Cybersecurity, AI, and the Future of Small Colleges with Irv Bruckstein

Kent Barnds: “Welcome to Small College America, a podcast dedicated to exploring the role and value of small colleges in the higher education landscape. I’m Kent Barnds, and I’m joined by my co-host, Dean Hoke.”

Dean: Joining us today is Irving “Irv” Bruckstein, a transformational technology executive with more than three decades of experience across higher education, enterprise IT, and cybersecurity. He most recently served as Chief Information Officer at Washington College, where he rebuilt IT operations following a ransomware incident, modernized infrastructure, and led major initiatives in cybersecurity, digital transformation, and online learning.

Irv is now the incoming CEO of CyberAI Group, where he is focused on advancing AI-driven cybersecurity solutions and helping organizations strengthen resilience in an evolving threat landscape. Known for building high-performing teams and aligning technology with strategic outcomes, he brings a pragmatic, results-oriented approach to leadership. He holds a B.S. in Computer Science and Mathematics and an M.S. in Cybersecurity from Hofstra University’s DeMatteis School of Engineering. Irv, welcome to Small College America.

 Question 1: From Big Campuses to Small Colleges

Kent: Irv, your career includes some of the largest institutions in the country — Columbia University, NYU, where you helped build an entire campus from the ground up in Abu Dhabi. At some point you made a deliberate move toward smaller colleges. What drew you in that direction, and what surprised you most when you got there?

Follow-ups:

•      What can a small college CIO do that a large university CIO simply can’t?

Question 2: Walking Into the Aftermath

Dean: Irv, when you arrived at Washington College in January 2024, the institution was still dealing with the fallout of a serious ransomware attack that had occurred about a year earlier. You were essentially brought in to rebuild. Walk us through what you found when you got there, and how you approached turning things around.

Follow-ups:

•      What was the hardest conversation you had with college leadership in those early weeks?

Question 3: The Small College Cybersecurity Gap

Kent: Small colleges are often described as "target-rich, resource-poor" when it comes to cybersecurity; they hold enormous amounts of sensitive student data but rarely have the staffing or budget of a large research university. In your experience, do most small college presidents truly understand the cyber risk their institution faces, and should the CIO have a genuine seat at the leadership table?

Question 4: AI on Campus — Promise and Peril

Dean: You’ve been thinking about AI in higher education since at least 2019, when you co-hosted a symposium at Salve Regina about adaptive learning and AI-driven student outcomes. Now AI is everywhere. What should a small college realistically be doing with AI today — and where do you see institutions getting into trouble?

Question 5: Crossing to the Other Side of the Table

Kent: You’ve recently made a significant shift, from being a buyer and implementer of technology inside higher education to now building cybersecurity products at CyberAI Group. What does the view look like from that side? And what do you wish technology vendors understood better about what small colleges actually need?

Question 6: Closing — The Road Ahead

Dean: Last question, Irv — and we ask this of everyone on the program. Looking five to ten years out, what does the small college that’s getting technology right actually look like? And what’s at stake for the institutions that don’t get there?

Closing
Kent: Irv, thank you for a conversation that I think will stay with our listeners. The work of protecting a campus — its people, its data, its future, often happens invisibly, and you’ve helped make it visible today. We’re grateful for your time and your candor.

For those listening or viewing, if you’d like to learn more about Small College America, go to our web page at www.smallcollegeamerica.net, where you can find details on upcoming episodes, contact us, and suggest topics you’d like us to cover. Also, I encourage you to subscribe to our series on your favorite podcast network.

This episode of Small College America is made possible with underwriting support from Edu Alliance Group, a higher education consulting firm that champions small colleges and the communities they serve.

On behalf of our guest, Irving Bruckstein, my co-host Dean Hoke, and I, thank you for joining us.