Through the Digital Transformation (DX) Strategy, the Information Technology (IT) Division will collaborate to enhance and extend GVSU’s academic, research, and collegiate experience by establishing new opportunities, modern services, innovative approaches, and supporting technologies. Underpinning the DX Strategy, the IT Division's mission, vision, and values serve to provide a solid foundation, prompting the University in pioneering a "grand future".

"Our vision is to pioneer a grand future,
empowering the campus community to engage with
new opportunities facilitated by technology,
while establishing innovative models, modern services, and solutions
in support of the digital transformation of GVSU."

The IT Division prepared the DX Strategy in support of GVSU’s Reach Higher 2025 Strategic Plan. Further, the strategy was endorsed by the University Technology Council on December 21, 2021.

Throughout the planning process, key observations were gathered based on executive listening sessions, interviews, focus groups, facilitated workshops, and surveys with faculty, staff, and students. Strengths and weaknesses were raised by key stakeholders, which gave rise to new opportunities to pursue, as well as identifying specific strategic objectives moving forward. These objectives were grouped into three key areas of strategic focus which provided a framework for which to establish a broad list of current digital priorities.

The following DX Strategy details innovative approaches in terms of people, processes, and technology, that will enable GVSU to differentiate itself and "reach higher" into the future.

While focusing on a bright new future, the IT Division is actively working to collaborate with campus partners to facilitate the work of the DX Strategy.  As such, the current digital priorities provide a high-level list of projects as they relate to key strategic areas of focus.

The following units within the division are actively supporting the digital priorities through alignment of people, processes, and technology:

• Data & Analytics
• eLearning Technologies
• IT Services 
• Project Management Office
• Enterprise Applications
• Enterprise Architecture 
• Academic Research Computing
• Information Security
• IT Operations
• IT Innovation & Research

#1 - Service Excellence & Greater University Support

In our work, digital is often the default and a people-first, service excellence approach is key. Insofar as this, faculty, staff, and students, need more IT staff support and additional technology resources. Faculty have specific technology needs related to teaching and academic research. Students require support beyond the hours of a typical workday. Faculty and students rely on greater support services as well as a rapid response when in the classroom, or when live instruction is occurring.

Additionally, as the university evolves and transforms, support is of utmost importance in the design, development and delivery of courses that: effectively implement digital resources, focus on quality course design, apply active learning in the modern context, and offer flexible delivery methods.

FOCUS AREAS

• Enhance IT services and service excellence
• Amplify GVSU's Information Technology Service Management (ITSM) solution, TeamDynamix (TDX) – services.gvsu.edu
• Expand Project Management Office (PMO) services
• Leverage eLearning Technologies instructional design, digital media, instructional technology support and services
• Monitor disaster recovery and business continuity strategies
• Review staffing and personnel resources, 24x7 support strategies, cross-training opportunities, scale, and build capacity

FUTURE INNOVATION

• Execute quality assurance and continuous quality improvement efforts 
• Research opportunities in artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and chatbots

#2 - Modernization of Enterprise Solutions

Enterprise applications provide the foundation for the University's services, from delivering instruction through the classroom and online, as well as through administrative workflows and operations. Of critical importance is ensuring GVSU's applications are modern, enhance the campus experience, and likewise meet the functional needs and requirements of the community.

FOCUS AREAS

• Implement a unified student experience by deploying Blackboard Ultra for consistency across course sites
• Provide final grade integrations from Blackboard Ultra to Banner
• Continue deployment and advancement of unified communications as a service (UCaas) solutions including Zoom Phone, Five9 call center, Zoom Rooms, and advanced videoconferencing solutions
• Modernize, simplify, and standardize enterprise productivity/collaboration digital workplace software, including Microsoft and Google
• Enhance campus network infrastructure, Wi-Fi connectivity and reliability
• Review identity and access management (IAM), MFA, and cloud protection
• Deploy Docusign to expand digital document signage capabilities
• Expand and enhance data, reporting, and learning analytics resources to support student retention, success, and completion
• Build data standards and frameworks, governance, and a centralized data warehouse/lake
• Expand access to data for data-driven decision making 

FUTURE INNOVATION

• Review cloud and hybrid cloud investments
• Evaluate web application firewall (WAF) solutions focusing on campus security
• Enable mobile printing
• Advance high performance computing and high impact research capabilities

#3 - Accelerating Transformation through Innovation

Facing technology shifts and rapid change, the discovery and exploration of emerging technologies and innovative solutions that lead to digital transformation (DX) across Information Technology at GVSU is a strategic area of focus.

FOCUS AREAS

• Research mass text messaging and email communications platforms
• Evaluate the repurposing of campus computer labs
• Establish modern faculty, staff, and student campus IDs and digital mobile credential capabilities, including cashless point of sale transactions, door access control, vending, etc.
• Increase exploration of emerging technologies, extended reality (XR), Metaverse, mixed media, and digital fabrication
• Explore digital skills and digital literacy advancement, open educational resources, and mixed media/digital production opportunities
• Establish the next generation classroom, advance active learning, and implement hybrid teaching, learning, and flexible meeting spaces
• Establish an enterprise, unified portal solution to provide a seamless user experience, streamline authentication through single sign-on, cut through the clutter of communication, and consolidate access to applications 
• Support department/unit specific software

FUTURE INNOVATION

• Expand customer relationship management (CRM) solution (Slate)
• Accelerate forward-thinking innovations, cutting-edge technologies, and increase proof of concept experimentation

Throughout our Digital Transformation Strategy, coupled with the Information Technology Division's IT Strategy, a vision is cast of an exciting and vibrant future. A future, whereby GVSU’s academic, research, and collegiate experience is elevated through new opportunities and innovative approaches bringing forth an institution that is ready to "Reach Higher" into 2025 and beyond.

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