Foundry’s CIO has named UC Riverside among the winners of its 2024 CIO 100 Award. For more than 25 years, the CIO 100 Awards have recognized innovative organizations around the world that exemplify the highest level of strategic and operational excellence in information technology.

“The award-winning teams share a passion for excellence, a customer-centric mindset, and a drive to invest in technologies that elevate business value,” said Elizabeth Cutler, content director of the CIO 100 Symposium & Awards.

Executives from the winning organizations will be recognized at the CIO 100 Symposium & Awards in August.

UCR was recognized for the innovative ways the university is utilizing technology to maximize the capabilities of Highlanders and enhance their campus experience, according to CIO. This includes leveraging artificial intelligence, or AI, to boost the secure distribution of accurate and up-to-date information.

“Innovation isn’t always about inventing something entirely new—it’s about creatively combining existing technologies and utilizing them in novel ways to address specific problems,” said Matthew Gunkel, associate vice chancellor and chief information officer.

Information Technology Solutions, or ITS, has used AI to automate routine tasks, provide quick and accurate answers, personalize customer service, and identify potential issues. By using AI as a self-service support channel to provide readily available answers to simple questions, ITS freed up campus support teams to handle more complex concerns.