You are reading the 19th issue of The Hub, the newsletter that is published by, for, and about ITS. The goal of this publication is to provide each other with timely information about the services and activities of our department and to support the ITS community. Submit your stories and announcements to its_communications@unc.edu by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2005, to be included in the next issue.
Monday, September 19, marked the first meeting of the ITS Franklin move coordinators, who will serve as points of contact between ITS HR and staff who are moving to the new building in November. John Gallagher, who requested that the AVCs of divisions that are moving choose these coordinators, expects that having one person manage each division’s move will smooth the transition.
Division move coordinators will attend weekly meetings over the next couple of months to learn the latest news about the move and to relay staff questions and comments to HR.
Move coordinators, by division:
Academic Computing storage: Jim Gogan
AVCs (Szakal, Knott, Gallagher): Scott McCall
Business Office: Scott McCall
Communications: Joe Morris
Data Management: Nancy Doyle
Enterprise Applications
–Financial Services: Jill Poston
–HR: Steve Seaton, Sally Caulk
–Payroll: Steve Seaton, Sally Caulk
–Physicians & Associates: Laurie McDaniel
–Enterprise Resource Planning: John Gallagher
Infrastructure: Jim Etheridge
Networking: Jim Gogan
Teaching & Learning: Kathy Thomas
User Support & Engagement: David Goode
–HKC
The team charged with assessing the current change notification system made its report to the Service Managers’ Council on Thursday, Sept. 15. Among its findings were that ITS has a number of methods for notifying customers of changes or problems. The wording of notices also varies — some are very technically oriented while others are written in general language. The review team has made both short-term and long-term recommendations with the aim of simplifying, automating, communicating, and securing a notice system.
Sherry Graham of User Support & Engagement and Megan Bell of Communications led the review team. “We’d like to provide a template to ease the notification process,” Graham says. “Right now the focus tends to be on the category, such as Major, Minor, or Followup. We can automate the wording so that creating the messages is easier and the focus is on the service affected, not on the category.” For example, instead of writing that a particular server will be off-line for maintenance, the new template — eventually using a configuration management database — would help authors describe what services are affected, such as payroll or research.
Another goal is to put a “change calendar” in place that will aid communication with the general campus. Graham described this as a calendar on which upcoming maintenance events will be scheduled, so that all users can see all the work that is planned and what is affected. There will still be some messages requiring immediate notice, such as for security issues, but most notices should be announced in advance and will be either “upcoming” or “followup” messages.
The next step is to identify an implementation team that will begin gathering requirements, determining a scope and setting a time frame. Graham expects that some short-term goals, such as making the template available to ITS, can be realized in the next 3-6 months. Other goals, such as posting the calender and offering the notification system to other campus units, will take longer.
“Change management in general is a huge challenge, but we plan to have a multidisciplinary team working on the change notification portion of it,” said Graham. The project goal is to ease communication of ITS changes to the average University member, both for ITS employees crafting the messages and for general readers receiving them. For more detail about the report and the upcoming project, see the team’s PowerPoint presentation.–LJB
ITS Communications was formed in October 2004, and on July 5, 2005, Audrey Ward joined ITS as the assistant vice chancellor for Communications. In addition to learning about her new position, Ward has focused on gaining a clearer understanding of ITS, its services and its customers, with the objective of defining how Communications will support the organization in reaching its goals.
Dan Reed frequently speaks of ITS’ role in supporting the mission of the University. Helping ITS fulfill this mandate is one of Communications’ primary tasks. Communications will focus on strategies that build the ITS brand and position the organization as a leader in technology and as the provider of leading-edge technology for our campus constituencies. Developing these strategies and the action plans needed to achieve them will require the dedicated efforts of a strong communications team. Ward has been working to identify areas where more resources are needed to be able to meet these challenges.
Currently, ITS Communications includes Web Systems, Knowledge Management, the University Operators, and a team focused on providing traditional communications support for ITS publications, media relations, events and a variety of internal communications needs. In time, Ward plans to expand the scope of work performed by the Communications team to include Web development and design services, recognizing that – organizationally – ITS needs to improve its Web presence and provide leadership on Web-based projects such as a content management system for campus.
ITS Communications is striving to become a cross-media communications operation that uses an integrated approach to strategically manage traditional media and new digital media. If ITS is to be positioned as a strategic partner for the University, all of its communications efforts must be consistent in message across all media. While there are challenges to planning and executing all communications activities under the guidance of a single team, it is a task Ward is prepared to tackle and a challenge she welcomes.–DBM
Stephanie Szakal may be new to Carolina, but she’s already a strong force in ITS. As the new assistant vice chancellor for Enterprise Applications, Szakal has big plans for creating a cohesive environment in her division and throughout ITS, promoting leadership for ITS users and even integrating many of the University’s systems so that different departments and University functions can collaborate more easily.
