CTO Darcy Van Patten Represents the University of Arizona at 2021 Salesforce Education Summit

Chief Technology Officer Darcy Van Patten spoke at the annual Salesforce.org Education Summit on June 16, 2021. Continuing the topic from 2020, Van Patten talked about the University of Arizona's journey in navigating "multi-platform" digital change, exploring different production methodologies, and weighing the benefits of bespoke, or custom, applications.

In the presentation, Van Patten described digital transformation as a "messy" endeavor that requires leadership to step outside of the IT box to solve non-technical problems. Products delivered are just the tip of the iceberg, and behind the scenes, was foundational work including change management, governance, data quality, strategy, and more.

Though short of a win, the University of Arizona was also a finalist this year in the category for "Excellence in Innovation" along with finalist Olivet Nazarene University and winner Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). This comes after a win in 2020, when the University of Arizona won "Excellence in Student Success" within its first full year of constituent relationship management (CRM) implementation.

The Salesforce Education Summit takes place yearly and invites all higher education and K-12 communities to connect, learn, and exchange stories nationally.

For more information about the Summit, visit https://www.salesforce.org/events/education-summit-2021/.