Virginia Tech Information Technology Strategic Plan for 2006-2012
The mission of Virginia Tech’s Information Technology (IT) organization is to serve the university community and the citizens of the commonwealth by applying and integrating information resources to:
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Enhance and support teaching and learning; Participate in, support, and enhance research; Foster outreach, develop partnerships with communities, and promote the capabilities of advanced networking and communications; Provide, secure, and maintain information systems allowing the university to accomplish its missions.
Information Technology Strategic Themes and Objectives
The IT strategic plan has six themes that are in keeping with the university’s strategic goals of research and scholarship, graduate education, undergraduate education, and outreach. The IT themes are, developing and reshaping the IT organization to better achieve its goals; establishing a level of security that continuously protects university data and research; enhancing instructional technology; supporting research through advancing technology and through direct participation; continuing to assist, lead, and provide technical advice to Virginia on information technology, emphasizing underserved areas; and supporting the university’s mission and activities with highly available and robustly functional enterprise systems.
A. Information Technology Organizational Development
As an organization, IT must ensure that its culture, structure, and communications meet the evolving requirements of the university and that the organization provides leadership to support university goals where information technology contributes to achieving those goals. 1. Develop a culture where professional development is valued and realized. a. Collaborate with Personnel Services to create a Professional Development Institute and ensure that all personnel within Information Technology have appropriate and current information technology skills. b. Establish a seminar series to educate managers and staff about the broader university environment. c. Use the annual performance review process to ensure that supervisors have communicated the importance of professional development to those they supervise and that every IT staff member has at least one training or development suggestion.
2. Participate actively in university strategic planning and proactively develop an IT strategic plan, including an information technology needs assessment. a. Develop strategic objectives with input from around the university. (1) Verify that university needs have been appropriately identified and prioritized by actively gathering of input from university decision-makers. (2) Align resources to meet the strategic objectives. 3. Complete a comprehensive review of the IT organization. a. Evaluate the alignment of IT support services with university goals. b. Evaluate alignment of support and service activities within the Information Technology organization with the IT strategic plan. c. Identify gaps between the university strategic plan and IT support and service functions. d. Develop resource plans to address the alignment of IT support and service with both university and IT plans. e. For each management area within IT, ascertain the costs of management, personnel, and operations associated with support and services. 4. Develop an IT communications and marketing plan. a. Develop processes to enhance communications within the IT organization. b. Develop processes to enhance communications between the IT organization and the university community. c. Identify the multiple audiences for IT communications. d. Raise awareness of what the IT organization provides to the university. e. Establish new user groups. f. Establish on-going processes to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the needs of the university. 5. Implement structures that enable the university to leverage IT opportunities and that accommodate the requirements of the Restructuring Act. a. Document the processes that support the requirements of the Management Agreement of the Restructuring Act. (1) Provide a level of assurance that the requirements of the agreement are being met. (2) Establish teams to address the requirements of the Management Agreement. (3) As required by the Restructuring Act, obtain board of visitors’ approval of those processes. b. Collaborate with other higher education institutions. c. Consider the creation of a private entity with appropriate university control. (1) Position this entity to employ information technology that contributes to university goals for federal, state, and private funding. (2) Through this entity, make available federal contracting, regional government contracting, and commercial contracting.
Virginia Tech Information Technology Strategic Plan for 2006-2012
6. By 2010, significantly increase the number of students who work in or with Information Technology in support of their academic goals. a. Employ one or more student in each management area. (1) Where appropriate (for example, Math Emporium, Torgersen Bridge, and 4Help), employ students to extend IT support to the university community. (2) Support graduate and undergraduate research in areas where IT is aligned with programs of study (examples include programs in Electrical and Computing Engineering, Computer Science, Business Information Technology, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Instructional Design and Technology). (3) Where appropriate, train and employ students in operational support. b. Identify appropriate IT personnel to act as professional mentors to students and ensure that mentoring is recognized in annual performance reviews. c. Identify a funding model. 7. Foster a diverse and inclusive community that supports mutual respect. a. Support programs that enhance campus and workplace climate, safety, and community. b. Increase diversity training to improve cultural awareness and to foster a welcoming university climate. c. Promote the use of technology that enhances accessibility for the entire university community.
B. Security
As information systems have evolved, they provide more powerful tools and greater and more rapid access to critical information needed daily to run operations, provide instruction, and conduct research. Unfortunately, there are individuals and groups who attempt to gain unauthorized access to the university’s critical information resources. Security practices help protect these resources. 1. Maintain a level of standards, practices, and control with a goal of zero major security incidents. a. Complete the Security Task Force report and distribute by 2007. b. Develop a funding plan for the initiatives approved from the Security Task Force report. c. Provide security training and tools for the university community. d. Provide a security review function for the university to ensure university data are stored and transmitted securely. e. Ensure integrity of data retained within the IT span of control.
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Virginia Tech Information Technology Strategic Plan for 2006-2012
C. Instructional Enhancements
Information Technology contributes to the university mission of teaching and learning by providing the appropriate technical resources and enhancing both teaching and learning through information technology. 1. Support a learner-centric environment by ensuring that all 170 centrally scheduled classrooms have an appropriate standard of technology. a. b. c. d. e. f. g. Establish equipment standards and review them annually. Establish plans for periodic upgrades. Identify the required support structure. Identify and obtain funding. Interact with the classroom master planning committee. Ensure IT involvement in the planning of new and renovated classroom facilities. Develop a checklist for architects and planning committees for new and renovated buildings.
