Northeastern Provost Stephen Director announced Wednesday the appointment of Rehan Khan as vice president and chief information officer.

Khan will be in charge of upgrading the Information Systems (IS) department when he joins Northeastern Nov. 14, according to a news release issued by the university.

“[Khan] will oversee the strategic vision and leadership for Northeastern’s information technology and services that serve as vital components in supporting administrative, academic and leadership functions,” Director said in the release.

Northeastern’s IS serves 25,000 students and faculty, according to the university.

IS manages NUwave Internet in the residence halls, the InfoCommons computing facility, Blackboard instructional interface, the myNEU portal and academic and administrative software applications.

“In order to attract and retain the best faculty and students and remain competitive in academics and research, it is essential that planning and investments in technology infrastructure remain a high priority,” Khan said in the release.

Student Government Association (SGA) President Mike Sabo campaigned in April to pursue upgrades in interfaces students use daily, such as the aging myNEU system.

Khan comes from West Virginia University, where he was named in September 2009 as that university’s chief information officer and associate provost for information technology.

At West Virginia, Khan managed a staff of 150 full-time students and 140 student workers with an $18 million budget.

Khan also worked to upgrade the university’s IT systems and interfaces for students and faculty.

“Technology plays a key role in pedagogy, research, health care and service. I look forward to developing strategies that improve and enhance our services,” Khan said. “I am very excited to join Northeastern.”

Khan earned a Bachelor of Science in Management from the University of Massachusetts and an Masters of Business Administration from Rivier College in New Hampshire.