UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Michael Büsges has been named interim vice president for information technology and chief information officer for Penn State, effective Oct. 16. He currently is senior adviser to the provost and previously served as director and senior director of enterprise projects for the Enterprise Project Management Office (EPMO) from March 2013 to June 2021.
He succeeds Donald J. Welch, who will be leaving Penn State on Oct. 15 to become vice president for information technology and global university chief information officer at New York University.
In his interim role, Büsges will provide leadership for the University’s information technology services including direct oversight of Penn State IT, furthering the strategic direction of all University IT services to ensure the IT needs of all colleges, campuses and administrative units are met. Additionally, Büsges will represent IT to the Board of Trustees and on President’s Council.
"We are grateful to Michael for stepping up to assume this vital leadership role while we conduct a nationwide search for a permanent hire to fill the position," said Nick Jones, executive vice president and provost.
As senior director for the EPMO, Büsges oversaw the implementation of three enterprise systems: LionPATH (student information system), WorkLion (HR and payroll system) and SIMBA, the System for Integrated Management, Budgeting and Accounting. In addition, he directed the teams that support the ongoing functional and technical needs of these three systems.
Before coming to Penn State, Büsges was project director at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), where he oversaw the institution’s implementation of PeopleSoft’s Campus Solutions system and support of its PeopleSoft HR and finance systems. He also led UMBC’s change management activities, serving as liaison to the faculty, the chief information officer, senior executives, deans and the president. Additionally, Büsges has significant experience as a consultant working with several institutions on large-scale system implementations, among them the University System of Maryland, the University of Texas – Health Science System at Houston and Cal State.
He previously worked as an assistant professor at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where he taught German literature and language, film and literary theory, before transitioning into administrative roles and participating in the institution’s enterprise resource planning implementation.
Büsges is a native of Germany and came to the United States in 1985. He earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Düsseldorf, Germany, and both a master of arts and master of philosophy in German literature from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.