Matthew Prough, the new Director of Information Technology for the College of Letters & Science, has a history of growing into the jobs he has held.
Prough, who spent the last 18 years as the Information Technology Director for the City of Fitchburg, began his post-college career as a police officer, in the days when personal computers first began appearing on desktops. He found himself drawn to the vast promise offered by information technology.
“Those desktops were the spark that really intrigued me,” Prough recalls. “I’ve always been fascinated by how organizations would use information technology to their benefit.”
After leaving the police force, Prough began taking jobs that began to build up his IT skillset. He worked at an IT help desk, a job he called “a huge and important experience.” He took an IT job at a bank, and he worked with CCAP, the application used to access records within the Wisconsin Circuit Court System.
Prough was initially hired by the City of Fitchburg in 2004 to oversee the development of a networked police records management system that involved five different municipalities, including Middleton, Fitchburg, and Sun Prairie. When Fitchburg’s IT director left the position in 2015, the city consolidated the work he had been doing for the police to encompass the entire city.
“One of the things they saw in me was the law enforcement background,” says Prough. “I really understood the business side of that.”
With the College of Letters & Science, Prough will primarily be responsible for strategic vision and coordination for IT services throughout the college, as well as providing oversight for the College’s Learning Support Services (LSS) department. His office, located in South Hall, will also interface with campus staff at the Department of Information Technology (DoIT).
“We’re excited to have Matt join our team,” says Eric Wilcots, the Dean of the College of Letters & Science. “He brings a tremendous amount of experience and insight from his government service and offers an exciting vision forward for IT in the College.”
Prough plans to use his first six months on the job to become familiar with the College and its information technology needs and challenges. He describes his philosophy as focusing more on where the field is going than what its users are currently doing.
“I don’t have any preconceived notions about needing to change things,” says Prough. “My goal is to provide the support the College needs. And IT security must be top of mind.”
Prough, who was born in Wisconsin and grew up in the Stoughton area, has several L&S connections. He is an alumnus of the College having earned a degree in behavioral science and law in 1997. He has two teenaged children with his wife, Becky, including a sophomore in the College of Letters & Science. In his spare time, he enjoys nature, watching his son perform as a member of the UW Marching Band, and attending his daughter’s soccer games.
“I have always thought that working for the UW would be a great opportunity,” says Prough. “The UW is the most important organization in the state.”
