OARnet

Artificial intelligence, statewide collaboration, and the future of higher education technology were at the center of OARnet’s Spring 2026 Member Meeting held during the Ohio Higher Education Computing Council (OHECC) conference at The University of Toledo.

The meeting featured updates on major statewide infrastructure initiatives, cybersecurity efforts, cloud connectivity expansion, and OARnet’s modernized business model projected to save members $525,000 in FY27.

Attendees also heard from higher education technology leaders across Ohio during a panel discussion focused on how campuses are approaching AI adoption, governance, workforce readiness, and security in an evolving digital landscape.

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OARnet’s Spring 2026 Member Meeting spotlights higher education AI ecosystems, modernized business model OARnet hosted its semi-annual Member Meeting on May 13 in conjunction with the Ohio Higher Education Computing Council (OHECC) annual conference held at The University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio. The event featured a panel discussion about how various higher education institutions in Ohio are develop...

🌐 Great connections at the 2026 Internet2 Community Exchange.

OARnet joins a national and global community of research and education IT leaders in Chicago for .

The event brings together CIOs, network directors, research computing professionals, and partners from higher education, government, and industry to collaborate on shared challenges across resource sharing, security, and emerging technologies.

Through peer-driven discussions and real-time problem solving, these conversations help shape how institutions approach everything from advanced networking to AI and digital transformation.

OARnet values the opportunity to engage in strategic foresight and collaborative problem-solving with colleagues across the country — and to bring those insights back to the community anchor institutions we serve across Ohio.

📍 OARnet contributes to national AI infrastructure strategy in Washington, D.C.

OARnet Executive Director Pankaj Shah participated in the invitation-only NSF CASC Workshop, Envisioning NAIRR State and Regional Hubs for Educational Transformation, along with The Ohio State University’s Suren Byna.

Convened by the Coalition for Academic Scientific Computation (CASC) in partnership with the National Science Foundation, the workshop brings together leaders from all 50 states and territories to provide structured community input as NSF considers future directions for a coordinated national effort focused on advanced computing and data infrastructure.

The discussion explored:

• Building statewide or multi-state advanced computing consortia
• Expanding access to AI and cyberinfrastructure resources
• Governance and sustainable operating models
• Workforce development, faculty training, and student onboarding
• Aligning campus, state, and regional investments
• Strengthening research and education competitiveness

As Ohio’s statewide research and education network, OARnet plays a critical role in connecting our community anchor institutions to secure, high-performance infrastructure, including the Ohio Supercomputer Center and OhioLINK. Together, these three constituents of the Ohio Technology Consortium support innovation across higher education and workforce development.

We’re proud to help represent Ohio in shaping national conversations about how advanced computing and coordinated infrastructure can transform educational and research opportunities.

Learn more about the workshop: https://casc.org/event/nsf-casc-workshop-on-envisioning-nairr-state-and-regional-hubs-for-educational-transformation/