1. Affiliations
2. Governance
3. IT Strategic Plan
4. Initiatives
5. OSU Academic Directory
6. OSU Administration
7. OSU IT Resources

Information Technology Strategic Plan

Related Links Background Communications Current State Future State Gap Analysis Annual Achievement Report Academic Plan Leadership Agenda

Contents  IT Strategic Plan (pdf)  Overview  Message from the CIO  Executive Summary  Ohio State's Information Technology Vision  What Ohio State Needs: Critical Success Factors  Strategic Initiative: Funding Strategy  Implementation  Conclusion  Appendix A: Project Participants  Appendix B: The Planning Process  Appendix C: Current State Analysis Details  Appendix D: Current State and Academic Plan  Appendix E: Technology Days Details  Appendix F: Focus Group Discussion Details  Appendix G: Future State Emerging Themes  Appendix H: Gap Analysis Details  Appendix I: Strategic Initiatives Details  Appendix J: Strategic Initiatives Funding

---

Funding Strategy  Strategic Initiative

 Summary
 Full Description
 Benefits
 Proposed Leadership
 Metrics
 Estimated Investments/Potential Funding
 Recent Actions
 List of Strategic Initiatives

Summary
An appropriate information technology funding model includes mechanisms to address issues of inequities and under-funding; it also establishes regular and sustainable funding for mission-critical systems and services and for continuous maintenance and periodic upgrades of technology-enhanced pool classrooms and departmental classrooms as well. An essential step in developing a funding model is to identify a sustainable funding stream to maintain and continuously improve the university's technology classrooms and ensure that instructors and students are able to benefit from modern technology in future years. A second key step is to reevaluate the current process by which the university funds the campus network and its associated external network connections. The current funding model has not changed in over a decade, though the local, regional and national networking infrastructures have changed radically. As the pace of change continues to accelerate, the university needs to consider a funding mechanism that is more flexible and better able to respond to changes in utilization.

Full Description

Part 1 - Create an IT funding strategy and mechanisms to address the issues of funding inequities, under-funded needs, and a lack of regular and sustainable funding for mission critical systems and services.

Part 2 - Establish regular and sustainable funding to support the continuous maintenance and periodic upgrade of technology-enhanced pool classrooms. Attention also needs to be directed at the departmental classrooms as well.

An appropriate IT funding model includes mechanisms to address issues of inequities and under-funding and establishing regular and sustainable funding not only for mission critical systems and services but for continuous maintenance and periodic upgrade of technology-enhanced pool classrooms and departmental classrooms as well. The university can start this process by involving representatives from all campus constituencies in reviewing and appropriately revising current campus IT funding models and mechanisms, while also seeking to strike optimal balances between central and distributed IT resources and between generally funded and charge-back services. An important input to this review should be an evaluation of funding models and mechanisms at peer institutions and other leading higher education institutions around the country.

A balanced, sustainable funding model gives the university a consistent focus on maximizing its resources, planning ahead, and providing guaranteed minimum levels of service and connectivity for students across all fields of study. Developing a funding model involves two essential steps:

First, the university must identify a sustainable funding stream to maintain and continuously improve its technology classrooms. Sustaining funds will both protect its investment and ensure that instructors and students are able to benefit from modern technology in future years. While not within the scope of this initiative, it is important to note that the classroom physical environment is as important to instructional outcomes as effective technology. Student learning is enhanced by clean, cared for classrooms with effective and well-maintained environmental conditioning.

The second key step is to revaluate the current process by which the university funds the campus network (OSUNet) and its associated external network connections. The current networking funding model, developed in the 1980s, was designed for a time when the network was primarily internally focused and costs were essentially static. Its authors did not foresee the shift to an external focus caused by the emergence and rapid growth of the commercial Internet, a trend that was accelerated by the arrival of Internet2 in the 1990s. The establishment in 2003 of the Third Frontier Network at the state level and the National Lambda Rail research network at the national level makes it clear that the number of network connectivity choices will expand even further and that cost changes will continue to be volatile. A network funding mechanism must be capable of accommodating such changes.

Benefits

• Consistent foundation for maximizing the university’s resources
• Guaranteed minimum levels of service and connectivity for students across all fields of study
• Guaranteed minimum levels of skills and connectivity for faculty, researchers and staff across the university

Proposed Leadership

• Office of Academic Affairs
• - Chief Information Officer
• Colleges/Regionals
• Office of Business and Finance

Metrics

• Changed and improved funding model
• Metric for minimum level of service

Estimated Investments/Potential Funding

• Participants' time and support to develop strategy, guidelines, and plan; implementation of model and associated costs should be considered separately

Recent Actions

• The current biennium state budget provides a two year opportunity to increase tuition in support of technology and financial aid; OSU took that opportunity in FY04 and the new technology funds were shared between college and central resources

back to top