Campus IT restructuring work progresses with key hire

Gary Sullivan, an information technology leader with 20 years of experience at the University of Oregon and in the private sector, will be the UO's first director of user support services.

In that role, Sullivan will lead a range of IT support services currently being reorganized as part of the university's IT restructuring process, known as Transform IT, and will help shape those changes.

Updates on Transform IT, and the user support services implementation project in particular, will be the focus of a town hall meeting Wednesday, Sept. 18, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. in the Knight Library Browsing Room. Students, faculty members and staff are invited to attend. A videoconference link to UO Portland will be provided in Room 324 of the White Stag Block.

Jessie Minton, vice provost for information services and chief information officer, will host the meeting. Team leaders for each of the implementation project's 13 work streams will also share brief updates on work completed since the implementation project kicked off in mid-July.

Each work stream is focused on an important dimension of restructuring IT support services, such as delivery and support models, zone-based IT and service desk locations. A complete list of work streams is available on the Transform IT website.

During fall term, Sullivan will lead several of the project's work streams.

Gary Sullivan Sullivan joined the university in 2010 and currently serves as the IT director for both the College of Design and the School of Journalism and Communication. He is also co-program manager for Transform IT, working closely with Minton and the project team.

As director of user support services, Sullivan will lead the teams that provide campus with deskside support, help desk services, classroom technology support, account and access management, device management, and knowledge management.

"The director of user support services will work with faculty and deans as well as students and staff," said Patrick Chinn, associate chief information officer for customer experience in Information Services. "And in the time Gary has worked at the university, he's successfully built strong support teams and robust relationships with faculty, students and staff. I'm excited to work more closely with Gary on Transform IT."

Sullivan's first day in his new role will be Sept. 3. He will continue serving as co-program manager for Transform IT and will also continue providing IT leadership for the College of Design and the School of Journalism and Communication.

More information about Transform IT is available on the Transform IT website, where Information Services posts updates at least every two weeks.