A native of Santa Cruz, Calif., Mary Doyle had spent most of her life on the Pacific coast of California when she came to the Palouse for the first time in 1997 to interview for the position she currently holds with IT and she still has very strong ties to the Sunshine State. As a student, Mary ventured as far afield as Tempe, Ariz. where she acquired a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems and an MBA at Arizona State University (ASU). She then earned a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Organizations from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) with a dissertation on “the importance of information technology in higher education.” Her work experience and character developed concurrently with her education. She started college as a “young mother and full-time student” and always held a job, in addition to attending classes, studying, doing homework, keeping a home, and raising a family.

Her resume indicates a breadth of experience established with four major academic institutions and two corporations. She worked in accounting at Cal-Poly and payroll at ASU before joining Motorola as a programmer in financial systems. Returning to ASU, she began a stint in institutional research gathering statistics. She next worked at a bank at the time of its acquisition by Chase. Calling the experience “fascinating,” she recalls, “ I liked it a lot. I went through (with others) a strategic planning course and then helped develop and implement a plan for the bank.” At UCSB, an institution of 18-19,000 students, she returned to research and, eventually, served as Assistant Provost of the College of Letters and Science. Her major responsibilities included resource management and technology planning.

Upon her arrival at WSU on August 4, 1997 she undertook her duties at IT, a position that she says requires “management and coordination of central computing and telecommunications infrastructure.” This includes, but is not limited to, primary responsibility for campus telephones and networks, administrative systems, platforms and servers, a graphics laboratory, Student Computing Services (SCS) and Instructional Support Services (ISS).

Now she faces a whole plethora of new responsibilities in the Libraries. She says the appeal of the position lies in “gaining a better understanding and appreciation for library services and in the opportunity to meet and work with another group of talented people at WSU.” To this point, 24 July 2000, the biggest challenge has been “being introduced to and trying to understand a new culture and organization.” This task is made especially challenging because of budget cuts and staff reductions and disruptions. When asked what steps she planned to take to improve morale in the Libraries she said, “I try to be as open and honest as I can. I will listen, keep people informed, and follow through. The most important thing I can do is to encourage and provide the opportunity for everyone to participate. An excellent example of this is town hall meetings….” Mary is both surprised and complimentary of the “working group” approach to organization and management. “It’s impressive. I haven’t been exposed to it to this extent before, but I think I like it.” It works well with her management style, which she describes as “open door, based on trust, collaborative, and consultative.”

Mary recognizes that the future ongoing relationship between the Libraries and IT is a point of interest. “Both units are in the information business and the coordination of this information infrastructure, as we plan to meet the needs of the libraries and others, is increasingly critical. With technology changing as rapidly as it is, with dependence on technology increasing, and with the scarcity of resources, we need to collaborate to ensure that we meet the needs of all our constituencies.”

Earlier I mentioned Mary’s California ties. She admits she misses California and the main reason is that her husband, Jim, lives in Los Angeles where he works in the aerospace industry. She has one grown son who works as an engineer in Phoenix. She spends her free time (whenever that might be) with her cats, Beauregard and Magnolia (Bo and Maggie). Her interests include scuba diving (not, she assures us, in the Inland Northwest, but the Caribbean). She has also been a runner for 25 years.

In her days at Cal-Poly, Mary Doyle’s may or may not have envisioned the double-edged sword she would someday have to wield, but since those early days she has followed a path of academic administrative accomplishment which has her ably prepared for the challenges of the 21st Century. Prescient? Perhaps. It would be hard to prove either way. What is clear is that she is a proven and capable leader who is eminently qualified to guide the WSU libraries through a difficult period of transition and into the next millennium.

-Mark Jacobs