ALUM

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Member Profile

Suzanne Montague (’92 MBA)

Suzanne Montague’s Maverick pride influences her decisions as UT Arlington’s vice president for information technology. She always looks for technology solutions that work for the entire campus community, not just her area of responsibility.

“We’re a service-oriented organization,” she says of the Office of Information Technology. “We focus our efforts on working with University leaders to define needs and provide high-quality solutions.”

Montague came to UT Arlington as a data processing programmer analyst in 1982 and earned a master’s degree in business administration in 1992. Her interest in computer science began during high school when she learned about data processing occupations at career day. She hoped to work for NASA in scientific programming, but during the 1970s those positions became scarce due to changes in the economy.

Montague’s experience includes old technology—FORTRAN, COBOL, CICS—that she adapted to today’s ever-changing IT field. She continues to build her skills and, according to co-workers, seeks the best solutions, not just traditional ones.

“She is truly dedicated to the overall success of UT Arlington and doesn’t limit herself to IT,” said Jon Harris, OIT assistant vice president. “She is very loyal and supportive for the entire mission of UT Arlington. It’s one of her most outstanding qualities.”

Harris, who worked for the City of Austin before joining UT Arlington in 2003, calls Montague “one of the best bosses I’ve ever had” in his 43-year IT career. Another employee, Midge Holliday, expressed appreciation for Montague’s leadership as well as her support. She and Montague have been co-workers for 18 years.

“She sets a wonderful leadership example in how she supports the people who work with her and gets others to support her,” said Holliday, an OIT database administrator. “During the Y2K scare, everyone was planning for the worst, but she always gave strong and positive leadership.”

Besides that leadership, Montague exhibits her support for the University through involvement in the Alumni Association. Her student experiences, which included a few challenging professors, only deepened her loyalty. One of those challenges happened after she struggled to get a B in an accounting class. Her graduate adviser said she could do better. She earned all A’s after that.

Montague became an Alumni Association member, she said, because it’s important to stay involved.

“I encourage every graduate to join,” she said. “There are so many things going on. UT Arlington is working hard to stay in touch with alumni, and it’s wonderful to see the excitement from the ‘Be A Maverick’ branding campaign. You see more cars with UT Arlington signs, and people are becoming more prideful of the campus.”

It’s a pride she shares.