Ken Udas

While serving as the program development director and editor of the OSI Open Source Technology Management program at the Rebb School of Continuing and Graduate Studies, Brandies University, Dr. Udas has engaged in independent consulting since returning to North America in 2018. A native New Englander, Dr. Udas has recently served as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic Services and Chief Information Officer (CIO) at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ), Australia where he was responsible for providing strategic direction, leadership and management of the centres and departments that comprise the Academic Services portfolio. With responsibility for ICT Services, Learning, Teaching and Quality, Educational Technology Systems, and the University Library, Academic Services enhances the University’s performance and innovation, ensuring a clear strategy for the quality and support of teaching, learning and information access and use. Prior to serving USQ, Ken co-founded an education services company, Everspring Partners where he served as Chief Academic Strategist.

Ken’s diverse set of executive management and teaching includes roles in Slovakia, Austria, Kazakhstan, Central Asia, Australia, and New Zealand as well as in the United States. He served as CEO of UMassOnline and Executive Director of Penn State World Campus where he was responsible for strategy development and leadership of academic, student, and enterprise services; outreach and partnership development; and overall organizational health and performance. In addition to his managerial roles, Ken has enjoyed teaching assignments at numerous colleges and universities including UMass Boston, the University of Maryland University College, Babson College, the University of Southern Queensland, and Univerzita Komenského (Slovak Republic). He taught his first online course for the University of Maryland, European Division in 1996 and has maintained teaching practice as responsibilities permitted through 2017. Ken holds a Ph.D. in Education Administration and a Masters of Science in Business Analysis, MIS from Texas A&M University in the US and has written and presented extensively on the topics of distance education, technology, and openness.

In addition, Ken is completing a Master of Arts program in History at UMass Boston and is preparing a thesis investigating patterns of university reform, intellectual immigration, and the State in Germany and the United States during the nineteenth century through 1939. Ken has served in numerous professional associations. He is the co-founder of the Educause Constituency Group on Openness, and the Jasig 2-3-98 project that are focused on the emergence and adoption of open technologies, practices, policies, and initiatives, and how they affect the delivery and support of education. He also serves on advisory boards and has actively participated in numerous professional associations including Educause, Online Learning Consortium, UPCEA, NUTN, IMS, OSI, and WikiEducator.

Companies

• Vice Provost for Digital Learning Initatives University of Idaho (2021)
• Open Source Technology Management, Program Development Chair Brandeis University - Graduate Professional Studies (2019)
• Independent Higher Education Consultant Ken Udas (2017 — 2021)
• Adjunct Professor University of Southern Queensland (2018 — 2021)
• Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic Services & CIO University of Southern Queensland (2013 — 2018)
• Professor (university appointment) University of Southern Queensland (2013 — 2018)
• Clinical Associate Professor (joint appointment) Department of Instructional Design, School of Education, and the University College, UMass Boston (2009 — 2013)
• Chief Academic Strategist Everspring Partners (2012 — 2012)
• Chief Executive Officer UMassOnline (2009 — 2012)