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Thomas Skill is Associate Provost for for Strategic Initiatives & Planning. He joined the Office of the Provost in 1997. Skill has over 30 years of computing and communications technology experience in higher education. He has been on the faculty at the University of Dayton since 1984 and currently holds the rank of Professor in the Department of Communication.

Prior to his current position, Skill served ninteen years as Associate Provost and CIO, three years as Associate Provost for Educational Innovation and Technology, three years as Assistant Provost for Academic Technology, and four years as chair of the Department of Communication. He also has served as director of Graduate Studies in Communication for seven years, Interim of Dean of the Graduate School for two years and was lead researcher in the School of Business Administration's Information Systems Laboratory from 1986 to 1993.

Skill’s current area of focus is cybersecurity. He is one of the founding members of the Cybersecurity Consortium of Southwestern Ohio (CCSO). This group is bringing together expertise from academia, business and government to elevate the region’s reputation for advancing cybersecurity research and education along the Cincinnati-Dayton “cyber corridor.”

In addition, Skill lead the creation of the Center for Cybersecurity and Data Intelligence at the University of Dayton. This center serves as a major collaborative catalyst for IT security research and education at UD with a focus on highly-experiential learning and multidisciplinary research across all academic units on campus.

Projects and Initiatives

A sampling of projects that Skill has shared leadership while at the University of Dayton include:

• Collaborating on a $6 Million initiative to connect 400 university-owned student houses (covering 25 city blocks) via fiber optics to the campus data network, telephone and cable TV Systems. This project was completed 1999. In 2005, the University updated this system and added wireless data services to these houses.
• Collaborating on the creation of a University Learning Teaching Center that integrates Educational Technology with faculty development and student support services (2000).
• Collaborating on the creation of Artstreet; a $12 Million student residential complex that integrates learning and living within the context of the arts and technology. (2004)
• In 2008, the University embarked on an ERP initiative whereby several IT systems were consolidated into the Ellucian Banner system. This multi-year implementation project, which was completed in 2012, has already produced substantial positive benefits for UD's recruitment and admissions operations as well as enhanced student advising, registration and access to academic and business documents and processes.
• In 2012, collaborated on the planning, construction and implementation of a new 5000 sq. ft. production data center to replace the University’s 40-year-old facility.
• In 2013, collaborated on the planning and implementation of remote Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity data center to serve an emergency backup facility in the event of an on-campus system disruption.

Selected Publications

Skill, Thomas. “The On-Site Data Center and Off-Site Cloud Applications: Embracing the “Hybrid Cloud” Strategy” CIO Review – Education Technology Special Issue, October 2014. (pp 80-81) http://magazine.cioreview.com/october-2014/Education/

Skill, Thomas. “Create and Encourage Greater Integration Across the Traditional IT Silos” CIO Review – Education Technology Special Issue, December 2013. http://www .cioreview.com/magazine/Create-And-Encourage-Greater-Integration--Across-The-Traditional-IT -Silos-OCAN905257191.html

Skill, Thomas. “Leading and Aligning IT Innovations in Higher Education” In: Improving IT Performance. Thompson Reuters/Aspatore, 2009.  Pp. 19-32. http://www.amazon.com/Improving-Performance-Maintenance -Innovation-Identifying/dp/0314207392

Skill, Thomas & Young, Brian (Winter, 2002) “Embracing the hybrid model: Working at the intersections of virtual and physical learning spaces. In: New directions for teaching and learning: The importance of physical space in creating supportive learning environments.  San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass, No. 92, pp. 23-32.

Skill, Thomas (August 1999). “Planning for technology-enhanced learning on residential campuses.” College Planning & Management, Vol. 2 (8), p 12.

Skill, Thomas (1993). The diffusion of innovations: A review and explication of central concepts. Ohio Speech Journal, Vol. 31, pp. 64-73.

Presentations

Skill, Thomas, (October 20, 2015) The Changing Landscape of Cybersecurity: Threats, Risks, Defenses & Opportunities. Presentation to the Institute of Management Accountants – Dayton, Ohio.

Collaborative Panel: (October 5, 2015) Regional Collaboration Spawns CC-NIE.CC*IIE Success. Inernet2 2015 Technology Exchange. Cleveland, Ohio http://meetings.internet2.edu/2015-technology-exchange/detail/10003896/

Skill, Thomas (September 29, 2015) “Facilitating Collaborative Research Via Science DMZ Connections at the University of Dayton.” NSF 2015 Campus Infrastructure PI Workshop. Austin, Texas. http://www.thequilt.net/public-event/nsf-cyberinfrastructure-program-pi-workshop/

Collaborative Panel: (April 30, 2015) Advanced Networking: Regional Collaboration through CC-NIE/IEE Awards Sparks Partnerships & Successes – The Ohio Experience. Internet2 2015 Global Summit.  Washington DC http://meetings.internet2.edu/2015-global-summit/detail/10003659/

Skill, Thomas (January 22, 2015) Driving Home the Value Proposition of High Performance Cyberinfrastructure with Stunning Metrics, Observable Benefits and Some Damn Good Science Stories.” Internet2 FTW: perfSONAR Deployment Best Practices, Architecture and Moving the Needle, Ohio Supercomputer Center, Columbus, Ohio https://www.internet2.edu/media/medialibrary/2015/09/21/20150122-skill-cyberinfrastructure-value-proposition-edited-20150312.pdf

(1999 & 2005) Collaborated on a $6 Million initiative to connect 400 University of Dayton-owned student houses (covering 25 city blocks) to the campus data network, telephone and cable TV Systems.  This project was completed 1999.  In 2005, the University updated this system and added wireless data services to these houses.

(2000) Collaborated on the creation of the University of Dayton Learning Teaching Center that integrates Educational Technology with Faculty Development.

Skill, Thomas, Wright, David, and Mlazovsky, Jeremy (April, 2011). “Assessing emerging technologies in the age of escalating cyber awareness.” Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Cyber Focus Week, 2011, Fairborn, Ohio.

Skill, Thomas, Wright, David and Mlazovsky, Jeremy (October, 2010). “The Emerging Technologies Horizon: Using the diffusion of innovations model to assess IT adoption predictions.” AFCEA-Infotech 2010, Dayton, Ohio.

Wright, D., Czupik, P., Skill, T., & Graetz, K. (October 2004) Integrating Student Laptop Initiatives into the Classroom Experience. A 4 hour preconference workshop presented at the National Meeting of EDUCAUSE, Denver. CO