2. Ensure that faculty members and graduate students have the knowledge, skills, and training to integrate information technologies into undergraduate, graduate, and outreach programs. a. Identify funding for more hardware, software, and instructors to ensure that 95% of the faculty has the opportunity to participate in FDI on a four-year cycle. b. Increase the opportunities for faculty members to experience and evaluate new technologies. c. Develop a funding model to shorten the FDI cycle to 3 years. d. Participate in the development of undergraduate, graduate, and outreach programs. e. Integrate course management systems with student information systems and with the library system. f. Increase the number of FDI instructors by 25%. 3. Explore, develop, and implement enterprise-level teaching and learning applications to facilitate collaboration, reflection, sharing, and repositories. a. Participate in developing an integrated toolset for collaboration and web publishing. b. Integrate digital repositories, e-portfolios, and web hosting services with the course management system. 4. Upgrade all 30 centrally scheduled distance-learning classrooms to enhance teaching capabilities and to enable offering classes worldwide. a. Work with colleges and programs to identify needed improvements in instructional delivery methods. b. Use H.323 protocol to support enhanced display of computer graphics and data.
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Virginia Tech Information Technology Strategic Plan for 2006-2012
c. Replace aged ATM-based systems with IP-based systems capable of distributing distance-learning classes worldwide. d. Upgrade the Video Network Operations Center with multi-point conferencing units, multiple protocol integration, and improved streaming and archiving. e. Upgrade facilities so that any instructor or student can present from any location on the video-conferencing network. f. Standardize the instructor interface for ease of use and improved presentations. g. Train faculty on using new systems. h. Train operations and support staff. i. Continually evaluate and improve the infrastructure and services.
D. Research and Advancements in Technology
Information technology supports Virginia Tech’s research activities through advanced computation, storing critical research data, and high-performance networking. The IT organization will continually identify and implement the tools that researchers need to be productive, competitive, and successful. Information technology-based research tools must be available to researchers in the National Capital Region, as the university increases its presence there. 1. Develop new collaborations with an increased emphasis on open-source development. a. Actively participate in the Common Solutions Group. b. Create a directory of information technology membership organizations with the goal of expanding collaborations. c. Create an IT advisory board with representative vendors, alumni, board of visitors’ members, and federal agencies. d. Create an inventory of open-source collaborations and open-source developments. e. Identify and assess potential open-source solutions. 2. Increase funded research, grants, and contracts involving IT personnel. a. Within 5 years, generate $5 million in funded research with IT personnel as principal investigators. (1) Through new and existing contracts, generate up to 80% of the goal. (2) Identify IT personnel able to pursue sponsored research. b. Participate with academic departments and research centers in cluster hiring of talented faculty. c. Within 5 years, generate an additional $10 million in funded research by contributing to sponsored research for PIs outside of IT. (1) Work with the university research community to identify and assign IT resources that support research. (2) Measure IT contributions to Virginia Tech research. (3) Develop relationships between specific IT personal and specific research faculty members. 5
Virginia Tech Information Technology Strategic Plan for 2006-2012
3. Develop “Best Practices” in high-performance computing, advanced communications, faculty development in information technology, cyber-security, and economic development. Measure and review accomplishments annually, and compare performance to peers. Develop a process to market these best practices to constituent communities. Ensure that business plans support sustaining the “best” practices over time. Monitor external opportunities and evaluate their fit with the strengths of the IT organization. e. Educate the university about IT products, services, and opportunities to leverage IT for sponsored research (e.g., high performance computing, advanced services). f. Set specific annual goals for advancing research computing. g. Provide and enhance user support to ensure the university community is able to access the university network and computing resources. 4. Provide the university with ubiquitous optical and wireless high performance network infrastructure. a. Provide leadership to the development of national and international research networks. b. Provide for future advances in information and communications technology by enhancing the campus network cable plant infrastructure. c. Move the university to gigabit Ethernet to every workspace. d. Enhance and expand campus-wide wireless network access. 5. Support university research in the National Capital Region. a. Monitor opportunities associated with federal granting agencies. b. Develop relationships with research faculty members and research programs in the National Capital Region. a. b. c. d.
E. Outreach and Community Development
Virginia Tech is committed to assisting the commonwealth in creating productive, viable economies. The IT organization facilitates the deployment of advanced networks and applications, inter-regional connectivity, and attracting technology to transform local economies. 1. Develop a coordinated program for economic and community development that leverages resources of the IT organization. a. Identify assets and services. b. Identify opportunities to work with other university programs. c. Develop a menu of information technology services that can be made available to communities along with associated costs and funding. d. Identify appropriate reportable measures and measure outcomes.
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Virginia Tech Information Technology Strategic Plan for 2006-2012
e. Work with Outreach and International Affairs to define technology elements of regional research, technology, and education centers. f. Pursue funding that enables partnerships with communities.
F. University Enterprise Systems
Enterprise systems support core business processes, including research and instruction. 1. Provide university business offices with secure and efficient applications. Secure each enterprise system and the critical and sensitive data each contains. Enhance enterprise systems to support efficiency and effectiveness. Facilitate e-commerce, e-procurement, and other online business transactions. Ensure that access to university data is appropriate for business needs in an efficient and useful fashion. e. Encourage colleges to use university warehouse data to support their goals and objectives. 2. Explore, familiarize, develop, and implement new technologies that will enhance the users’ productivity. a. Investigate new opportunities to extend the usefulness of enterprise systems. b. Implement new applications that allow the university community to increase productivity. 3. Promote continuing commitment to quality and service of enterprise systems. a. Promote innovative processes for enhancing quality, improving cost effectiveness, streamlining operations, and/or improving customer service. b. In collaboration with Personnel Services, deploy the Professional Development Institute to staff university wide. a. b. c. d.
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