, Lemelle said the university implemented new customer relationship management software, Slate, in the summer. While the change was introduced by admissions to make recruitment more personalized and efficient, it also provides analytics insights that impact the budget, course scheduling and faculty hiring, Lemelle said. As CXDSO, Ferguson will be expected to understand those implications and lead the university through them.

“I think a traditional CIO was more interested in servers and looking at the cybersecurity strategy,” Ferguson said. “For a modern CIO, what does the journey map look like? If we make a change in technology, how does it impact a student, and how does it impact the faculty? How does it impact the employees? There’s a holistic approach.”

The evolution also reflects broader workforce shifts, Ferguson said. Just as non-tech fields are now expecting graduates to have technical skills, technical leadership now requires a more expansive skill set.

BRINGING DIVERSE SKILLS

Ferguson’s background includes six years of consultancy with Grambling State, helping the institution analyze student retention and service design. According to the university, his work included focus groups and surveys that identified pain points in the student journey.
Outside higher education, Ferguson has more than a decade of experience in telecommunications, financial services and the public sector, including directing customer experience programs at Accenture and managing software rollouts at Comcast, according to the news release.

Ferguson said in these roles he learned that successful companies listen to their customers and act quickly in response. He and Lemelle said student feedback through user data and qualitative input will inform his work in the CXDSO role.

For example, students have indicated that connectivity is a top concern, especially as they bring more Internet-enabled devices to school. Grambling received a federal grant in 2023, which the university has used to improve Wi-Fi infrastructure. Ferguson said a top priority is ensuring this infrastructure stays up to date.

Ferguson said the university's surveys also found demand for modern study spaces and amenities like podcast labs and for campus safety features like streetlights. Grambling State plans to formalize these conversations through a student technology committee, which Ferguson will lead.

IMPLICATIONS FOR HIGHER ED

Lemelle said the CXDSO hire is part of a broader shift toward hiring multifaceted staff, both at Grambling and across higher education.

“The role that Max has assumed for us is very indicative of how I see leadership strategy at Grambling and higher education going forward,” he said. “Gone are the days of just one functional level of expertise.”