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LEADERSHIP
Clemson is emerging as an information technology leader in South Carolina and the nation. In two years, the University has built an IT environment that has brought it to the forefront in higher education. Clemson has the No. 60 supercomputing site in the world, according to TOP500 (November 2008).
Jim Bottum, vice provost for computing and information technology,
was named by Computerworld among its “Premier 100 IT Leaders.”
He also serves on the Internet2 board of trustees and
two National Science Foundation advisory committees.
As part of her search for a new IT chief for Clemson, Provost Dori Helms talked to colleagues and industry experts around the country, developing a “short list” the way an athletic director identifies new coaches. She was looking for someone with a proven track record, a collaborative approach and the ability to have an immediate impact to help Clemson overcome a decade of under-funding. Before long, her short list had shrunk to one name: Jim Bottum.
The résumé was impressive: CIO at Purdue, co-founding executive director of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, a designation as one of ComputerWorld’s Top 100 IT leaders, and a heavily recruited consultant and expert speaker on cyberinfrastructure. The only problem? He wasn’t looking for a job.
But Bottum was intrigued with the right-brained provost’s hand-drawing of a university organization — sort of like a DNA molecule — with academic, research, service and support units connected by an IT backbone. He realized they shared a vision of cyberinfrastructure as the backbone of a 21st century teaching, learning, living and research environment. He took her up on the challenge, moving to Clemson and assembling a “dream team” of inside talent and new recruits. Within two years, the leadership team was gaining national recognition in the world of academic computing.
Clemson Computing and Information Technology is playing a leading role in creating an environment in which great things can happen — on campus and around the world — by expanding and strengthening the University’s cyberinfrastructure. Rebuilding Clemson’s computer network, connecting it to national and international networks, providing a world-class data center and a state-of-the-art network operations center, developing experienced support staff and fostering partnerships are all part of a comprehensive plan for collaboration and innovation.
Clemson’s IT enhancement efforts were featured in the cover story for STORAGE magazine (January 2008). Contributing writer Alan Radding interviewed Jim Bottum, vice provost for computing and information technology; CTO Jim Pepin, who came from the University of Southern California, and Mike Cannon, data storage architect and manager, who came from NASA, about key investments in cyberinfrastructure that are establishing Clemson as a national leader in education, research, high performance computing and innovation.
“The charge given to me when I came to Clemson was to build a world-class cyberinfrastructure to help move Clemson to the top 20,” says Bottum. “The campuswide support for our bold and comprehensive initiative has been exciting and gratifying.”
Clemson part of first South Carolina presence at computing conference, SC07
SC09 Conference
SC08 Conference
SC07 Conference
As the University expands and strengthens its own cyberinfrastructure, it’s playing a leading role for the state and higher education.
Clemson initiated the development of the South Carolina Computing Consortium (SC3), a coalition of five major research institutions in the state including the University of South Carolina, the Medical University of South Carolina, Hollings Marine Laboratory and Savannah River National Laboratory. The consortium was developed to enable and advance cyberinfrastructure-related research, education and economic development in South Carolina.
Clemson’s lead in SC3 helped South Carolina participate for the first time in the International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking and Storage in 2007 and again in 2008, during which the group highlighted the computational research efforts of South Carolina's major research institutions. The 20-year-old conference is the premier venue in supercomputing with more than 10,000 attendees from academia, industry and government agencies.
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