Rutgers IT Annual Review

Message from the Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer

Technology professionals have a reputation for toiling in solitude. That’s the stereotype, at least—the lone coder hunched in front of a glowing monitor. And though there’s certainly a place for solitary stretches in IT work—I got my start, after all, as a COBOL programmer—the fact is today’s IT world is highly collaborative. You can’t really accomplish much if you don’t emerge from your cubicle or office. When I arrived at Rutgers four years ago, one of my priorities was to foster a more integrated, aligned, and collaborative IT community across the university. That’s not because we wanted an IT community just for the sake of having one. It was because it was clear we would need vibrant, effective partnerships and relationships to make significant progress in providing a comprehensive, cost effective IT environment for Rutgers.

The projects and initiatives highlighted in this publication are a testament to how far we have come. Behind just about every accomplishment is a collaboration—sometimes with faculty (as in the transition to the Canvas learning management system), sometimes with Rutgers business units (for Cornerstone initiatives), and often between staff from the Office of Information Technology (OIT) and “distributed” IT at Rutgers schools, departments, and other units. Information technology professionals from across Rutgers have been working diligently to cultivate these collaborations. Their work in doing this is thoughtful, it is intentional, and it is making a real difference to the university.

Consider the Information Technology Leadership Council (ITLC), a group of nearly 60 IT leaders from every corner of Rutgers. Our first meeting was held more than three years ago. This was something new—an effort to bring together leaders from OIT and distributed units. Our initial discussions were sometimes contentious, but they were also respectful, and over time we have developed a vibrant, innovative community that’s vital to advancing IT initiatives at Rutgers. Hundreds of IT staff members from across Rutgers now serve on committees and working groups associated with the ITLC. More than 110 IT staff members have attended a specialized program for IT leaders, encouraging a common language for collaboration among IT staff. Our ability to work together has led to the successes in evidence throughout this publication. That’s our standard now—a collaborative approach to advance Rutgers’ missions of teaching, research, and service.

Sincerely,

Michele L. Norin

Next-Gen Meetings and Collaboration

Advanced Computing, Revolutionary Research