“This department will make these goals so easy to realize,” Szakal said. “I’m so excited about the level of cooperation at UNC and within ITS. I can’t emphasize enough how important that is for further growth and collaboration within the department and across the University.”
Szakal knows all about what drives a successful university – almost all her professional experience has been in higher education. She has worked at institutions such as the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon, George Washington University and Johns Hopkins. Specifically, she has worked with integrating university functions across campuses to make computing and collaborating easier and more effective.
“I have a lot of experience with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, which are a strong possibility for this University in the next few years,” Szakal said. “ERP systems impact all administrative offices and functions, not just ITS, so it would be a campus-wide project. Ultimately, the University would see a greater flexibility and adaptability in the major functional areas, student systems, human resources and university finances.”
ITS may have chosen Szakal for her experience and go-getter personality, but she also saw great possibilities in ITS.
“This department clearly is in a time of great growth,” Szakal said. “I wanted to be at a place with a strategic vision, and Dan Reed and Robyn East are clearly working to craft a vision and adapt it to the changing needs of the department and the University.
“I also love my staff – they’re very bright, capable people with great ideas that I hope to promote. I’m from the outside of this organization, which can be challenging, but it also gives me a great perspective on Enterprise Applications, its strengths and potential areas for improvement.”
In her free time, Szakal loves to run, garden, cook, read and travel. Since moving to Chapel Hill, she has become interested in beekeeping and hopes to start this new hobby when she buys a house.
When asked to describe herself, Szakal gave three adjectives: high-energy, focused and intense. Once again, it seems she knows what she’s talking about.–HKC
Contractor Rodgers Hardin hosted a topping-out ceremony at ITS Manning on Tuesday, Sept. 13. The ceremony is an age-old custom that honors the laborers’ efforts and expresses wishes for safety and well-being for the future occupants of the building.
Topping out often includes a time when builders sign the final beam to reflect their pride in their work, as Robyn does here.
A fir tree and an American flag, both of which are visible in this photo, are sometimes used. They have varying meanings in the ritual, depending on the participants.
For more on the origins of topping out, see
–LJB
Although gathering all of ITS in Town Hall meetings can be useful, the venue doesn’t really lend itself to Dan’s addressing individual staff concerns. So monthly meetings — mini town hall meetings — have been scheduled to provide smaller groups of employees a chance to talk with Dan in a more informal setting. Over the course of a year, everyone will be invited.
The first of these meetings has taken place, and The Hub asked participants for their impressions.
“It reminded me of a ‘fireside chat’ setting,” said Mimi Bennett. “Dan urged us to sit closely together and ask anything that was on our mind.”
Other attendees reported that a true cross-section of employees was present — from many of the divisions, and from front-line Response Center support staff to high-level directors.
“Dan was very cordial,” said one. “He answered any question that was asked of him, and took care that his response addressed each specific question.”
Among the topics discussed were ERP, the ongoing reorganization, compensation and benefits, project funding model changes, the move to ITS Franklin, the search for the remaining assistant vice chancellors, Robyn’s role, disaster recovery and business continuity, and the Renaissance Computing Institute.
“Teleworking was, of course, a big topic,” said Bennett, since gas prices are continuing to climb.
One thing that seemed clear was Dan’s sincerity and his commitment to the best interests of ITS and the University. The next mini-town hall meeting will be held Wednesday, Sept. 28.–LJB
“If you need help, write the University.” So reads a 1916 poster in the reception area of Carolina’s Center for Public Service, and so proclaimed Chancellor Moeser at his annual State of the University address on Sept. 15. Noting the effects of globalization not only on UNC-Chapel Hill’s curriculum but on the whole state, the chancellor called the campus to “deeper engagement” with the state, particularly in the areas of health care, education, and the economy.
During the Service Managers’ Council on the morning of the chancellor’s speech, Dan applauded the collaborative efforts of ITS staff in making meaningful change toward ITS’ being a strategic partner in driving technology on campus. The Hub asked him how to describe how — as a strategic partner — ITS engages North Carolina or supports campus efforts in this direction.
Dan responded, “Several ways. First, in the 21st-century knowledge economy, universities are the knowledge producers, curators and disseminators. IT is about knowledge management. Therefore, we are the enablers for the process. This is a critical role.
“Second, we directly touch the state via distance education technologies (e.g., Blackboard and others) and information dissemination via the Web. We also contribute to the state economy by providing the base research computing technologies on which new discoveries are made and from which new companies are founded.
“Third, we develop new software and other capabilities that influence the future of IT.
“Fourth, we support the University’s business activities, which touch the state, everything from point-of-sale for performing arts and Student Stores to basic purchasing and business engagement.
“Finally, we provide the electronic interaction substrate (e-mail, networks, telephones, etc.) via which people interact remotely.”
Dan noted that these are not all of the ways ITS serves as a strategic partner, but they are good examples of how our organization serves to support the University and its mission.
