Gregory A. Jackson
Biographical Note

Short version:

Gregory A. Jackson is Vice President for Policy and Analysis at EDUCAUSE, the principal association for information technology in higher education. He earlier worked for almost two decades in university IT administration, most recently as Vice President and CIO at the University of Chicago and earlier as Director of Academic Computing at MIT.

Before joining MIT's administration, Jackson served for thirteen years as a faculty member at Stanford and Harvard. He taught courses in analytic approaches to decision making, statistical and qualitative research methods, and policy analysis, and a freshman seminar on the scientific integrity of murder mysteries. Jackson's research and writing have involved evaluation and planning methods in higher education; research, instructional, and library computing in universities; admissions and college-choice issues; and the selection and use of comparison groups for colleges.

Jackson is co-author of two books --Who Gets Ahead? and Future Boston -- and of numerous articles, reports, and teaching cases related to his research and administrative work. Born in California and raised in Mexico, Jackson earned his bachelor's degree from MIT and his doctorate from Harvard.

Even shorter version:

Gregory A. Jackson is Vice President for Policy and Analysis at EDUCAUSE, the principal association for information technology in higher education. He earlier worked for almost two decades in university IT administration, most recently as Vice President and CIO at the University of Chicago and earlier as Director of Academic Computing at MIT. Jackson earlier served for thirteen years as a faculty member at Stanford and Harvard. Jackson is co-author of two books and numerous articles, reports, and teaching cases related to his research and administrative work. Born in California and raised in Mexico, Jackson earned his bachelor's degree from MIT and his doctorate from Harvard.

Long version:

Gregory A. Jackson is Vice President for Policy and Analysis at EDUCAUSE, the principal association for information technology in higher education. He provides leadership and expertise for the association's policy and analysis activities, focusing on trends, issues, and opinions that might concern members, on the technology-related elements of the external environment that might affect higher education (federal and state policy, competition, demographic changes, vendor interactions, etc.), and on EDUCAUSE's internal environment, including measures of effectiveness, efficiency, and member satisfaction.

Before joining EDUCAUSE in 2009, Jackson served as Vice President and Chief Information Officer at the University of Chicago, reporting to the President. He managed the University's $70-million, 375-person central computing organization, which provides facilities, telephones, communications, networking, administrative computing, academic computing, a computer store, and related services to the campus community.

From 1991 to 1996 Jackson was Director of Academic Computing for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He oversaw MIT's $6-million budget for instructional and scholarly technology, including the Athena^® Computing Environment and other Information Systems facilities serving the teaching and learning needs of MIT faculty and students.

From 1989 through 1991 Jackson was Director of Educational Studies and Special Projects in the Provost's Office at MIT. Concurrently with his administrative work at MIT, Jackson was Adjunct Lecturer in Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, and Lecturer in the Harvard University Extension.

From 1981 through 1990 Jackson served as Associate Professor of Education at Harvard University (and from 1979 through 1981 Assistant Professor), teaching in the University's doctoral and management programs in higher education. Jackson served as one of the founding Directors of Harvard University's Educational Technology Center, which studied the use of technology to advance educational practice. He also served as Assistant Director of the Joint Center for Urban Studies of MIT and Harvard University, a multidisciplinary research organization then operated by the two universities, and as a consultant to Harvard's Office of Information Technology. Before that Jackson was Assistant Professor of Education at Stanford University from 1977 through 1979.

Jackson has served on the Boards for EDUCAUSE, National LambdaRail, and Internet2. He has served as a member of the EDUCAUSE Recognitions and Nominations Committees, chaired the Internet2/UCAID National Planning and Policy Council, and the Ivy+ and CIC CIO groups, helped found the Research University CIO Conclave, and is an active participant in the Common Solutions Group. Jackson was Conference Chair for the 1993 EDUCOM conference in Cincinnati. He also has served on the higher-education advisory boards for Dell,Sun, Apple,Microsoft, and Gateway.

Trained as a statistician, Jackson has taught analytic methods for clarifying decision making, including statistical and qualitative research methods; policy analysis and evaluation, especially in higher education; and computer programming. At MIT Jackson also taught a freshman seminar on the scientific integrity of murder mysteries.

Jackson has worked extensively on evaluation and planning methods in higher education; on research, instructional, and library computing in universities; on admissions and college-choice issues including the differential impact of financial aid on minority and majority college applicants; and on the selection and use of comparison groups for colleges. He is co-author of two books --Who Gets Ahead? and Future Boston -- and of numerous articles, reports, and teaching cases related to his research and administrative work.

Born in Los Angeles and raised in Mexico City, Jackson earned his bachelor's degree from MIT and his doctorate from Harvard.