Vice President for Information Technologies Polley Ann McClure -- shown in the Network Operations Center in Rhodes Hall -- came to Cornell this past spring from the University of Virginia. Charles Harrington/University Photography
If you've noticed things running more smoothly around Cornell Information Technologies (CIT), you might want to thank Polley Ann McClure, the university's new vice president for information technologies, for her "collaborative" approach to leadership.
"There's a renewed sense of direction and momentum and a feeling that there's a way to get questions and issues resolved," said Helen Mohrmann, director of the Network and Computer Systems division of CIT.
The vice presidency was vacant for about half a year, following the departure of H. David Lambert in December of 1997. McClure took over on May 1 of this year.
CIT is made up of three divisions: Mohrmann's takes care of computer hardware and operating systems, campus networks and the phone system. Administrative Systems and Distributed Technologies is responsible for the hardware and software used by the university administration, and Academic Technology Services (ATS) supports end users and instructional services. Keeping the three in sync is one of the challenges facing the vice president. "Each of our groups has different priorities, but Polley can decide," said Ann Stunden, director of ATS.
McClure plays down her role as decider. "I would say I very much believe in a collaborative work style," she said. "I believe you make decisions in consultation with a whole group of other smart people. These people are very smart and work very hard. They don't need anyone telling them what to do. What they need is somebody to facilitate."
Stunden also notes that while the directors of the three divisions were able to accomplish a great deal during the period they were on their own, they were handicapped by not having a voice like McClure's at the administration level.
"We didn't stop doing new things, but there wasn't anything big that could move forward," Stunden explained. "We weren't there in Day Hall with a voice that was equal to the others. She's a presence for computing among the vice presidents."
Even at that level, McClure emphasizes collaboration. She has instituted regular meetings between the senior staff of CIT and the senior staffs of Cornell University Library and Campus Life. "Every chance she gets, she is encouraging people running projects in CIT to do them collaboratively with people outside of CIT," said Steve Worona, assistant to the vice president for information technologies and co-director of the Cornell Computer Policy and Law program.
McClure comes to Cornell with credentials both as an administrator and an academic. After graduating from the University of Texas with a Ph.D. in zoology, she began her professional career as a professor at Indiana University working in animal population ecology, physiological and reproductive ecology and evolutionary ecology.
Early in her work she became interested in computing as a research tool, and eventually she became Indiana University's dean for academic computing and, later, associate vice president of information resources. In 1992 she became vice president for information technology and communication and professor of environmental sciences at the University of Virginia. Currently she is serving on six national boards and committees that advance the mission of higher education, including the Educause board of directors.
She has received a faculty appointment here as professor of ecology and evolutionary biology. While lamenting that she won't have time for research, she said, "I'm looking forward to attending seminars and getting to know my colleagues in the ecology and evolutionary biology department."
It would be a mistake to think of McClure's academic connection as a distraction. "She has a faculty member's appreciation for the need, and the good administrator's understanding that it's sometimes necessary to make decisions based on imperfect information," Worona said. "These two things are not always well-balanced in an IT manager."
"I'm not sure I want to say what Cornell needs," McClure told us, "But here's what I'm interested in doing." Her list includes:
McClure also mentioned three major projects that are on the burner right now:
Even with all this, McClure finds time to relax with her dog, Ivy, a bearded collie, and work in her garden. She and her husband, John W. Smith, who has become chief technology officer for Cornell Cooperative Extension, have purchased a 50-acre farm in West Danby, but she admits they don't have much time for farming. "We raise hay and some flowers," she said, "and are boarding our neighbor's four draft horses." They've also used some of the space to set up a dog agility course, where Ivy trains for possible future competitions.
McClure and Smith are members of the Finger Lakes Land Trust management committee and help to do maintenance on the Lindsey Parsons biodiversity preserve, which adjoins the farm.
"I've had a very warm and welcoming reception here, both professionally in terms of things I want to get done and in finding interesting things to do in the community," McClure said. "I don't know what it would take to be happier."
| Cornell Chronicle Front Page | | Table of Contents | | Cornell News Service Home Page |