Montana State chooses K-12 CIO as new IT vice president

Montana State University on Monday announced it’s selected Ryan Knutson, who currently serves as chief information officer for Sioux Falls Public Schools, as its new CIO and vice president for information technology.

Knutson, who’s set to join the university on July 1, manages technology supporting 25,000 students across 32 locations, according to the university’s announcement.

Ryan Knutson

As university CIO, Knutson will be responsible for developing an IT strategy and supporting classroom technology, administrative software, data networking and other technology infrastructure at the Bozeman-based campus, which has a student population of about 17,000.

In the announcement, MSU President Waded Cruzado said Knutson was selected in part because he “understands that now, more than ever, technology plays a critical role in our ability to educate our students as well as conduct research.”

Before his current role, Knutson was assistant vice president for technology at South Dakota State University and manager of web services for Southwest Minnesota State University. 

Knutson said in the university’s announcement he looks forward to the position because of Montana State’s “excellent reputation for teaching, research and outreach.”

He holds a doctorate in educational administration from the University of South Dakota.