Safeguarding Kansas University's information systems from hacks is a top priority for Denise Stephens, the university's new information services director.
"Every university is wrestling with this," she said. "My very highest priority is the integrity of the system."
Stephens, who starts this month, replaces Marilu Goodyear, who announced in November she was stepping down.
Stephens comes to KU after three years at Syracuse University. Her last position at Syracuse was acting university librarian.
She worked at KU in 2000 and 2001 as head of Anschutz Library, KU's second-largest library. She also has worked at the University of Virginia and the University of Oklahoma.
She said she looked forward to working with KU staff again.
"I've worked with a number of these people, and I know how wonderful and qualified they are," she said.
Stephens said KU was a model for the way it crosses administrative boundaries and libraries, computing and telecommunications work together efficiently.
"A number of institutions are watching us here," she said.
There have been two major breaches of KU's information systems reported in the last two years. In one, someone hacked into the system and stole personal information about international students. In the other, pharmacy records from Watkins Health Center were stolen.
Stephens said she planned to audit the system to see whether there are vulnerable areas. She doesn't think KU is more vulnerable than other universities, but it's an issue that requires continual monitoring, she said.
"I think there's always room for improvement," she said. "It's a constantly moving target."
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