IT Strategic Plan 2023

The Office of the CIO, in collaboration with distributed IT and university-wide stakeholders, has established the next strategic plan for all of IT across Oregon State University.

Read the plan 

IT Strategic Roadmap

The grandest expeditions challenge us to adapt and excel. Our own Grand Expedition to implement IT Strategic Plan 2023 is no different — it will take us places both familiar and foreign where we will plumb the deepest depths, discover nameless planets and reach the highest peaks in order to empower the OSU community to lead vibrant, digitally-empowered lives that will have a lasting, transformative impact at the university and beyond.

View Roadmap

How We Got Here: Drafting our 5-year Plan

IT Strategic Plan 2023 went through a four-step process, beginning with CIO Andrea Ballinger's listening tour and ending with the drafting and vetting of the final document.

 

Step #1: CIO 100 Day Findings

During her first 100 days as CIO, Andrea conducted a listening tour across Oregon State University, meeting with more than 200 OSU community members in Bend, Corvallis, Newport, Portland and two extension offices. During these meet-and-greets, Andrea listened to these various stakeholders discuss their desired business outcomes and expectations, key issues and important drivers. Andrea also met with OSU's top IT leaders, asking them about their roles, areas of influence within their unit, their current projects and how they felt about IT at OSU in general.

This listening tour formed the basis for her 100-Day Report, which summarized her findings and pinpointed 10 areas of growth, or "hot topics", that will serve as the building blocks of the strategic plan. This report was finalized in January.

Read 100-Day Report

 Step #2: Hot Topic Task Forces

Task forces — spearheaded by UIT and distributed IT leaders, and comprised of UIT, IT and campus partners — were formed and charged with providing recommendations and proposals regarding the ten hot topics outlined in the 100-Day Report. These task forces delivered and presented their reports to Andrea and the newly-formed CIO Advisory Group in mid-April. 

Read task force reports

Task Forces

Co-chairs
  • Robin Pappas, Instructional Innovations Program Manager, University Information and Technology
  • Malcom LeMay, Director of Operations, College of Business
Charge

  • A proposal for a formal enterprise information governance (EIG) framework, including structure, committees and membership, with the goal of pragmatically optimizing the value of IT investments for OSU; the framework must be reflective of OSU strategic priorities and desired culture, yet focused on growth and agility, operational excellence and mitigating IT risks

  • A proposal for the scope of enterprise information governance

  • A high-level plan of action to get to the desired state, including major steps and proposed timeline

Co-chairs
  • Gina Shellhammer, Student Success Research and Data Analyst, University Information and Technology
  • Susie Strangfield, Director of Information Technology, College of Veterinary Medicine
Charge

  • Recommendations for the BI architecture, including things such as data lake, data mart, EDW, ODS, Tableau Server, etc.

  • Define requirements for a formal governance structure, including actors that need to be included in committees

  • Recommendations for action on improving critical data quality

  • A high-level plan of action to get to the desired architecture, including major steps and proposed timeline

Co-chairs
  • Melody Riley, Director of CRM Infrastructure, University Information and Technology
  • John Henry, Director of Information Technology, Graduate School
Charge

  • A proposed architecture for a CRM hub at OSU, architected for scalability and agility

  • Define requirements for a formal governance structure, including actors that need to be included in committees

  • A high-level plan of action to get to the desired architecture, including major steps and proposed timeline

