GVSU IT News
Grand Valley State University Receives 2026 CIO 100 Award
April 01, 2026
Grand Valley State University has been named a 2026 CIO 100 Award winner by Foundry, recognizing the Information Technology Division for leadership in advancing teaching, learning, and research through the innovative use of technology.
For more than 40 years, the CIO 100 Awards have honored organizations and teams that drive innovation, deliver measurable value, and demonstrate excellence in the strategic use of IT.
Grand Valley was selected for this award for its work on ProfAI, an internally developed innovative AI-powered solution reshaping how course content is created and delivered. This recognition reflects a broader institutional commitment to advancing technologies that support student success and academic excellence.
Developed through GVSU’s futurEDlab, where students, faculty, and
staff collaborate to ideate, explore, and
experiment, ProfAI represents a new model for instructional
innovation.
Conceived and led by IT Innovation + Research
Innovator in Residence Joseph Van Harken, in collaboration with
faculty and student partners, ProfAI converts traditional lectures and
course materials into engaging, accessible video-based microlearning experiences.
The application analyzes long-form instructional content and generates concise, 5–7 minute videos that help students better absorb and retain key concepts. It leverages realistic AI avatars, or digital twins of instructors that mirror their voice and appearance, to deliver content at scale while maintaining a personal, human-centered learning experience.
“Grand Valley State University’s futurEDlab is a collaborative platform uniting people, ideas, and technology to spark innovation and shape the future of education at GVSU,” said Eric Kunnen, Senior Director of IT Innovation + Research. “Joseph’s pioneering work in the development of ProfAI reflects how our division approaches innovation—by working collaboratively to create solutions that empower faculty, engage students, and expand what’s possible in teaching and learning.”
Van Harken publicly introduced ProfAI at Grand Rapids Tech Week in 2024 following early success in partnership with Chandresh Baid, assistant professor of management in the Seidman College of Business at GVSU. What began as a collaboration to explore new ways to support student learning quickly evolved into a streamlined, end-to-end workflow that automates script creation, avatar rendering, and publishing into the learning management system.
Tasks that once required weeks of coordination and production resources can now be completed in a single day by an individual instructor, reducing costs, increasing flexibility, and making it easier to keep course content current while strengthening student engagement and success.
“Emerging technology can feel intimidating, but when we explore it together, it becomes an opportunity,” said Van Harken. “ProfAI is about helping faculty feel more confident using these tools, creating efficiencies in their work, and opening the door to new ways of thinking about teaching and learning.”
Grand Valley will be recognized at the CIO 100 Awards & Conference in August 2026 in Frisco, Texas.
About the US CIO 100 Awards:
The annual US CIO
100 Awards celebrate 100 organizations and the teams within them that
use IT in innovative ways to deliver business value, whether by
creating competitive advantage, optimizing business processes,
enabling growth, or improving relationships with customers. The award
is an acknowledged mark of enterprise excellence.
Coverage
of the 2026 US CIO 100 award-winning projects will be available
online at cio100.com
About CIO:
CIO
/focuses on attracting the highest
concentration of enterprise CIOs and business technology executives
with unparalleled peer insight and expertise on business strategy,
innovation, and leadership. As organizations grow with digital
transformation, CIO provides its readers with key insights on career
development, including certifications, hiring practices and skills
development. The award-winning CIO portfolio provides business
technology leaders with analysis and insight on information technology
trends and a keen understanding of IT's role in achieving business
goals. CIO is published by Foundry. Company information is available
at foundryco.com.
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