4/3/00

The IT (Information Technology) Network is a committee consisting of representatives from Computing and Information Technology (CIT) and distributed computing centers across campus including schools and colleges, and administrative centers outside the main administration. The group began meeting in January, 2000. The group seeks involvement from all IT centers on campus.

• The University as a whole needs to work strategically and cooperatively across units to create new business opportunities and enhance existing services to maintain competitiveness and increase revenue. Strategic and cooperative work across campus in IT can further this objective.
• The University must build its capacity to change. Nowhere is this more evident in the realms of IT. Currently no organization on campus provides broad-reaching, cross-unit implementation planning and support for new technologies. Nor is any organization at the University responsible for providing change management support in the realm of IT.
• Redundancy occurs within IT services across the campus in a variety of ways, including: network-based services such as groupware, file and print sharing, backup; and also in areas such as software and hardware support, programming, systems administration, etc. Such duplication is costly, and creates problems for system integration.
• Client services are uneven in quality across campus, user response time can be improved, as well as the coordination of services between CIT and distributed support resources.
• Communication about IT goals and objectives and current projects can be improved between units.
• Proposed University-wide IT projects currently have no formal method for establishing ‘buy-in’ among campus units, as well as getting support for implementation across the campus.
• Projects deemed mission-critical, or urgent on a University-wide basis may require staff time from a range of University sources for successful completion. Support for leveraging and reallocating staffing as needed on a project by project basis, may be necessary if not helpful.
• Organizational systems and budgeting processes may conflict with effective delivery and implementation of IT services, and may need modification.
• No one IT organization provides comprehensive feedback processes from IT end-users to IT service providers for quality improvement.

The mission of the IT Network Group is to provide a cross-unit, campus-wide vehicle for strategic IT decision-making and implementation support, as well as cross-campus collaboration on IT projects and objectives. It will address the problem areas outlined in the problem statement above, and contribute and implement suggestions and in a manner consistent with the University Mission and Core Values. The actions of the group will support the findings outlined in the Strategic Change Process Steering Group Report dated February 2000. The report identified two areas as important in providing the means to achieving UVM’s mission: Technology is an essential element in promoting the learning, discovery and engagement missions of the university as we move into the twenty-first century; and engagement in Vermont and the world is a vital component of our contribution to society, as we seek to solve real, collaboratively-defined problems and to prepare students for a life of civic involvement and service to their communities.

Among the areas of focus that were established in the report where the IT Network can be of service, include:

Standards – Strengthen efforts to standardize basic/minimal desktop hardware and software applications across the campus; Develop core competencies in information and technology for students, faculty, and staff and relate these to work underway in the Senate Academic Affairs Committee on core competencies and core curriculum; Continue to enhance IT training, an ongoing effort; CAP – Standards Committee, Center for Teaching & Learning, DMDL-Howard Davis, etc.

Central Server – Provide input to CIT, the Computer Depot, etc., regarding options/suggestions for supporting basic applications from a central server.

Research practices of peers and competitors – Committee members should offer their services to identify and study best practices in engineering these changes.

Centralization/standardization of services and clarification of authority – These were identified as essential to creating more efficient, more effective use of information technology at UVM. Regarding centralizing leadership – The committee should serve in an advisory role to Rebecca Martin & Director of CIT to increase collaboration and information exchange. Their primary role would be to frame questions/recommendations and identify points at which a decision could be made to give a sense of where capital should be placed.

Improve and standardize training and education regarding use of information technology – The committee should recommend and design development programs for professional IT tracks for staff and mentors, help with implementation of proficiency and skill level evaluation courses for faculty, staff, and students, serve as advisory committee for tools to evaluate skill levels of constituents, assist in setting standards, expectations and goals for technology. They should be available to provide input to develop policy instruction and human resources as well as set standards and expectations and goals for technology. The committee should work with University training and Development, CIT, CTL, DMDL, and individual units who currently offer on-site training.

The initial IT Network Steering Group hopes will this group will become an integral part of the University of Vermont’s institutional culture – a mindset of continuous assessment and commitment to improvement, as well as strategic and cooperative decision and implementation support across campus IT units.

Subcommittees have been proposed, and some coordinators have been assigned, but as of 4/10/00 none have met.

Communications – Provide venues for communication of activities and directions of central and distributed IT services, and develop collaborative opportunities. (No chair yet)

Standards – Establish campus-wide standards for software, hardware and support services. Existing Standards committee may become a sub-committee of the IT Network.

User Services – Support and implement campus – wide user services practices and services. (Craig Donnan craig.donnan@uvm.edu, Interim Chair)

IT Training/Education – Coordinate the development of IT training in conjunction with project roll-outs and standards development. Implement training and assessment as a part of HR staff evaluation, and new hires. (Lynn Cummings lynn.cummings@uvm.edu, Chair)

Additional members are welcome to the steering committee. The group will meet once a month. Contact Craig Donnan craig.donnan@uvm.edu for meeting times and places. Notices and minutes are posted on UVM’s Advocats discussion list.