President Gaudino to Deliver State of the University Address Today

The State of the University presentation will begin today at 10:30 a.m. in McConnell Hall Auditorium, with an address by CWU President James Gaudino, who will be followed by Orlando Ayala, Microsoft’s chairman and corporate vice president of emerging businesses.

Together they will discuss how innovation is empowering people for great change and will outline a new partnership to increase access to higher education.

Ayala will be the first guest speaker to share keynote responsibilities with the president in a State of the University address.

Over his 25-year career at Microsoft, Ayala has worked to catalyze growth and development in new business models for Microsoft’s Sales, Marketing, and Services Group and foster internal and external collaboration to help drive long-term success. He currently heads up Microsoft’s newly formed Sports Industry team including the recently announced technology partnership between the company and the Real Madrid soccer club. He is also Microsoft’s executive director for national competitiveness initiatives, which are designed to help national, provincial, and local governments develop the digital infrastructure, educational programs, and human resources to turn a government’s particular capabilities into a competitive advantage on an international scale.

Ayala and Gaudino also will meet for a small group discussion with faculty from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.