Co-chairs
  • Jon Dolan, Deputy CIO for Oregon State University and Associate Vice Provost for University Information and Technology
  • Chris Sullivan, Computational Scientist, Center for Genome Research and Biocomputing
Charge
  • Review the research computing ecosystems of three peer and/or aspirational institutions, and document what works well and what does not
  • Propose a shared vision for this shared service; should include data center, on and off-campus research computing environments, storage and disaster recovery
  • Propose a research computing architecture for OSU that supports innovation, scalability, security and support, which includes taking into account how we can collect, move data for research captured via drones, ships, etc., in a unique, reliable and secure matter, as well as how we participate in national and regional architectures for data transfer.
  • With SP4.0 requirements to drastically reduce carbon footprint, propose a formal plan for consolidating research computing and storage resources across campus into a formal data center; propose co-location within a private OSU cloud/cluster not a drastic change in ownership/autonomy
  • Define requirements for a formal governance structure, including actors that need to be included in committees
  • Propose framework and standard with which research computing service providers should comply to ensure availability and security of resources
  • High-level plan of action to get to the desired architecture, including major steps and proposed timeline
Co-chairs
  • David Goodrum, Director of Academic Technology, University Information and Technology
  • Karen Watte, Director of Course Development and Training, Ecampus
Charge
  • RACI for all things learning/instructional technologies support: What are the roles and responsibilities for IT professionals offering these services?
  • High-level plan of action to get to the desired support program, including major steps, metrics and proposed timeline
Co-chairs
  • Tania Mahood, Assistant Director of Client Services, Information Technology at OSU-Cascades
  • Mark Keever, Director of Research Computing, College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences
Charge
  • Recommendation of a sustainable budget model for IT at OSU — including TCF and ensuring no duplicative services — as well as funds for innovation, and heighten fiscal responsibility
  • Proposal for a rolling 3-year budget model for IT, including natural replacement costs
  • Proposal for an IT budget management tool featuring ongoing dashboards with actual vs. budget
  • High-level plan of action to get to the desired funding model, including major steps and proposed timeline
Co-chairs
  • David Barber, Senior Program Manager, University Information and Technology
  • Lucas Turpin, Director of Information Technology, College of Agricultural Sciences
Charge
  • Proposed method for recognizing and assessing IT innovations of importance to SP4.0 that are emerging, available or being adopted by faculty, staff or IT units
  • Proposed architecture for IT innovation hub at OSU: A sandbox for IT professionals to try out new tools, technologies and/or processes that tie into SP4.0
  • Define requirements for a formal governance structure, including actors that need to be included on committees
  • Define standards for assessing innovation to become production
  • High-level plan of action to get to the desired architecture, including major steps and proposed timeline
Co-chairs
  • David McMorries, Chief Information Security Officer, University Information and Technology
  • Amy McLaughlin, Director of Information Services, Student Health Services
Charge
  • Draft a formal privacy policy
  • RACI for all things IT privacy: What are the roles and responsibilities of IT professionals with privacy and cameras or door access to data?
  • How do we compare our camera/door access efforts against peers?
Co-chairs
  • Scott Emery, Director of IT Relations, University Information and Technology
  • Terralyn Vandetta, Associate Director of Forestry Computing Resources, Finance and Administration
Charge
  • RACI for all things IT professional development: What are the roles and responsibilities for IT professionals offering these services?
  • Recommendation for action on creating a professional development program
  • High-level plan of action to get to the desired program, including major steps and proposed timeline
Co-chairs
  • Lynn Greenough, Associate Director of Learning Platform Services, University Information and Technology
  • Ben Wessel, Director of Information Technology, Finance and Administration
Charge
  • RACI for all things IT portfolio management: What are the roles and responsibilities for IT professionals offering these services?
  • Proposal for the creation of a portfolio management practice
  • Proposal for a decision framework/rubric to be used when prioritizing IT work requests
  • Proposal for a formal change management process
  • High-level plan of action to get to the desired program, including major steps, metrics and proposed timeline
Step #3: CIO Advisory Review and Prioritization

In March 2020, Andrea invited campus leaders and partners from across the university landscape to take part in the newly-formed CIO Advisory Group. Together and in close collaboration, the CIO and the CIO Advisory Group reviewed each task force's report and recommendations, and deliberated on and prioritized which 10 actions to include in the strategic plan, as well as crafted a shared mission and vision for IT in the next three years at Oregon State University. The CIO Advisory Group made its final recommendations in early June, to be implemented into the final strategic plan document.

CIO Advisory Group

Jon Boeckenstedt

Vice Provost for Enrollment Management

Alix Gitelman

Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education

Rachel Josephson

President, Associated Students of Oregon State University (ASOSU)

Mark Koenig

CIO and Vice President of Technology, Oregon State Foundation

Paul Odenthal

Senior Associate Vice President for Administration, Finance and Administration

Patti Snopkowski

Chief Executive for Audit, Risk and Compliance

John Talbott

Director, College of Agricultural Sciences

The Office of the CIO is serving as an advisory to the advisory group.

Jon Dolan,

Deputy CIO for Oregon State University and Associate Vice Provost for University Information and Technology

David Barber

Senior Program Manager, University Information and Technology

Scott Emery

Director of IT Relations, University Information and Technology

David McMorries

Chief Information Security Officer, University Information and Technology

Step #4: Drafting the IT Strategic Plan

After the mission, vision and actions were identified and outlined with help and input from the CIO Advisory Group, Andrea formed an IT Strategic Plan writing group, a small committee of UIT employees, who began drafting the IT Strategic Plan in May 2020. The document was submitted to Provost and Executive Vice President Ed Feser at the end of October, and was approved for implementation beginning in November.

Read IT Strategic Plan 2023

Now: Formalized Governance through the Enterprise Information Investment Committee (EIIC)

The EIIC is composed of OSU community members from across the university who represent the primary areas where IT investments will be made based on OSU SP 4.0 and IT Strategic Plan 2023. Members include those representing teaching, learning, research, extension and administration.

Purpose of the EIIC

Its purpose is to ensure the effective and efficient use of technology that will enable OSU to achieve its strategy and goals. The committee is also tasked with ensuring that technology services advance the university’s goals and mission as well as being accountable for the realization of expected value and benefits from strategic information and technology investments.

IT Governance