Shane Wilson serves as the Chief Information Officer at Centre College, a top-ranked liberal arts institution in Danville, Kentucky. With a remarkable 28-year journey at Centre, Shane has grown from entry-level IT support to CIO, overseeing a 200-acre campus with over 50 buildings and 1,400 students. Known for its intimate academic environment and nationally recognized study abroad programs, Centre College faces unique IT challenges, including managing thousands of student-owned devices while maintaining robust cybersecurity. Shane’s approach blends strategic leadership, community-driven IT solutions, and a passion for balancing institutional values with the fast-changing demands of cybersecurity.
Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
- The IT and cybersecurity challenges in managing an open academic network
- How Centre College hosts major national events like the Vice Presidential Debate
- Shane’s career path from help desk to CIO over nearly three decades
- Why anomaly detection is a game-changer in higher education cybersecurity
- The importance of mission-aligned IT strategy in academic institutions
- How to gain entry into the tech industry through volunteering and nonprofit work
- The value of collaboration and peer learning within the IT community
In this episode…
Shane Wilson shares what makes the IT landscape in academia so distinct—and so difficult. At Centre College, 1,400 students bring over 3,500 personal devices onto the campus network. While most businesses can control their endpoints, higher education must prioritize openness and access. Shane explains how technologies like AI-based endpoint detection and response (EDR) and anomaly detection allow institutions to preserve academic freedom while maintaining data integrity.
Shane also walks us through a rare and prestigious experience: hosting the Vice Presidential Debates in both 2000 and 2012. From coordinating with Secret Service to enabling IT infrastructure for over 3,500 journalists and representatives from 18 countries, Shane describes how the college pulled off a national broadcast with limited resources and an incredible team. These leadership challenges not only enhanced his confidence but also paved the way for his current CIO role.
Beyond the event, Shane speaks passionately about the importance of aligning IT with institutional mission. He emphasizes that Centre College isn’t a cybersecurity firm or a data hosting center—it’s a school, and IT should serve that mission. His advice for those entering the field is pragmatic and empathetic: start anywhere you can, build professional empathy, and never stop learning.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Matthew Connor on LinkedInCyberLynx
Shane Wilson on LinkedIn
Centre College Website
REN-ISAC Website
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