To ensure that technology services are more effectively aligned throughout the University and to enable the faculty and academic areas to participate directly in providing strategic direction in technology decision-making for campus, OIT Shared Services has facilitated the creation and launch of an entirely new Academic Technology Council for IT governance at SMU.
The new council is comprised of 14 members, including faculty from each school as well as Guildhall and Faculty Senate; representatives of the SMU libraries and the provost’s office; and Jason Warner, leader of the Academic Technology Team within OIT. The newly elected council chair is James Quick, associate vice president for research, dean of graduate studies and professor of earth sciences.
The council will serve as a primary steward of SMU’s academic technology strategy. Academic leaders serving on the Council will maintain an understanding of the academic technology needs of their school or organization while also advocating for technologies that enhance the capabilities of the University as a whole. Key responsibilities of members include providing input to the annual update of their school or unit’s academic technology strategy, helping to prioritize academic computing projects, providing input to service levels, advocating for SMU’s IT users, and serving as an ambassador to OIT.
“I’m excited about the opportunity this new council creates,” said Warner. “It will provide a direct voice for faculty and every academic unit in setting mandates for IT on campus and in making recommendations for IT strategies that best serve University priorities. The council’s support and input will be invaluable in making decisions about campus technology.”
The members of the council are Amit Basu, Cox; Katherine Engel, Tom Fomby and Elfi Kraka, Dedman; Mark Nausha, Guildhall; Nathan Cortez, Dedman Law; Halit Uster, Lyle; David Sedman, Meadows; Anthony Cuevas, Simmons; Theodore Walker, Perkins Theology; Sreekumar Bhaskaran, Faculty Senate; Mary Boyd, libraries; and James Quick, provost’s office.
“Our council members will talk to faculty within their individual schools about their tech needs, and also talk to peers at other universities about their IT functions to gain outside perspectives,” said Dean Quick. “They’ll collect and prioritize recommendations for technology projects that will be best for SMU, and provide open and honest feedback to OIT staff. Together with Jason and the rest of the IT team, we will work to find the best possible solutions to the tech needs of our academic departments.”
For more information, visit the OIT Governance page.
