Transform IT plan for campus tech support now available

The Transform IT project team has released its initial set of recommendations for restructuring information technology staff at the University of Oregon.

The recommendations include extending help desk hours, shifting from a unit-based tech support model to a geographically based zone model and providing the campus community with clearer expectations of how quickly they can expect help with technology requests.

The Transform IT user support services report describes those and other high-level recommendations in four areas: help desk and desktop support services and locations, computer lab management, knowledge management (how-to articles), and accounts and service access management. A report summary and the full report are available on the Transform IT website.

Implementation of the recommendations will start in June 2019 and last at least one year.

Jessie Minton, vice provost for information services and chief information officer, will host a town hall meeting to present the recommendations and field questions Tuesday, May 28, from 1-2 p.m. in the Knight Library Browsing Room. Students, faculty members and staff are invited to attend. A videoconference link to UO Portland will be available.

Minton has received full support from the Transform IT steering committee to carry out the report’s recommendations. She has shared the recommendations with groups across the university, including the senior leadership team, deans council, IT directors and employees in Portland. Throughout May, Minton will continue presenting the recommendations in a variety of venues to share details and gather feedback to inform the project.

“These recommendations and feedback from campus will guide the next phase, which starts in June,” Minton said. “The user support services implementation project aims to improve service efficiency, create a consistent experience for everyone at the university and increase access to support for students, faculty and staff. To this end, we have started work to expand the Technology Service Desk hours to 20 hours per day, seven days a week beginning in October 2019. This work aligns with the user support services project and will provide support for our online education initiatives.”

Anyone with questions or feedback can contact the Transform IT project team at transformit@uoregon.edu.