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University reveals plan to transform information technology >
Why was it created?
U-M spends hundreds of millions of dollars a year on information technology, but, until now, has not had a unified approach to prioritizing IT investments.
A new IT Governance Structure being developed will help U-M maximize its investment in IT and allocate funds to its highest priorities. The new structure also will provide a way to evaluate the effectiveness of technologies and help U-M move forward in some key areas such as mobile- and high-performance computing.
Who developed the structure?
The structure was developed by Teresa Sullivan, provost; Tim Slottow, executive vice president and chief financial officer; Dan Atkins, associate vice president for research cyberinfrastructure; Paul Courant, university librarian and dean of libraries; Jocelyn DeWitt, chief information officer for U-M Hospitals and Health Centers; John King, vice provost for academic information; and Laura Patterson, associate vice president for Information and Technology Services (ITS) and chief information officer. The Academic Program Group, senior staff in the offices of the provost and CFO, and campus IT leaders also provided input.
At this time, all members of the various IT Governance committees have not been appointed. For a current list of committee members and more details go to nextgen.umich.edu.
When does it start?
Work on the new IT Governance Structure begins in March.
What is the structure and what will it do?
Six groups make up the governance structure. They are:
• U-M IT Executive Committee
The U-M IT Executive Committee retains ultimate responsibility for setting U-M’s vision and strategic direction, determining IT strategic investments and policy decisions, and communicating and aligning with the Board of Regents.
• IT Council
The IT Executive Committee is supported by an IT Council of campus delegates from four other main committees based on common functions across the university (research, teaching and learning, human resources, finance, etc.). The council will develop and recommend the strategic direction for shared information and communications technologies. Additionally, this group will review and prioritize projects, ensuring they align with U-M IT Strategy set by the IT Executive Committee.
Nominations from interested faculty that would like to serve on the newly formed IT Council should be submitted by 5 p.m. March 12.
• The Mission Stewards and Domain Stewards Committee
The Mission Stewards represent the core mission of the university and include clinical care, research, teaching and learning, and libraries, repositories, and archives.
The Domain Stewards represent individuals in administrative or support areas, including facilities, finance, human resources, fundraising, student administration, research administration and student co-curricular.
The combined committee will serve as voice and representative for its constituencies; set the strategic agenda for respective areas; communicate back to constituents any outcomes; lead collaboration efforts across campus; advocate for resource allocations for respective areas based on the U-M strategy and operating constraints; ensure constituents have opportunity for input and reaction; and create team, review board, communities etc. as appropriate.
• Unit IT Steering Committee
This is an appointed group of IT leaders responsible for reviewing proposals, setting the infrastructure and shared services priorities, and facilitating collaboration across units.
• Information and Infrastructure Assurance Committee
These delegates represent individuals aligned to privacy, security, IT policy and business continuity/disaster recovery.
