By Danielle Garner
Youngstown State University hired Ryan Geilhard as the director of Information Technology Infrastructure Services in December after he served a 90-day term as a consultant at the university.
Ryan Geilhard graduated from Youngstown State University in 2002 and worked as a systems analyst as a student. Previously, he worked at Involta as a virtual chief information officer and at First Place Bank as a senior network engineer.
“I really enjoyed the people and enjoyed the work, the environment, everything about being back at YSU,” Geilhard said.
Geilhard said he accepted the position because he felt connections with the people being on campus and enjoyed being close to home. Jim Yukech, interim chief information officer of Information Technology, said he appreciates Geilhard’s forward thinking.
“We have to move aggressively to provision a robust wireless network, not just in enclosed spaces but open air spaces also,” Yukech said. “He brings this forward thinking of how we get from here to there cost effectively and position YSU for the future.”
Geilhard said that he wants to have the skills to act as a liaison between business leaders and IT leaders.
“I don’t feel there’s enough technical minded people that actually have interest in the business side,” said Geilhard.
Geilhard said Information Technology Services is prioritizing the upgrading of the networking components and cabling of the 47 buildings on campus. He explained that this will enhance the wi-fi speed and make internet service more reliable.
Geilhard said ITS is also moving data to offsite storage locations so information could be retrieved in the event of a natural disaster or other network failure. He said YSU has redundant systems to keep campus technology operational in case of failure.
A technical advisory committee was formed to give students, faculty and staff a platform to voice their concerns about ITS, and it’s chaired by Geilhard. He said he looks forward to the input and representation the committee will bring to campus.
“I didn’t feel like there was an avenue for students to speak up about their ideas so now they’re getting a chance to actually change some of those things which is cool,” said Geilhard. “We are going to try to be more responsive, more accessible, make better decision and really listen and respond as needed.”
Committee member Mark DeGenova said he looks forward to being on the committee.
“I believe that this committee is important to help guide administration towards areas that should be focused on. New technologies can benefit students and faculty alike by providing better means of communication and easier access to resources,” DeGenova explained.
