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 function of Chief Data Officer at Howard College, she walked into a job that was equal elements alternative and problem. “It wasn’t nearly upgrading Wi-Fi,” she mirrored. “It was about reimagining what schooling might appear like in a digital-first world.”
The campus was wealthy in historical past, its legacy woven by means of many years of educational excellence. However beneath that legacy lay an growing older IT infrastructure, placing the college prone to not assembly Nationwide Institute of Requirements and Know-how (NIST) cybersecurity requirements, impacting their eligibility for crucial Title IV Federal Scholar Support. The necessity for change was clear—and it wasn’t nearly tech. It was about function.
From challenges to potentialities
The turning level got here throughout a method session with tutorial leaders and IT stakeholders. Conversations shortly moved past ache factors—like dropped alerts 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 school might use real-time information to tailor instruction?
- What if the college might change into a mannequin for what a ‘sensible campus’ actually appears like?
“Our partnership with Cisco wasn’t nearly options—it was about shared imaginative and prescient. They understood the size of what we needed to do. Extra importantly, they understood why we needed to do it.”— Olga Osaghae, CIO
The ability—and accountability—of AI in schooling
Synthetic intelligence shortly emerged as a game-changing alternative. Used properly, it might help school, streamline processes, and determine 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 AI, the college labored with Cisco to determine a governance framework. Coaching packages had been additionally launched to assist school 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. Right now, the college is exploring Cisco’s capabilities in:
The college is at the moment piloting a sensible classroom expertise in a number of departments, the place professors can alter 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 convey your complete neighborhood alongside
Wanting forward: A future-ready campus
Right now, the college is a residing blueprint for what’s doable when management, expertise, and function align. The influence is already seen—college students are extra related, school are extra empowered, and the establishment is extra agile in dealing with the long run.
However for Osaghae, that is just the start. “Our college students are going to vary the world. Our job is to offer 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.
