IT Strategic Plan Development

The development of the 2015-2017 Information Technology (IT) Strategic Plan will bring together faculty, staff and student representatives from the entire College community to share needs, ideas, and expectations for technology both now and into the future.  It provides an opportunity for IT to better understand their users and for users to better understand the challenges faced by IT in funding, implementing, and maintaining technology in support of the mission, goals and strategies of the College. To view IT’s current progress and a detailed timeline, please visit http://it.cofc.edu/strategic-plan/index.php.

Implementation of the IT strategic planning process will set institutional priorities for IT and identify funding to be requested for key initiatives to take place in FY15, FY16, FY17, & beyond. The efforts produced here should inform annual iterations and refinements of this process, thereby ensuring that IT fulfills its mission most effectively and efficiently.

Background

The College of Charleston has recently produced and/or participated in a number of planning and assessment efforts related to Information Technology, including:

    • The College’s Strategic Plan revised in February 2013
      • Stated that ‘All operating divisions will be expected to develop and implement their specific, individual strategies that align with this plan and that contribute to the continued growth and success of the College of Charleston, its academic mission and its students’ success’ (p. 9)
    • The College’s 2012 Campus Master Plan adopted in January 2012
      • Aligns directly with the Strategic Plan
      • Outlines potential and upcoming projects and other work related to campus facilities
      • The Campus Master Plan aligns College facilities with the Strategic Plan, no separate direction is mandated through this plan, however efforts outlined therein are an important consideration in time and resource allocation for IT
    • The FY14 IT Plan Committee
      • Established the basis for the FY14 operational plan using combined campus community and IT input
      • Identified 52 known, desired IT initiatives or projects
      • Provided the first collaborative planning environment for campus community and IT representatives
    • TechQual Survey administered by Information Technology in the Fall, 2012
      • Faculty, staff and students assessed Information Technology services in the Fall of 2012
      • Fall, 2013 TechQual Survey was completed on November 8, 2013
      • TechQual results directly inform IT of constituent opinion regarding available technology services and areas in need of improvement
    • The Huron Report completed in October 2012.
      • The Huron Report recommended establishment of an IT Strategic Plan
      • Executive Summary P.11 & Recommendation #1 P.15
      • This strategic planning process will establish the 2nd step to implementing that recommendation and aims to establish a rolling 3-year strategic IT plan.

IT recognizes the need to proactively address planning and operational efforts in order to properly align available IT resources to meet the College’s known, anticipated, and future technology needs and goals.

Formation of the IT Strategic Advisory Committee

The purpose of the IT Strategic Advisory Committee (ITSAC) is to create a viable, functional strategic plan for the next 3 fiscal years and to set in place the means of annually refreshing a rolling 3-year IT strategic plan.   The goal is to focus on the requirements, opportunities, strategies, and overarching information technology themes that will then give definition to IT’s future projects and efforts for the next 3 years and to provide annual reviews and revisions to the rolling 3 year IT Strategic Plan.

The committee will:

  • Provide strategic guidance for the department to align investment of IT resources and talent to best support the College’s Strategic Plan
  • Engage constituents in articulating the campus’ most important requirements and expectations for availability and utilization of technology.

The new standing IT Strategic Advisory Committee (ITSAC) and its activities will allow strong constituency participation and provide transparency to the ongoing IT planning processes and plan execution. For a list of committee members, please visit: http://it.cofc.edu/strategic-plan/committee.php.

The ITSAC will host another faculty and staff open forum on February 17, 2014 at 3:00PM. More details to come when available.