UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Nearly two dozen Penn State thought leaders recently participated in three half-day workshops with external vendor PwC to develop recommendations for a future state for information technology (IT) across the University. The workshops were an integral part of the recommendations phase of the IT Optimized Service Team's efforts to create a new ecosystem of shared support and services to best meet the needs of students, faculty, staff and researchers across the University.
The goal of the Optimized Service Teams — in alignment with Penn State’s mission, strategic priorities, and the road map released by University leadership — is to optimize business practices, enhance service and support for the University community, and create career pathways and development opportunities for staff.
The recommendations phase is the second phase in the IT OST workstream timeline. Future phases include implementation, stabilization and continuous improvement.
Workshop exercises were built around foundational items, including the 2023 IT Current State Report, benchmarking against other institutions of higher ed, interviews with 41 stakeholders and a survey of IT capability maturity. Participants reviewed the existing operating model, identified areas of opportunities and recommended strategies to support the unique needs of students, faculty, staff and researchers.
“The collaboration of a diverse group, including staff from different administrative and academic units, colleges and campuses, was truly remarkable and inspiring. Together, we rolled up our sleeves and crafted blueprints to chart our course for the future of IT at Penn State,” said Jonathan Kukta, director of Business Services and Operations at Penn State Schuylkill.
During the workshops, participants developed 17 recommendations that will be refined through engagements over the next several months with IT units; listening sessions with stakeholder groups including students, faculty and staff; and meetings with other University community members. Additional data also will be gathered from units before the recommendations are prioritized for the executive sponsors’ final decision.
The recommendations are:
-
Establish a unified IT governance framework
-
Define the IT operating model
-
Develop a new organizational structure
-
Align IT staff and skills with future needs
-
Expand communities of practice
-
Standardize contract management
-
Define interaction models for IT processes
-
Enhance the IT Service Desk
-
Standardize IT solution design and delivery
-
Establish a cost-based financial taxonomy for IT
-
Adopt lean portfolio management
-
Achieve higher levels of performance and customer satisfaction
-
Establish enterprise architecture
-
Conduct an application rationalization assessment
-
Define University-wide data strategy and governance
-
Streamline Identity and Access Management (IAM) processes
-
Establish a change management strategy
The workshops brought together participants with varying IT expertise to consider as many stakeholder perspectives as possible.
“As an English professor, I appreciated being able to participate in the workshops. How to re-organize IT can seem like a technical question, but the answer will have implications for everyone and for everything we do. Getting it right will require a wide range of input,” said Stuart Selber, professor of English and director of digital education.
Workshop participants included:
-
Tony Anderson, IT director, Smeal College of Business
-
Jeremy Bean, assistant vice president, Enterprise Change and Transformation, Office of the President
-
Dan Coughlin, director of University Information Systems, University Libraries
-
Matthew Croyle, applications developer, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
-
Renata Engel, vice provost for Online Education, Penn State Online Education
-
David Gindhart, associate vice president for Business Technology Solutions, Penn State IT
-
Cheri Graham, IT director, Student Affairs
-
Fred Haberberger, executive director, Outreach and Online Education
-
David Horton, incoming vice president for IT & CIO
-
Jonathan Kukta, director of Business Services and Operations, Penn State Schuylkill
-
Tracy Langkilde, interim executive vice president and provost
-
Dongwon Lee, professor and director of Doctoral Programs, Cyber Security, College of Information Sciences and Technology
-
Chris Lucas, interim vice president for IT and chief information officer, Penn State IT
-
Margaret Moses, communications, IT OST Project Team
-
Shuchi Nalepa, senior director for Enterprise Services, Penn State IT
-
Gretchen Paules, director of Strategy and Planning, Penn State IT
-
Ronda Reid, project manager, IT OST Project Team
-
Stuart Selber, professor of English, College of the Liberal Arts
-
Michael Stedelin, executive director, Office of Research Information Systems
-
Andrea Tapia, dean, College of Information Sciences and Technology
-
Ann Taylor, assistant dean for Distance Learning and director of the Dutton Institute, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
-
Bennett Ulmer, business architect, IT OST Project Team
-
Kari Williamson, IT director, Commonwealth Campuses
For regular updates on ongoing University priorities and initiatives, visit roadmap.psu.edu.