Having officially been in the CIO role since August 2018, I see very positive and exciting change on the horizon, and am eager to implement a new vision for the delivery of IT services at U of G. 

The stories in this report highlight so many great accomplishments from the past year, where CCS has helped to connect people and ideas to enable success. You can read about the many projects that are improving life on campus, the launching of new and innovative collaboration tools, and the continual execution of our critical security roadmap. However, what I particularly enjoy is how our people – and their important roles in all these initiatives – are woven throughout. Without the engaged, passionate, and very bright workforce for which we are so fortunate, our success as an organization might look very different. The culture within CCS is one that is appreciated by all, and as a management team, we are focused on continually fine tuning it to ensure CCS remains a coveted and rewarding place to work.

In this past year we also saw some significant strategic changes that have set us up for further success, including the implementation of IT governance on campus, and the development of a Program Management Office. Both bodies provide necessary oversight for large-scale IT projects and investment on campus. They also allow us to improve efficiency by decreasing duplication of effort and spend, allocating resources more effectively, and dedicating more resources to the academic mission of the University.

A major outcome of the newly-formed IT Governance Committee is to review and prioritize and a select number of campus-wide IT initiatives. This past year, the following six projects were approved:

• Data Centre Physical Upgrades
• Human Resources Management System
• Institutional Data Strategy
• Integrated Research Information System
• Student Evaluation of Teaching and Learning
• Student Information System Refresh

This level of governance and oversight is an exciting leap forward for our University, and each of these projects will undoubtedly improve life on campus. You can read about many of these initiatives in the pages of this report.

Going forward, I have a few more areas of focus:

Building a Virtual Team

Building and strengthening of partnerships across campus will be very important to our collective success. In the past, central IT (CCS) and non-central IT have been siloed. Today, we are working toward building one virtual team, where we work together, optimize IT operations, and share expertise and knowledge to meet the needs of our campus community in innovative and efficient ways. We have already begun initiatives to start building this foundation: we now have monthly town hall meetings for the entire IT community, and have opened our previous CCS summer BBQ and holiday lunch to welcome all IT folks. I am also building relationships with college and departmental leaders to ensure we are aligned and working toward shared goals.

Developing an IT Strategy

In the spring of 2019, I will be initiating workshops and stakeholder meetings across campus to begin building an IT strategy for U of G. I anticipate this process to be a collaborative one, where we gain a deeper understanding of the IT requirements across campus and build our strategy to meet and enhance the business needs of our University.

Examining the CCS Structure

With many recent changes within CCS, including a new CIO as well as the potential collapsing of the associate director positions, we need to examine the best structure for the future of our organization. The intent is to ensure both staff and managers have the support required to perform at a high level, and that resources are allocated effectively within teams and the organization as a whole. We have secured consultants who will begin their discovery period in the early new year with proposed outcomes in June 2019.

I feel much pride in what we accomplished in 2018, and excitement for what lies ahead. We have many opportunities before us to work together, utilize the unique strengths of our entire IT workforce, optimize operations, focus on the academic mission, and enhance the student experience – which is ultimately why we are all here.  I look forward to beginning this journey together with our campus IT community and our many University partners.