Yale CIO Phil Long retiring after 40 years
Philip Long, University chief information officer (CIO), will retire from Yale after 40 years of service, according to an announcement yesterday by Shauna King, vice president of finance and business operations.
“It is almost unimaginable to think of Yale without Phil Long,” King wrote in an announcement to the community. “Phil’s contributions to the University are well-known and widely appreciated. His work in Information Technology at Yale goes back to when computing was just beginning broad use at the University; think from punch cards to high performance computing!”
Long arrived at Yale as a freshman in the fall of 1966 before there was a formal Department of Computer Science. Nevertheless, he managed to take five courses in that department prior to his graduation in 1970 with a major in psychology. He began work at the Yale Computer Center in 1971 and served at Yale in a variety of academic computing roles, culminating in the last 10 years as CIO.
Over his career, Long and his team worked with students and masters to develop initial computer networking in the residential colleges, establish computer support for undergraduates by undergraduates, introduce Yale’s first broad use computer networks, introduce campus-wide email, develop Yale’s core classroom technology, introduce Yale’s first course management system (and several successor systems), work in partnership with the faculty and Yale’s international partners on the Alliance for Life Long Learning, and assist with the Open Yale Courses initiative, among many other projects.
“Phil is well known to many of you (and not just from his “start of school” emails) - he has dedicated himself to Yale as an institution as both a graduate and staff member, consistently seeking to enhance Yale’s information technology services,” said King. “Phil’s depth of Yale knowledge, his technical expertise and his dedication to serving our community have made him an extraordinary valuable person to call on whether in crises or in calm seas. He is an exceptional colleague who has left an imprint on Yale and he will be missed.”
Yale has initiated a national search for Long’s replacement and will seek input from faculty and staff as we make this important choice. Long has agreed to stay until the end of the school year or until a replacement is named and transitioned into Yale.
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