Jack Suess
VP of IT
Division of Information Technology
Engineering 125
Education
MS University of Maryland, Baltimore County 1994
BA University of Maryland, Baltimore County 1981
About
As a first-generation student and UMBC alumnus (80’,94’) I care deeply about how technology can advance the efforts of our UMBC community to create, think, and engage with one another. As the VP of Information Technology & CIO, I get to lead a talented group of professionals and student employees also seeking to support those efforts through their technology skills.
My UMBC work has focused on efforts to adapt technology, whether that is advanced networking, cloud computing, or new Internet protocols to enable and support efforts in their teaching and learning, research, or campus services.
Nationally, I’m very involved in our three major information technology organizations: Internet2, EDUCAUSE, and IMSglobal using technology to advance the mission of higher education.
Research Interests
My research interests have focused of three main areas.
The first was the implementation of advanced network technologies in higher education. I was the PI for two different NSF grants that upgraded our campus network to interconnect with other research universities. The most recent effort focused on developing our UMBC cyber-infrastructure plan.
The second area I have spent a great deal of time in was cybersecurity, especially the development of best practices that can support the culture and needs of higher education. This work was done mostly through work with EDUCAUSE and REN-ISAC. My efforts here were focused on developing security architecture plans and creating a community of practice amongst those in the security profession.
Finally, the last area of interest was identity management and developing systems and practices to support large scale community adoption. I was fortunate enough to serve on the council attempting to implement the 2013 National Strategy for Trusted Identity in Cyberspace (NSTIC).
For more information here is my web page.
Teaching Interests
My teaching interests were focused on low level courses and for several years I taught Assembly language programming across several hardware architectures. I have also developed and taught the Unix System Administration course in Information Systems, and I remain interested in DevOps and cloud computing.
Finally, one of my great privileges was getting to co-instruct in a sociology course on cyberspace and society where we examined the human implications of technology and its impact on society.
Contracts, Fellowships, Grants, and Sponsored Research
Suess, John J. “UMBC vBNS Implementation,” Sponsored Research (Funded). Sponsored By: NSF. (Mar 1, 1997 – Feb 28, 2000).
Suess, John (Co-Principal). “Broadening IT Skills in College Students,” Grant (Funded). Sponsored By: Maryland Higher Education Commission. (May 1, 2000 – Jun 30, 2002).
Suess, John (Supporting). “Network Infrastructure to support Minority Achievement in STEM.,” Grant (Funded). Sponsored By: NIH. (Feb 1, 2001 – Jul 31, 2003).
Suess, John (Co-Principal). “Global Portal for Advancing Women in IT,” Sponsored Research (Funded). Sponsored By: NSF. (Jul 1, 2006 – Sep 30, 2010).
Suess, Jack (Principal). “Implementing Federated Virtual Desktops,” MOU (Funded). Sponsored By: Dell. (Mar 1, 2011 – Jun 30, 2013).
Suess, John J (Principal). “CC*IIE Networking Infrastructure: Enabling Big Computing and Data Intensive Cyberinfrastructure (EBCDIC),” Sponsored Research (Funded). Sponsored By: NSF. (Aug 14, 2014 – Sep 1, 2016).
Intellectual Contributions
Suess, Jack. (2013). A New Architecture for Learning. October 2013. 7 pages Louisville, Colorado 80027: EDUCAUSE.
Suess, Jack. (2012). Using Analytics for Institutional Transformation. September, 2012. 3 Louisville, Colorado 80027: EDUCAUSE.
Suess, Jack. (2012). Stories in Our Classrooms: A Faculty Community of Practice As An Agent Of Change. Game Changers: Education and Information Technologies Chapter 17 Louisville, Colorado 80027: EDUCAUSE.
Suess, Jack. (2011). Assessment and Analytics in Institutional Transformation. EDUCAUSE Review September 2011. 8 pages Louisville, Colorado 80027: EDUCAUSE.
Suess, Jack, Morooney, Kevin X. (2009). Identity Management and Trust Services: Foundations for Cloud Computing. October 2009. 10 Pages Louisville, Colorado 80027: EDUCAUSE.
Suess, Jack. (2003). Security Architecture. Computer and Network Security in Higher Education 8. EDUCAUSE Leadership Strategies Pages 73-88. San Francisco, Ca.: JOSSEY-BASS.