Nick Laudato

Skill-Based Expertise

• Instructional systems development for online and hybrid education;
• Design and implementation of instructional technology solutions;
• Assessment and planning for strategic and tactical academic and information technology systems;
• Assessment and remediation planning and implementation for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) accessibility;
• Best practices for student information systems and instructional technology integrations;
• Facilitation of process mapping, analysis, and redesign initiatives;
• IT integrations across functional areas of ERP implementations;
• Staff training and development;
• Leadership development for succession planning.

Bio Sketch

Dr. Nicholas C. Laudato is a leading information and instructional technology professional specializing in strategic and tactical IT and academic technology planning, including designing and supporting instructional technology systems, online learning systems, classroom design and management systems, and ICT accessibility. As an information technology and operations management consultant to higher education for over 30 years, Nick has led major IT planning efforts at dozens of campuses in the United States and Canada that resulted in substantive and sustainable optimized productivity solutions.

Dr. Laudato has nationally recognized experience in designing and managing IT and academic solutions across the full range of higher education specialty areas consisting of learning management systems; ERP and ePortfolio selection and implementation; classroom design; distance education infrastructure; and application development.

During his career at the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Laudato served as Associate Director of the University External Studies Program, Project Director and Manager of User Support Services within the centralized Computing and Information Services, and as Director of Information Systems at the University’s Bradford campus. He successfully led the development and implementation of multiple administrative information systems at Bradford and led the implementation of the Integrated Student Information System across the University’s four Regional Campuses.

As Associate Director for Instructional Technology at the University of Pittsburgh, he directed and coordinated the functional areas of Instructional Computing; Instructional Media Services; Electronic Graphics and Design; Photography and Electronic Imaging Services; Video Production; Classroom Engineering and the Faculty Instructional Development Lab supporting the application of technology to instruction. In addition, Nick was responsible for managing Computing and Information Services strategic planning, budget, Interactive TV, classroom design, and project management functions.

Dr. Laudato has regularly presented at the annual EDUCAUSE conference, as well as the New Media Consortium (NMC), the Consortium of College and University Media Centers (CCUMC), EduComm, Blackboard World, and the American Educational Research Association (AERA) national conferences. He has given invited talks at the University of Florida Faculty Technology Showcase and Symposium, the Tufts University Summer Institute, and the University Days assembly at Lock Haven University. He has actively participated in the Learning Technology Consortium, the Pittsburgh Council of Higher Education, and the Pittsburgh Blackboard Users Group and served as an elected officer of the McKean County Visiting Nurse Association Board.

Nick earned his BS in Mathematics from Carnegie-Mellon University and his Ph.D. in Curriculum and Supervision from the University of Pittsburgh. He teaches in the College of General Studies and the School of Public and International Affairs, as well as in the School of Information Sciences, the Katz Graduate School of Business, the College of Business Administration, the School of Education, the University External Studies Program, and the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.

As a consultant for focusEDU, Dr. Laudato looks forward to working with the leadership of the higher education community to provide his skills and expertise for ensuring systems integrations and optimization across all the functional areas of focusEDU. Nick is an expert in designing and implementing instructional support systems as well as in conducting gap analyses and business processes mapping methodologies that result in optimized solutions and system integrations.