Outside of the IT world, a company called Digital Measures may not be all that well known. But within the university IT community, many organizations have come to rely on Digital Measures to help capture and share information about faculty members and their scholarship. In October, Larry Karbowski, assistant IT director in the College of Agricultural Sciences at Colorado State University, gave two invited presentations to a several hundred people gathered for a three-day national Digital Measures conference in Milwaukee, Wisc.

Ag Sciences a leader in faculty data

Karbowski’s first presentation was part of a panel titled “Activity Insight and System Integration” where he joined colleagues from the University of Central Oklahoma and DeVry University. The second presentation was one that Karbowski gave on his own, “Managing Centralized Data Imports with Decentralized Administration of Activity Insight.” In both talks, Karbowski showcased Colorado State University, particularly the College of Agricultural Sciences, as a leader in the use of this kind of faculty data.

Benefiting entire campus

The college was a pioneer in the application of Digital Measures for capturing faculty information four years ago, and now, all colleges at CSU are on the system. “I am proud that the College of Agricultural Sciences could serve as a pioneer and as a test case for how we aggregate faculty information,” said Karbowski. “I hope that my presentations help some of my counterparts at other universities see how this software can be used not only in their colleges but also to summarize Extension activities.”

“Larry’s effort contributed to a project that benefits the entire campus,” said Ed Peyronnin, director of IT for the College of Agricultural Sciences. “It is rewarding to see our team’s contributions recognized in Larry’s work.  He has represented our college and university well.”

Among the many contacts that Karbowski made throughout the conference include IT directors from Oregon State University and from Qatar University. “If we can be of help to universities here in the United States and across the globe, then I think that CSU and our college can and should be thought of as a leader in this IT space,” said Karbowski.

Digital Measures

The Digital Measures platform can capture activities related to faculty research, teaching, service, awards, and membership in professional organizations. The company has partnered with more than 60% of the largest 500 US universities since it was started in 1999. For more information visit the website.