From computers to course platforms, there’s no shortage of technology-related decisions that need to be made on campus. And as budgets have tightened over the years, it’s become increasingly important to make wise choices.        

That’s why the Strategic Technology Investment Committee (http://epmo.gatech.edu/stic) has been tasked with creating an Institute Information Technology (IT) Master Plan.   

“To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time since the Olympics that we’ve created a campuswide IT Master Plan,” said Jim O’Connor, vice president of the Office of Information Technology (OIT). “In the past, we’ve had unit-level IT plans that support the Institute’s strategic goals, but our Strategic Technology Investment Committee recognizes the value of an Institute-wide approach to leveraging our IT investments.”

Town halls — open to anyone interested in attending one of the three sessions — will be held this Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday to introduce the project to campus and generate discussion. Attendees will hear about the project’s goals and objectives and how they can participate in the process.

“We are looking for input from the campus community to help us understand how technology is impacting the campus and how future technologies will support Tech’s mission,” said Robert Gerhart, IT manager for the College of Architecture and project leader for the master plan.

The plan is meant to address IT needs up to five years from now and aims to answer questions such as:

• How do we align IT services and operations with the business, 
academic, and research needs of Tech’s community? 
• How do we manage technological change in a way that capitalizes on opportunity, mitigates risk, and adds value to the community in a manner that is planned, efficient, and quantifiable?
• How do we create an infrastructure and a support structure that rapidly and effectively adapts to 
evolving technologies and their uses?

In addition to the town halls, the committee is interviewing faculty, staff, and students to get input and will conduct a campuswide survey in the fall.

“The town halls, interviews, and the survey are unique opportunities to offer your thoughts on how the IT community can help support your unit’s strategic goals,” O’Connor said. “You can help us understand what investments and services help you contribute to making Georgia Tech the ‘technological university of the 21st century.’”

For more information, contact Gerhart.