NCCCS Chief Information Officer Patrick Fleming named EdScoop’s 2023 Higher Education IT Executive of the Year

Patrick Fleming, Chief Information Officer at the North Carolina Community College System, has been named the 2023 Higher Education IT Executive of the Year by EdScoop – a leading media brand in the higher education IT market.

The EdScoop 50 Awards honor the most influential people and projects defining the future of technology in higher education institutions. Fleming was one of 50 recipients nationwide to be selected. Fleming was recognized as a pioneer in the modernization of the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems across North Carolina’s 58 community colleges. Now in phase four of a five-phased plan, Fleming’s leadership is facilitating significant upgrades to core services at the System Office and preparing local ERP systems at five colleges for transition to Ellucian Banner SaaS.

ERP is a software system that helps run an entire organization, supporting automation and processes in finance, human resources, manufacturing, supply chain, services, and procurement. “It is extremely rewarding to be recognized. I am honored to lead our System through this transformative time as we evolve the technology that drives student success at each of our extraordinary 58 North Carolina Community Colleges,” Fleming said. “The System Office team works hard every day to deliver impactful services to support student success.”

The EdScoop 50 Awards, now in their second year, recognizes achievements between July 2021 and July 2022. Members of the higher education IT community nominated more than 250 leaders and projects for the awards. The EdScoop team narrowed the list to the top 85, and readers cast more than 240,000 votes to select this year’s winners.

“These leaders are making big things happen in their communities, and pushing our industry forward at a larger scale,” said Jake Williams, vice president of content and community for EdScoop. “The 50 winners this year are great examples of the innovation and dedication to student success inherent in this field.”

The ERP initiative not only aligns with the System’s strategic plan to improve IT infrastructure, but also promises to expand information sharing and streamline operations across the colleges. “We are focused on providing best in class technology for each of the 58 community colleges and the communities they serve to drive sustainable economic pathways across North Carolina,” Fleming said. “I would like to thank President Cox and the System Office team for their continued support, partnership, and collaboration that led to this recognition.”

Another leader at North Carolina community colleges, Keith Babuszczak, Provost of Information Technology at Wake Technical Community College, was named University Technology Leader of the Year by EdScoop. Babuszczak is responsible for supervising all degree and non-degree IT programs, including cybersecurity, programming, networking, and data science. This year’s winners represent more than 30 institutions and 10 private sector companies. From large university systems to community colleges, the awards recognize people and projects of various sizes from across the country.

“Patrick Fleming and the entire IT team have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to innovation and excellence to serving our students and colleges. The team’s work in developing and implementing the new ERP system will transform the way community colleges serve North Carolinians” said System President Jeff Cox.”Our System produces incredible work that impacts thousands of lives, and I’m proud that these individuals are getting the recognition they deserve.”

Fleming’s recognition comes on the heels of another major accolade this month from the North Carolina Tech Association for a statewide award in best use of technology in a government project. That recognition highlighted the work of more than $25 million invested from the System into broadband access for rural colleges.

About EdScoop
EdScoop is the leading media brand in the higher education IT market. With more than 1.2 million monthly unique engagements, EdScoop features the latest news and conversations among the top leaders driving technology and digital learning in higher ed. With our website, newsletter, and events, EdScoop uniquely attracts the most influential IT decision makers at universities around the world.