From choosing a Smart Board for a classroom to software for the entire campus, a number of technology-related decisions are constantly being made at Georgia Tech.  

That’s why the Strategic Technology Investment Committee was tasked with creating an Institute Information (IT) Master Plan in 2013.

“To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time since the Olympics we’ve created a campuswide IT master plan,” said Jim O’Connor, vice president of the Office of Information Technology (OIT). “We need a plan like this in place to ensure that the IT investments we’re making are strategic and effective.”

Since last summer, faculty, staff, and students have provided input regarding what they thought should be included in the plan. The document addresses IT needs up to five years from now and touches on the following key themes:

• Provide effective services to facilitate student success and learning outcomes both in and out of the classroom.
• Investigate, support, and implement changing methodologies in learning, teaching, and research.
• Support the successful outcomes of research activities by enhancing and sustaining the systems needed for research and innovation.
• Maintain a scalable, reliable, and secure infrastructure that meets the changing and transformational needs of a globally connected and innovative research institution.
• Unify and streamline enterprise systems through more effective use of technology in a manner that is sustainable, secure, and user-friendly and reduces administrative overhead.
• Cultivate transparent technical leadership and governance to effectively guide information technology decision-making and strategic investments.

To learn more about the plan, the campus community is invited to attend one of two town halls that will be held in March. The first is scheduled for March 24 at 1 p.m. in Room 152, Clough Commons. The second will be held on March 27 at 10:30 a.m. in the Student Center Theater.

For more information, contact Robert Gerhart, project leader for the plan, at rgerhart@gatech.edu.