Strategic Plan for 2020

The Information Technology strategic plan is intended to be a living document and your comments and suggestions are always welcome.

Executive Summary
Summary of IT Priorities and Goals
Conclusion

Download complete strategic planning document (Word document)

Executive Summary

The University of Louisville has defined its strategic priorities in the document “Strategic Planning 2020.” The strategic themes in that plan address the university’s mission, not only as an institution of postsecondary education and research, but also as a member of a wider community.

Information Technology has a critical role to play in the development of a great urban university. Technology has become an integral part of teaching, learning and research activities, and provides an infrastructure for interaction, investigation and collaboration. In a leadership role, Information Technology has the potential to drive change across the university, and help the university reach its goals to become a regional and national leader.

The university presents five strategic themes in its plan. Information Technology has identified strategic priorities that support each of the university themes and embody a vision of Information Technology as a support unit with a wide-ranging university role. This document lays out an evolving vision that will help guide Information Technology investments over the next decade.

Under the theme of Educational Excellence, IT will focus on the needs of faculty and students. While progress has been made on integrating technology into the classroom and instruction, a renewed vision of academic support is needed. This plan proposes improvements to make technology an effective and worthwhile contributor to the educational environment for faculty and students both in the classroom and online. Today, students make extensive use of technology outside of the classroom. In this plan, IT proposes to reinvent student services by creating student technology facilities that welcome students into a collaborative environment where a wide range of technology services are readily available. Student safety, online communities, and social environments will be enhanced through this plan.

Research computing infrastructure is an area that must be expanded to meet the goal of becoming a preeminent metropolitan research university. The IT plan calls for expansion of “cyberinfrastructure”—the computation, storage, network, programming and support resources required for research activities in the 21st Century. With UofL as a connector on the Internet2 research and education network, UofL researchers will benefit greatly from high-speed connectivity and exciting new network capabilities.

The university is expanding its engagement in the community, and IT looks forward to continuing its involvement in local, regional, national and global partnerships that develop new services, promote economic growth, and energize the local community.

IT has participated fully in university diversity, opportunity and social justice initiatives, and plans to continue its efforts to maintain a supportive social environment and to provide opportunities for a diverse workforce.

Technology infrastructure is a critical element in the productivity of faculty, staff and students. The university is fortunate to have state-of-the-art networks, servers, and applications. It is a strategic priority for Information Technology to ensure that this infrastructure is robust and secure. IT will expand communication with faculty, staff and students, and will seek to help the university community be aware of technology trends and the impact on teaching, learning and research.

Enterprise application systems are critical to university operations. Required updates and enhancements to these must be included in this plan. IT will also be working to create a sustainable technology services model (reducing the reliance on revenue and charge backs as much as possible), and restructuring quotas and resource allocations to better meet faculty, staff and student needs. As always, IT seeks to improve its service delivery through simplified access, improved communication, and partnerships.

At the center of this strategic plan is the vision of a vigorous Information Technology unit that collaborates with the university community creatively and flexibly, provides empowering applications and tools, and is a valuable partner in instruction and research. The Information Technology strategic priorities and goals in the following sections are based on this vision, and respond to the strategic themes of the university’s plan. Information Technology looks forward to serving the university community in these endeavors over the coming years.

Summary of IT Priorities and Goals

STRATEGIC THEME: EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE

Priority: Enhance the Learning Environment

Goal I: Improve the use of Instructional Technology
a. Expand the use of technology in classroom instruction
b. Expand support for creation and delivery of “on demand” learning materials
c. Improve support for teaching and learning
d. Participate in strategic initiatives that support increased graduation rates
e. Pursue grants in support of instructional technology and infrastructure
f. Facilitate the teaching of “visual literacy.”
g. Support UofL’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP)

Priority: Reinvent Student Services

Goal II: Improve student technology services and support
a. Create a new approach to serving students
b. Upgrade wireless networking to meet student requirements
c. Develop student cellular programs to support mobility applications
d. Develop technology support for “at-risk” students
e. Enlist students to help other students with technology
f. Partner with REACH and others to create enhanced services for students

Goal III: Enhance student safety and information access
a. Develop and enhance emergency notification systems
b. Develop a mobile life safety program for students
c. Develop a flexible suite of mobile applications

Goal IV: Provide support for student communities and social environment
a. Develop applications that support the student community
b. Utilize technology platforms that support enhanced collaboration tools
c. Partner with parents of prospective, new and current students

STRATEGIC THEME: RESEARCH & SCHOLARSHIP

Priority: Develop Research Computing Infrastructure

Goal V: Develop high performance computing infrastructure
a. Develop research computing, storage, and networking infrastructure
b. Develop technology infrastructure and support for the Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI)
c. Develop a program to support departmental research resources

Goal VI: Expand utilization of research networking
a. Expand UofL’s participation as a member of Internet2
b. Develop a Kentucky RON (Regional Optical Network)
c. Deploy high-speed networking to support researchers

Goal VII: Expand research support services
a. Expand visual media services for researchers
b. Assist researchers with grant development
c. Provide research consulting and support
d. Expand efforts to engage UofL faculty in the use of Internet2

STRATEGIC THEME: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Priority: Engage in Collaborative Projects

Goal VIII: Develop educational and outreach programs
a. Maintain and expand community partnership programs
b. Expand distribution and awareness of public health information
c. Participate online in national and global outreach and exchange projects

