06/13/2006

Lincoln (June 14, 2006) -- University of Nebraska President James B. Milliken has announced the appointment of Joshua Mauk as Information Security Officer. Mauk, a graduate of Xavier University and the University of San Francisco, is responsible for creating a security architecture for the university’s information technology systems.

“Maintaining the security of student and employee records, academic and administrative information and medical records is an issue of increasing importance,” Milliken said. “Security breaches at universities across the country have put students and employees at risk of identity theft and universities and other institutions at risk of losing essential information. We have a significant number of safeguards already in place, and we will continue to assess risks and improve the overall security of our systems.”

Mauk’s responsibilities will include developing and communicating policies and best practices relating to information security across all four University of Nebraska campuses. In collaboration with the campuses, he will develop a proactive security program to protect data and to increase employee awareness of security issues. “In a university environment, thousands of people have legitimate access to the network and systems,” Mauk said. “Our challenge is to maintain access while safeguarding sensitive information.”

Mauk served most recently as director, internal audit for Gap Inc. in San Francisco. He has also worked in information security for Safeway Inc., Charles Schwab, PeopleSoft and Deloitte Touche. “Joshua’s extensive background and expertise in this area will be a valuable resource to the university,” Milliken said.