Yesterday was the first IT Services Town Hall meeting that I have attended here at UChicago. It was a very satisfying experience and it was outstanding to meet everyone. I particularly enjoyed the chance to talk with you both formally and informally. It was so great to be able to get everyone together like that and I hope we continue to do just that. I have felt a little on the outside looking in, but finally meeting many of you has me feeling much more comfortable. Thank you all for your attention, questions, and acceptance. It was greatly appreciated. The view and location didn’t disappoint either!

I wanted to take a few minutes and share a bit from what I had to say yesterday so there is a record of it and in hopes that I will get some initial reactions from you. You should keep in mind that my comments yesterday were based mainly on my observations and conversations that have occurred both through the many meetings I had during the recruiting process and in the past six days of conversations that I have had with my new colleagues at all levels of the University. I don’t have it all right, I don’t have the whole story, and I certainly don’t yet have all the answers. What I do have is a sense of excitement about where we can go together.

My comments about the great expectations and opportunities presented at UChicago come from discussions with people at all levels of the University, from the President and Provost, to our IT partners, members of the administration, the ITS SLG and staff, as well as various other constituents we serve. It is clear to me, even after a very short time on campus, that we are in the service of a great institution that deserves our full attention.

I am not going to do a deep dive into the things discussed yesterday, but I do want to share the six primary areas of organizational focus I am pursuing in my early days. These represent a framework that will guide me as I work to align to the goals that are being articulated to me.

1. Create a world-class teaching and learning with technology organization that can inspire faculty to enhance their use of technology to engage and enrich our students’ experiences.
2. Work to enhance our overall information security stance to ensure a safe computing environment.
3. Become leaders in the delivery of services and work across UChicago to transform the customer experience and work to delight the campus community.
4. Impact a diversity of research activities that supports UChicago’s commitment to free and open inquiry.
5. Enhance and grow a culture of operational excellence through our leadership in the deployment of enterprise solutions.
6. Expand our use of the web as an organizational communication tool, both inside and outside of IT Services to more fully engage our staff and our partners.

Underpinning all of this is a commitment to encourage an agile, flexible, and forward facing staff who are leaders in their fields.

I will be returning to this list in an ongoing way to expand on them and to provide more opportunities to engage in discussion. I am very open to comments and feedback, so don’t be afraid to leave them here on this post or to send them to me in email. I am truly humbled by the opportunity to be a member of this community and want to make sure I am doing all I can to support, promote, and protect the work we do here at UChicago.