Smith, who officially began work Nov. 9 has been the CIO for the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, as well as for the University of Alaska System. His most recent position was associate vice president and deputy chief information officer for the University of Hawaii System. Smith has accrued more than 30 years of experience in information technology and has a bachelor's degree in broadcasting/film from the University of Iowa, as well as a master's degree in communications, with an emphasis in telecommunications from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa.
"Due to his wealth of knowledge and experience, I believe Steve Smith will help fulfill our mission of student success and engagement, while also contributing to our reputation as a world-class research university," Kevin Carman, executive vice president and provost for the University of Nevada, Reno, said.
Smith plans to use his experience to enable students, faculty and staff to create new, unique solutions with the available tools of technology.
"I would like to expand partnerships and collaborations both within and outside the University as well as expand the support for research through things like high performance computing, enriching the educational opportunities for both undergrad and grad students," Smith said. "Information technology is a great connector across disciplines and different communities of interest."