Strategic Planning for Information Technology: Steering the Ship or Being Driven?

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Strategic Planning for Information Technology: Steering the Ship or Being Driven?

7/26/2005

The College-wide Technology Committee for 2005-2010 (CTC) is comprised of 38 faculty, staff, administrators, and students organized in four subcommittees that have been charged to consider Infrastructure Design and Management, Teaching and Learning, Student Support, and Administrative Tools. These subcommittees have grown to include hundreds of members based on a college-wide invitation to participate in the strategic technology planning process. The subcommittees have divided themselves further into focus groups to study the requirements, priorities, and impact of rapidly changing technologies on the college’s already identified strategic goals. In a very technical realm, we have achieved a users’ grass roots involvement that further ensures the relevance of our future investments.

The CTC and its subcommittees have met regularly to discuss a wide variety of topics such as a digital divide caused by lack of broadband access versus the impact of students who are able to purchase and use-low cost communication devices as personal platforms for computing, telephony, messaging support, and entertainment. The above-referenced paradigm shifts in personal mobility, communications, and computing spurred significant debate as well, with certain impact to equipment refresh plans, classroom and lab designs, employee skills requirements, the deployment of wireless networks, and the need for new and different security measures to protect the open learning environment enjoyed by the college community. This last point is of particular interest for a higher education environment and culture that is in direct conflict with the principles of information security. Among the several concerns is the protection of intellectual property as we also guard academic freedom and dialogue.

After months of deliberation, the CTC has identified strategic priorities and projects that take into consideration the interests, needs, and skill levels of all sectors of the college. The priorities include an integrated and collaborative technology infrastructure for all students and employees; college-wide wireless architecture; synchronized refresh cycle; training and technology support; and an annual review process to ensure compliance with national industry standards and best practices.

All projects under these priorities are submitted for funding to become part of an annual operational plan. As approved, projects are assigned to multidisciplinary project teams that produce detailed implementation plans and are responsible for project completion and presentations during the CTC’s cyclic review.

Like so many other industries that rely on technology, technology is not our business. Yet it has central importance and requires unique care and knowledge to realize its potential as a true support for learning. How effectively we plan will dictate how well we navigate toward this still-emerging horizon of new technology.rmidable rm challenge.

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"Strategic Planning for Information Technology: Steering the Ship or Being Driven?," Campus Technology, 7/26/2005, http://www.campustechnology.com/article.aspx?aid=40403

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