Agenda and Meeting Notes

All Team Agenda – Nov. 5, 2024

  • IT Strategic Plan – Ed Hudson, IT
  • Summary for Strategic Alignment Metrics Portal – AIRE
  • Provost Updates



Meeting Notes

IT Strategic Plan Background and Summary

Presented by Chief Information Officer Ed Hudson

The KU Information Technology Strategic Plan, developed through focus groups, surveys and consultations, aims to support research, education, and administration by modernizing and securing the university’s technology landscape. Key findings from the planning process reveal KU’s IT spending is relatively high, yet staffing and IT resources lag compared to peers. At the same time, KU has a high reliance on shadow IT. A normal amount of shadow IT at an institution is roughly 8% of programs and systems. KU has 32%, which leads to expensive duplicative applications. Eliminating this cost would be a significant contribution toward our goals for market-based wages. Additionally, the large amount of shadow IT causes significant security risks. To minimize IT security risks, this fall the Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) is paying for an IT security risk assessment of all Kansas institutions; the vendor will do an assessment on readiness and develop a plan for meeting KBOR’s IT requirements. For more information go to: https://technology.ku.edu/2025-strategic-plan

The IT strategic plan has three pillars:

  • Empower:
  • Education through academic technology
  • Research and discovery 
  • Innovate:
  • As an essential partner in university initiatives
  • Technology infrastructure and architecture
  • Transform:
  • The culture of KU IT by being leaders of change
  • KU’s cybersecurity environment.

 

Summary for Strategic Alignment Metrics Portal

Presented by representatives from the Analytics, Institutional Research and Effectiveness (AIRE) team

Emily Shipley and Mark Stringer from AIRE presented the Jayhawks Rising Strategic Alignment dashboard, set to launch Nov. 15. This online tool provides deans, vice provosts and budget officers with key customizable metrics for ongoing strategic assessment in their units, in alignment with the campus strategic plan. The dashboard, available to key administrators behind single sign-on, provides regular updates and offers a feedback feature for users to report data concerns and ensure data integrity. The dashboard is a critical resource for deans and vice provosts as they prepare for their annual Strategic Alignment Meetings in December and January. Deans and vice provosts were encouraged to talk with their units about a wide variety of metrics available in the dashboard, such as retention and DFW student success metrics.

Provost Updates

The Provost provided a few suggestions for consideration by Deans and Vice Provosts as they prepare to present at annual Strategic Alignment Meetings, which are in December for Vice Provosts and January for Deans. The meetings give unit leaders an opportunity to educate their colleagues on nationwide trends and opportunities affecting their academic or administrative unit, and also to discuss strategic goals and needs of the unit. The meetings also allow leaders to better understand connections between units that create opportunities for collaboration and provide a better picture of priorities for campus-wide resource allocation.