Campus officials seek to strengthen IT governance

UW-Madison is launching a study of information technology governance and structure on campus in an effort to guide decision making on IT priorities and create additional effectiveness.

“We need to strengthen collaborative campus IT decision making,” says Chancellor Rebecca Blank. “Building stronger input channels will help us focus our IT investments in areas that will most effectively advance our teaching and research goals.”

The effort will be led by former interim vice chancellor for finance and administration Mike Lehman, who has been appointed to a new role as a special advisor to the chancellor.

Lehman is joined in the effort by retiring CIO Bruce Maas, Wisconsin School of Business Professor Rafael (Rafi) Lazimy (Chair, Information Technology Committee),John Krogman (Chief Operating Officer, DoIT), and Bobby Burrow (Director, Administrative Information Management Systems). Lazimy will now serve as executive director, information technology planning and strategy.

Before his time at UW–Madison, Lehman served as CFO and CIO of Sun Microsystems and has experience with large organizations with complex infrastructure.

The review of the management and governance structure of IT will include participation from faculty, academic staff, university staff, students and IT professionals across campus. The framework will feature an IT steering committee and four subcommittees focused on teaching and learning, research, core infrastructure, and divisional (administrative) support.

While an exact timeline is yet to be determined, additional data will be gathered, and initial priorities will unfold by the end of fiscal year 2017, ahead of a search for a new CIO. More information will become available during the fall semester.