River Valley Today

Colby announces the appointment of IT innovator Craig Loftus as chief information officer. He joined the College in January, bringing more than 25 years of leadership in higher education as an IT professional and consultant. 

Prior to joining Colby, Loftus served as chief information officer at the University of New England in Portland and Biddeford, Maine, during a period of unprecedented growth in enrollment and campus expansion. During his decade at UNE, Loftus oversaw several large-scale technology initiatives that allowed the university to grow, including building and managing IT infrastructure, improving security, and implementing sustainability practices.

“As a facilitator at heart, I am thrilled to be part of Colby’s collaborative spirit, the long-standing academic commitment to our students, and the exceptional growth within the College and surrounding Waterville area,” Loftus said. “I am most excited about building relationships throughout the College and helping empower our IT team to deliver the best services to our students, faculty, and staff.”

Loftus and his 37-person team are responsible for supporting the academic and institutional mission of the College by maintaining and modernizing Colby’s IT infrastructure to ensure reliable and secure access to information that supports learning, research, and all administrative functions. Their largest pending task, now in the planning stages, is a long-term project to introduce a new student information system that will modernize how students interact with both the academic and administrative systems at Colby.

He has dedicated his career to helping high-performance organizations stay up to date with evolving IT systems and needs, while planning technology strategies to meet organizational goals.

“I have always enjoyed working in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment, and I see a lot of change, growth, and opportunity at Colby,” he said. “I have also always enjoyed the liberal arts, and the mission of the College speaks to me. I am truly honored to be part of the Colby culture.”

Before he began at UNE, Loftus was senior engagement manager and director of learning technology for SunGard Higher Education/Ellucian, a company that works with higher education institutions across the country to meet their technology needs. In that role, he worked with a variety of colleges and universities to develop strategies and tactics to improve learning and helped them develop and implement remote, online, and onsite programs.

During the early part of his career, Loftus was a faculty member and senior academic liaison at East Tennessee State University and a technology trainer at Radford University in Virginia.

He earned an M.Ed. in instructional technology from East Tennessee State, graduating summa cum laude, and a B.S. in mathematics and physical sciences from Radford.

Original source can be found here