February 2002
Technology Strategic Planning Initiative
Rationale, Approach, Governance & Timeline

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And to know the place for the first time.
- T.S. Eliot, Four Quartes

Rationale
The Academic Plan for Ohio State outlines the institution’s vision and key strategic initiatives for the next five years. The Plan preface states that:

The Ohio State University aspires to be among the world’s truly great universities - advancing the well-being of the people of Ohio and the global community through the creation and dissemination of knowledge. Ohio needs a great teaching and research university for a rich flow of ideas, innovation, and graduates from a wide variety of disciplines. Ohio also needs a great university to be what the New York Times has called a ’revving economic engine’ that spurs strategic growth in the new Information Age economy.

Threaded throughout the document are repeated references to the critical role of technology in reaching that goal. The Plan’s vision statement urges improved opportunities for students to learn through the innovative use of technology: Specifically, it says, We cannot be a great university without making major progress in. . .helping our students - whatever their field of study - become fully conversant with the latest available technology. Furthermore it states that we must provide faculty, staff, and students with the latest technology tools for leadership in teaching, research, and career development within the next five years. The Plan concludes: We must equal or surpass our benchmark institutions in the use of technology for teaching, learning, research, and overall effectiveness.

Thus, clearly technology will play an important role as Ohio State strives to fulfill its vision and achieve the strategic initiatives outlined in the Academic Plan. Over the years, Ohio State has made a significant investment in technology to support and enrich its academic, research and administrative programs. However, like most universities, we have been challenged to invest a sufficient level of resources to meet increasing demands.

In order to build commitment and support for the allocation of these scarce resources, diverse and interdisciplinary groups from across campus have undertaken and completed numerous planning studies in response to specific technology planning requirements. While these plans were all beneficial, none focused on identifying the key strategic technology initiatives needed to support the Academic Plan. Furthermore, the Academic Plan calls for the Chief Information Officer to develop a technology strategic plan in support of the plan itself.

Therefore, the Chief Information Officer, officially beginning this month, will lead the development of a university-wide technology strategic plan with the overarching purpose of creating a shared vision for the use of technology in transforming and improving the quality of teaching, learning, research, outreach, and operational effectiveness, and the goal of better aligning technology and Academic Plan initiatives. Additional goals include providing a conduit for ongoing communication between information technology providers and users, and establishing a context and framework for accomplishing future technology goals.

Approach
The planning approach will build on previous studies and current strengths; promote broad commitment and ownership; and establish priorities for the allocation of scarce technology resources. The planning team will gather information through interviews, questionnaires, and focus groups from Ohio State faculty, students, and staff from all divisions of the university. Furthermore, information will be solicited from alumni, benchmark institutions, and other appropriate public and private sector partners.

The planning team, working in collaboration with the university community, will focus the assessment on the following four broad categories: technology infrastructure; information and decision support systems; teaching, learning and research technologies; and, management and organization. The deliverable will be a 5-year technology strategic plan. The Medical Center, because of its mission, will be excluded from this planning initiative.

One inevitable risk in conducting this study is that expectations may be raised beyond the capability of University resources. We will mitigate this risk by emphasizing that the primary intent of this initiative is to develop a strategy to more effectively allocate existing technology resources to support the goals of the Academic Plan. In these tight budget times, the effective allocation of existing resources is especially important.

The planning approach will:

• Build on previous studies and current strengths.
• Define the current state of technology at Ohio State.
• Develop a shared vision of technology“s future role in serving the Academic Plan.
• Foster dialogue between university community groups to promote broad commitment and ownership.
• Define specific information technology strategies, goals and objectives with priorities.
• Develop specific and quantifiable performance indicators that will measure success.
• Identify the resources that are required for future success and develop resource allocation and/or funding strategies.
• Provide time frames for the implementation of the Technology Strategic Plan.