IT Strategic Planning Update

The last campuswide IT strategic plan was developed in 2013; much has changed over 11 years. The Academic Program Review and Big Ten Academic Alliance Peer Review, completed in January 2024, identified five recommendations to help Illinois provide best-in-class IT to the university. The IT strategic plan is a comprehensive blueprint that outlines how technology will support and further our university’s goals.

The IT strategic plan, endorsed and driven by the provost and chief information officer, will be developed by a diverse group of IT professionals from multiple campus units with the input of students, faculty, staff, administration, leadership from our Big Ten peer institutions, and industry experts. Input is gathered from over a dozen focus groups, and a survey is distributed to our university community. This includes over 90 stakeholder groups, customers, and users to build a panoramic view of the campus. We are creating a reusable system and methodology that will drive continuous improvement throughout the planning process and future iterations of IT strategic planning.

IT at Illinois has coordinated over the past decade. COVID-19 and the CrowdStrike/Windows issue in mid-2024 showed that we are now cooperating. This plan will guide us toward an even greater collaboration mindset. Come engage, as community feedback is vital to the success of the planning effort and will inform the focus and priority of IT direction and future projects.

Presenters:

Candice Solomon-Strutz, Director of IT Services, IT Partners at the College of Applied Health Sciences

Ryan Ladd, Assoc. Director of IT Strategic Planning and Portfolio Management, Office of the CIO, Technology Services

Laura Herriott, Associate Director of Research Consulting, NCSA

Jim Hurst, Executive Director of Engineering IT Shared Services, Grainger College of Engineering