Spring 2010 Management Symposium

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Session: Strategic Planning, Collaborations and Enriching Services

Speaker: Tom Gerace, Tulane University

Title: Special projects with faculty and researchers: Innovation on the edge

"Innovation on the edge" is the term coined by a key administrator when reviewing the latest server and software addition to the Trading Center at Tulane University's Freeman School of Business. Working with finance faculty to build both the physical and computing infrastructure for the Trading Center, information technology staff created an innovative facility that has now placed the Freeman School of Business on the map in the world of stock and commodity trading education. This is just one example of a project in which our information technology staffs have collaborated with faculty. We in information technology realize just how much of an impact we can have "on the edge" when projects that enhance teaching, learning, and research come along. Proposals for these types of projects come not only from those who need the technologies (faculty and researchers), but also from those who provide the technologies (information technology). So we see information technology participating in -- not just responding to -- the integration of technology into the curriculum and research. Wherever the request originates, we strive to create a partnership in which both groups adopt an outcome-oriented approach to providing an innovative solution to a problem or a need. In this discussion we will look at your projects "on the edge" that were collaborations between IT and faculty or researchers. We will explore the projects that you have successfully completed using this type of collaboration. We will look at how the ideas for your projects came about or were proposed, and how you organized the teams to work with the faculty or researchers. We will also consider how you might anticipate ongoing support or operations costs after the project goes into production. And finally, we'll discuss who gets credit for the project and see how this works at several levels.