Bharath Prabhakaran, VP and CDO at the University of Cincinnati, is leading digital transformation supporting the Next Lives Here vision with AI and IT
UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI
Bharath Prabhakaran, VP and CDO at the University of Cincinnati, is leading digital transformation supporting the Next Lives Here vision with AI and IT
Higher education is currently caught in a conundrum. While the half-life of professional skills is shrinking to just a few years, universities – the very engines of those skills – must decide how to pivot. At the US’ University of Cincinnati( UC), a premier urban research institution with over 200 years of history, the answer is to lead.
UC’ s ambitious strategic direction is called Next Lives Here. It is a vision that positions the university as a leader in innovation, engagement and impact. But as any modern leader knows, a vision of this magnitude is only as strong as its digital backbone. This is where Bharath Prabhakaran, UC’ s Vice President and Chief Digital Officer, comes in.
To understand why Bharath is the right person to lead this massive digital shift, one must look back to 1995, when he arrived in the US from India as a graduate student with“ literally two suitcases and a scholarship”.
After nearly two decades at Oracle, where he helped build the foundational Fusion Cloud products used by global enterprises, Bharath hit a turning point.
“ My friends joke that I was having a midlife crisis,” he says with a laugh.“ Some people go buy a red Ferrari; I decided to take my talents and move them to education.”
4 uc. edu