Update: May 2003

The University of Pittsburgh's first strategic plan for information technology, "An Information Technology Foundation for the 21st Century," was published in May 2000. This plan articulated the University's vision for the use of information technology to support teaching, learning, and research, and defined goals related to that vision. Three years after its publication, the University's vision and goals remain viable. Critical to the usefulness of the plan was the acknowledgement that flexibility was required to respond to rapidly evolving technology. This understanding has been instrumental in the implementation of new technologies that matured after the plan was written.

The University of Pittsburgh has been a leader in the development and use of technology for teaching and research because it views technology as a tool to be used to further these academic endeavors. When the first technology plan was published, Provost James V. Maher noted that for the first time computing and information technology would be fully integrated into the ongoing development of the University's programs. Each year students, faculty, and staff become more reliant on technology to support their academic endeavors, and the thoughtful planning and coordination associated with the development of the technology plan made it possible for the University to maintain its position of leadership and respond to the requirements for advanced technologies and greater availability.

Goals

The goals that follow are those developed to guide the creation of the technology plan in 2000. They remain applicable and relevant and will continue to guide the implementation of information technology.

Advances in information technology and the pace of technological changes are transforming student, faculty, and administrative needs and expectations. The centrality of information technology in all aspects of the University environment demands an aggressive and progressive philosophy to adopt and support the numerous technologies that can further the mission of the University. The diversity and quality of programs available to support the use of technology will affect the rate at which advances are made in the areas of teaching, learning, and scholarly research.

"An Information Technology Foundation for the 21st Century" represents an ambitious approach to improve technology infrastructure, facilities, and support while remaining flexible enough to adapt to rapidly changing technology. A balance of centralized and decentralized responsibilities must be defined and appropriate budgets allocated in response to this balance. The locus of responsibility for technology decisions must reside within academic units and must be made with full knowledge of the requirements of the various disciplines. The academic planning process must be the environment in which technology planning occurs. Each academic unit will fully incorporate technology planning into its annual planning process.

The significance of information technology in higher education requires the University to provide students, faculty, and staff with seamless, reliable, high-speed access to the University network, Internet, Internet2, and University resources from locations both on and off-campus. The network must fit the distributed nature of the academic community and support distance education as well as traditional instruction.

• The vision for networking at the University is to provide near cutting-edge technology for networking systems to give students, faculty, and staff access to information technology regardless of location.
• State-of-the-art network access and infrastructure to meet the needs of the University requires a reliable, high-speed, easy-to-use network.
• High-quality access must be provided in a cost-effective manner, making use of economies of scale, centrality, and special arrangements.
• Network technology must provide a full range of services, including voice, data, and multimedia options.

Support options must be tailored to the needs of novice and sophisticated users. The identification and implementation of new support technologies will ensure that appropriate resources can be made available to programs and disciplines that require them. The widespread adoption of technology by departments and individual users has changed the nature of support. Support models are now required to be more responsive to centralized and decentralized needs.

• Baseline support for the use of information technology across all disciplines will be provided.
  A computing environment will be provided capable of supporting the full range of instruction and research activities.
• A single point of contact will be provided to coordinate all technology-related issues and serve as the primary baseline computing support service.
• An emphasis on service will guide the development and delivery of technology services and support.
• An extensive and structured support program will facilitate the use of information technology resources by students, faculty, and administration.
• Tiered levels of support and training will be provided to accommodate the diverse needs of the University community while continuing to support select centralized services and fostering more decentralized activities.
• As computer ownership shifts to the student body, support structures must be developed to provide a range of services to both resident and non-resident students.
• Technologies and support for instruction and learning must be available to students and faculty regardless of location.

It is essential that students and faculty have access to technology tools to effectively engage in teaching, learning, and research activities appropriate to their areas of study. A learning environment must be sustained that supports increased and seamless access to information resources.

• Faculty members should be provided with current computer technology capable of accessing the Internet and appropriate local area networks.
• Faculty should be provided with access to current software applications and, to the extent possible, faculty and students should have access to a common software base to facilitate teaching and collaboration.
• Library resources must reflect the widespread adoption of digital resources and be accessible regardless of location.
• A robust Web infrastructure and a structured approach to utilization of the World Wide Web across student, instructional, and administrative systems will be developed.
• Personal ownership and the implementation of distributed technologies within units have shifted the control of the use of technology to individual users, schools, and responsibility centers. As a result, the balance between centralized and distributed facilities and services must be carefully planned.
• The full cost of investments in computing equipment and facilities will be built into technology cost models. Life-cycle replacement and total operating costs will be considered as part of the investment.
• Facilities to complement the use of personally owned machines will be provided through campus facilities, software, and access to high-end technologies.
• Faculty require a robust infrastructure and access to technologies to support teaching and learning. Unit responsibilities, goals, and priorities will dictate the extent of support available beyond a baseline of institutionally provided resources.
• The University will increase the opportunities for faculty to explore the potential applications of Information Technology (IT) in their own teaching.
• The University community requires appropriate online access to information, software, applications, tools, and support.
• Opportunities exist to improve the quality of research and the delivery of instruction if the design, development, and innovative use of information technology are promoted.

The information architecture vision for the institution is based on distributed applications, distributed control, graphical user interfaces with a rich set of consistent functions, and information access.

• Modern information systems will be deployed to enhance the business processes of the University and make them more effective.
• The University will provide the necessary tools to implement these systems effectively within the various administrative and academic units.