Shady Side Alumnus Richard Katz '71, founder and principal, of Richard N. Katz and Associates, was the 2018 recipient of the EDUCAUSE Leadership Award, which recognizes extraordinary leadership and contributions to the IT profession and to the greater higher education community. The award is the highest recognition given to those who work in IT in higher education.

In his early career, Katz advanced through the ranks at the University of California's Office of the President, culminating in his appointment as the Executive Director of Business Planning and Practices. His broad experience in the management of financial, IT and administrative services laid the groundwork for the future work he would do as a strategic thinker and leader for both CAUSE and EDUCAUSE.

While he was widely known throughout the University of California and through his many speeches and publications as a volunteer with CAUSE, Educom, and NACUBO, many in the IT community got to know him best as vice president of CAUSE, the organization that merged with Educom in 1998 to form EDUCAUSE.

Among his most significant contributions to EDUCAUSE was his founding of the EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research (ECAR), the research arm for the association to study management, use and impact of information technology on higher education and to provide colleges and universities with practical information to support their decision-making.

Katz is the second Shady Side Alumnus to receive this prestigious award. Dr. Jack (John W.) McCredie '58, chief information officer emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, received the award in 1998.

Read more about the achievement.