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Aiming high: the grand challenge for IT services

Presenters:
        Ethan Benatan, Reed College
        Sharon Pitt, George Mason University

How can we better align our IT services with the strategic needs
of our institutions?

Our costs are growing, government support is shrinking,
and we are under increasing pressure to transparently assess our
performance. At the same time, higher education is expected to be more
affordable, more accessible, improve quality, and address the economic development and workforce needs of the communities we serve.

Technology has the potential to contribute to institutional
success in facing these challenges--reducing costs, improving access,
and providing business information to guide decisions. This will require vision and commitment, partnerships within and beyond campus, honest evaluation of our performance, and above all leadership.

EDUCAUSE recently unveiled a "grand challenges" initiative designed to help IT fulfill its strategic potential in higher education. Not just for presidents or CIOs, it provides principles that practitioners at every level can use to help identify and meet needs critical to their school. Based in part on these principles, this session will present case studies of how IT has served private and public institutions at a strategic level, as well as suggestions for how we might improve. During discussion we will explore opportunities, obstacles, and lessons from participants` experiences.

Ethan is director of Computer User Services at Reed College. He serves on the board of ACM/SIGUCCS and has presented at meetings of SIGUCCS, NWACC, and CLAC. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh in 1999.

Sharon is executive director of the Division for Instructional
Technology at George Mason University. She chaired the development
of North Carolina State University`s quality enhancement plan for
reaffirmation of university accreditation in 2004 and has served as
Board Chair of the Teaching and Learning Technology Collaborative of the
University of North Carolina system.

Both Ethan and Sharon are fellows of the Frye Leadership Institute.