TO: University of Idaho Faculty and Staff
FROM: Scott Green, President
DATE: Jan. 16, 2020
SUBJECT: Shared Services and Reporting Lines for IT Support
As I have indicated in my communications last semester, the university is diligently and deliberately exploring a number of strategies to meet our budget challenges. While any and all options are being reviewed for cost savings, we must also weigh the importance of key services and how they are delivered. In my various discussions, shared reporting lines has been a strategy I promote and one that can have long-term financial and service benefits.
Information technology (IT) is critical to almost all operations at the University of Idaho. The university spends more than $15 million in IT position salaries alone. At the suggestion of Vice President for Information Technology Dan Ewart, we will bring a selective and thoughtful sharing of reporting lines led by Information Technology Services and informed by the university community resulting in:
- Distributed personnel embedded and responsive to the units they support, when beneficial to our institutional goals;
- Coordinated personnel management, reporting lines and accountability through ITS;
- Collaborative work prioritization by units, ITS and the IT Governance & Prioritization process driven by institutional priorities and unit needs to accomplish those priorities;
- Effective utilization of IT personnel resources.
Change is rarely easy and implementing a modified reporting structure is no exception, but I believe this one will offer new opportunities to IT employees across the institution while providing quality IT services for our community. The efficiencies and effectiveness it can provide will better position the university to achieve its goals.
In the coming days, information will be distributed to supervisors and personnel with significant IT-related duties. Other information, including frequently asked questions, status updates and mechanisms by which you can participate in developing the best possible set of recommendations, will be made available on the IT Shared Services website.
We are committed to keeping our institution informed of progress and of opportunities to be part of this process. Email ITSharedServices@uidaho.edu with questions or suggestions.
To be successful, it is critical that you engage in and support this change. Please respond as requested so we can have the most comprehensive understanding and plan going forward. Recommendations for next steps will be completed this semester and an implementation plan in place by June 30.
Thank you in advance for your support of and participation in this process. Each step we take makes us a stronger institution and better able to meet the needs of our students.
Scott Green
President
president@uidaho.edu
uidaho.edu/president
