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 Data Officer at Howard Collegeshe walked into a task that was equal elements alternative and problem. “It wasn’t nearly upgrading Wi-Fi,” she mirrored. “It was about reimagining what training might appear to be in a digital-first world.”
The campus was wealthy in historical past, its legacy woven by many years of educational excellence. However beneath that legacy lay an getting old IT infrastructure, placing the college liable to not assembly Nationwide Institute of Requirements and Know-how (NIST) cybersecurity requirements, impacting their eligibility for crucial Title IV Federal Scholar Assist. The necessity for change was clear—and it wasn’t nearly tech. It was about goal.
From challenges to prospects
The turning level got here throughout a method session with educational leaders and IT stakeholders. Conversations rapidly moved past ache factors—like dropped indicators in lecture halls or siloed methods—and commenced to discover what was doable. 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 anyplace on campus?
- What if college might use real-time knowledge to tailor instruction?
- What if the college might change into a mannequin for what a ‘good campus’ really 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 accountability—of AI in training
Synthetic intelligence rapidly emerged as a game-changing alternative. Used properly, it might help college, streamline processes, and establish at-risk college students. However Osaghae knew this type of innovation got here with deep accountability—and “energy with out accountability is harmful.”
To make sure moral, clear, and accountable use of AIthe college labored with Cisco to determine a governance framework. Coaching applications have 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 developed right into a broader transformation. In the present day, the college is exploring Cisco’s capabilities in:
The college is presently piloting a wise classroom expertise in a number of departments, the place professors can modify lighting and temperature, management AV content material from a single machine, 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 an identical path:
- Outline clear objectives rooted in your establishment’s distinctive mission
- Assess and standardize your present infrastructure the place doable
- Prioritize safety and stakeholder engagement from day one
- Spend money on change administration to carry your whole neighborhood alongside
Trying forward: A future-ready campus
In the present day, the college is a residing blueprint for what’s doable when management, know-how, and goal 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 long run.
However for Osaghae, that is only the start. “Our college students are going to vary the world. Our job is to provide them the setting—and the instruments—to do it.”
And with each classroom related, each system optimized, and each voice heard, that future will get a little bit nearer every day.