STRATEGIC THEME: DIVERSITY, SOCIAL JUSTICE, AND OPPORTUNITY

Priority: Maintain a Supportive Social Environment

Goal IX: Support principles of diversity and social justice
a. Create an environment that supports diversity and social justice
b. Participate in university initiatives, such as the Cardinal Covenant

STRATEGIC THEME: STEWARDSHIP, ACCOUNTABILITY AND SUPPORT

Priority: Maintain a Robust and Secure Technology Infrastructure

Goal X: Enhance datacenter and network infrastructure
a. Implement datacenter redundancy
b. Position the university networks for future technology changes

Goal XI: Enhance security infrastructure
a. Implement security enhancements for the campus network and datacenter
b. Maintain and expand security initiatives in the residence halls

Priority: Enhance Enterprise Administrative Systems

Goal XII: Implement and maintain applications systems
a. Maintain enterprise systems at the most current version of the software
b. Develop a new enterprise portal for the university
c. Enhance reporting & data warehousing capabilities
d. Develop web application services
e. Assist with university business process redesign (BPR)
f. Develop applications that support unit business managers
g. Encourage use of document imaging and document management systems
h. Provide analytic and business intelligence (BI) tools
i. Provide support for alumni and donor outreach
j. Develop support for grants administration

Priority: Create a Sustainable Technology Service Model

Goal XIII: Realign IT funding and improve allocation of technology resources
a. Resolve structural imbalances in the IT budget
b. Restructure IT budget to reduce reliance on revenue and charge-backs
c. Restructure resource quotas and allocations to better meet user needs
d. Explore funding by donors for renovations of public centers
e. Lease EBS (Educational Broadband Service) spectrum

Priority: Improve Technology Service Delivery

Goal XIV: Improve customer support
a. Develop and expand IT communication and marketing efforts
b. Continue to implement a “single point of entry” for access to IT services
c. Support a university-wide Tier I certification program
d. Implement a "face-to-face" consulting area in IT
e. Reinvent training and enhance online documentation
f. Stay ahead of new technology trends through effective research and development
g. Implement a customer service training program for IT staff

Goal XV: Improve efficiency and effectiveness of IT as an organization
a. Improve internal IT processes to support improved service delivery
b. Restructure IT organization to align with service requirements
c. Enhance professional development and training opportunities for the staff

Goal XVI: Develop new services through collaborative partnerships
a. Partner with HSC to integrate University Hospital services with university services
b. Participate in joint technology projects with UofL Hospital and other hospitals

Introduction

Investments in information technology are fundamental to UofL’s quest to become a preeminent metropolitan research university. During the past ten years, the university has invested in its technology infrastructure by:

• advancing communication and collaboration
• enhancing business productivity
• supporting best practices
• providing online access to services for the university community
• providing a competitive advantage in research grants
• supporting economic development
• providing an online learning infrastructure to support learning communities, enhance retention, and improve access to education

Just as information technology has contributed to the success of UofL’s Challenge for Excellence, information technology will be essential to supporting and empowering UofL’s efforts to meet its ambitious goals for 2020. As UofL grows in number of students and research initiatives, technology infrastructure must grow to support and sustain those initiatives. With this plan, IT will broaden its focus on student services and research support to better meet these needs.

As an organization, Information Technology must operate as a strategic partner and collaborator that can contribute to the success of university initiatives. IT can help units apply best practices and to understand the technology issues that face them. The IT strategic plan must support the university’s strategic initiatives, ensure that needed services and support are provided, and lead the university’s response to technology change.

UofL Information Technology is recognized nationally as a leader among its peers. UofL has a highly prominent implementation of the PeopleSoft system, and the implementation of directory services and single sign-on are well known. IT has been a leader in state-wide networking since the 1970s, and was recently featured in press articles for bringing an Internet2 access point to Kentucky. UofL’s recently completed Voice over IP phone conversion is not only one of the largest in an American university but features an innovative Enhanced 911 system that can pinpoint the location of a phone call to a specific desktop.

Over the years, IT has developed its campus technology services including a robust network infrastructure, a secure data center, a comprehensive array of applications and services, and 24 x 7 support through the IT Helpdesk. In addition, IT provides high-quality printing and digital imaging offerings that provide convenience and value for the students, faculty, and staff.

The pace of technology change continues to accelerate. External trends such as network convergence, virtualization, online communities and mobility are forcing universities to reconsider how services are delivered. Other factors, such as funding of technology investments and allocation of resources, must be addressed to ensure the long-term viability of the university’s technology environment.

Strategic priorities outlined in this plan include:

• Enhance the learning environment
• Reinvent student services
• Develop research computing infrastructure
• Engage in collaborative projects
• Maintain a supportive social environment
• Maintain a robust and secure technology infrastructure
• Enhance enterprise administrative applications
• Create a sustainable technology service model
• Improve technology service delivery

Conclusion

The strategic priorities in this plan directly address the themes of the university Strategic Planning 2020 and will enable UofL’s vision of being a premier metropolitan research university. Over the next decade IT will place a particular focus on reinventing student services and developing a robust research infrastructure. IT will continue to provide strong support for core technology infrastructure and enterprisesystems, while seeking to improve service delivery and access. In the short term, a sustainable funding model will be developed that reduces reliance on revenue and charge backs while restructuring resource quotas and allocations.

The vision of this plan is to revitalize Information Technology and allow IT to become a valued partner in the university community by providing empowering applications, tools and services for the faculty, staff and students. Information Technology looks forward to serving the university community and accomplishing these initiatives in the coming years.