University of Connecticut |
About SAITOur HistoryBy: Tom Bloom, Director of SAIT Information technology management in the University of Connecticut’s Division of Student Affairs was haphazard and inconsistent in the summer of 2003 when Division leaders hired a consultant to develop a plan for improving practices and services. Across the Division, information technology was typically handled reactively with no coordination among departments for implementing common solutions for shared issues and needs. Some departments had technology employees while other departments were left to fend for themselves; support from University technology service providers was insufficient to meet Division needs. The use of best management practices was minimal and the Division was exposed to serious liabilities related to security and disaster recovery. Division leadership realized that a new approach was needed. One of Dr. John Saddlemire’s first actions as the new Vice President of Student Affairs in the spring of 2004 was deciding to create a single information technology services department that would support all Division technology needs. David Clokey was promoted to Executive Director of Finance and Technology and began working toward the consolidation of Division technology services. First steps occurred in the summer of 2004 with the creation of a single authentication, file storage, database services, web server, and desktop management infrastructure by two Division technology employees, Dan Capetta (Residential Life) and Marc Jones (Career Services). The process of migrating existing department technology resources to the new infrastructure began in the summer of 2004. Monthly meetings of all Division technology employees were initiated at the same time to facilitate preparations for the impending formation of the Student Affairs Information Technology department (SAIT). A search for a Director of Student Affairs Information Technology culminated in the hiring of Tom Bloom in April, 2005. His initial tasks were to collaborate with Division and departmental leaders to establish the appropriate role for SAIT, design a personnel structure for the new department, facilitate the Human Resources reorganization of fourteen employees into SAIT, and collaborate with the Residential Life construction crew to build departmental office space. Department technology employees became SAIT employees on August 4, 2005 and the department moved into newly renovated offices in McMahon Hall on August 29, 2005. During the first year of existence, SAIT focused on defining procedures for handling routine service requests, building working relationships among teams (Customer Service, Systems Administration, Web Management, Technical Support, and Application Development), establishing communication channels with customers and departments, and creating protocols for personnel development and management, purchasing, and inventory management. In fall, 2005, one representative from each department was appointed to the Student Affairs Information Technology Oversight Committee (SAITOC). The role of SAITOC is to review and prioritize departmental and Division requests for new and upgraded technology system projects. As of August, 2008, SAIT has made considerable progress in its mission to provide top quality, standards-based technology services to the Division of Student Affairs. Major accomplishments include redesigning all Division web sites using the University template, creating an effective help desk, building an efficient and customer-oriented software development process, continually improving the reliability and security of dozens of technology systems and servers, and establishing processes for replacing Division technology equipment on a regular schedule. SAIT is recognized as a technology leader at the University of Connecticut and is often consulted when questions of appropriate technology solutions and policy arise. Major initiatives are underway to create and catalog defined and repeatable processes for all of our work, and to incorporate project management practices in major technology projects. Student Affairs employees and departments now have the resources necessary to improve and expand student services through the thoughtful use of information technology. |
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