Building world-class information technology is the charge of the new Division of Information Technology, which officially launched June 27 during an event at the Student Life Center.
The new division, under the direction of Vice Chancellor John M. Lutz, brings together approximately 500 information technology employees from across the university and medical center into one division charged by Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos with serving the entire enterprise.
“Information technology is increasingly integrated in and woven through our work as a 21st century research university – it is a core consideration for everything we do in support of our mission to educate, discover and heal,” Zeppos said. “Because our mission is transinstitutional, we require a transinstitutional approach to information technology. With John’s expertise and vision, I am confident that we are not only meeting today’s needs but preparing ourselves for our constantly evolving environment.”
Leading up to the launch, Lutz met with leaders across Vanderbilt and held 14 different roundtable sessions with staff that have joined the new organization. At these sessions, Lutz shared his vision for information technology and heard from staff about their ideas, questions and concerns.
“Vanderbilt is extraordinary in all that it does and our several current IT organizations are part of that success. As we bring these talented professionals from across Vanderbilt into one team, we will raise our game further,” Lutz said. “I have had terrific interactions across the campus and medical center since arriving, and am certain that we have both the institutional support and the staff talent needed to build all the qualities of service crucial to supporting Vanderbilt’s continued advancement.”
The new division, Vanderbilt IT, includes all information technology at the university and medical center with the exception of clinical applications and IT funded by sponsored research. It will be working over the course of the next fiscal year to identify areas for rapid improvement, evaluate existing services, structures, processes and needs, and begin making changes that take advantage of its scale. Staff will continue to provide existing service and support to all users on campus and at the medical center.
At the June 27 meeting, Lutz announced the leadership team that will guide Vanderbilt IT. They are:
- Esfandiar Zafar, Core Infrastructure
- Penny Peirce, Distributed Technology Services
- Dan Nanto, Application Development and Integration
- Andrew Hutchinson, IT Service Management
- Jason Reusch, Customer Service and Project Management
- Sal Ortega, Security Operations
- Dave Mathews, Network Services
- Kim Mallory, Business Operations
- Jeff Kimble, Technology Support
- Monroe Wesley, IT Risk
- Darryl Boone, Application Infrastructure
View the organizational chart.
Vanderbilt IT includes employees that previously reported to organizations including Enterprise Application Infrastructure, portions of Informatics, Information Technology Services, Management Information Systems, Network Computing Services and local support providers in many of the colleges and schools.
Lutz joined Vanderbilt April 15, 2013, following a national search. His position’s creation was an early outcome of the information technology transformation initiative that began in the fall of 2012. Vice Chancellor for Administration Jerry Fife, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Chief Financial Officer Brett Sweet and Associate Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and Chief Administrative Officer John Manning jointly served as chief information officer while the search to fill the position was underway.
Other early outcomes of the information transformation initiative include expanded wireless network access and capacity, a new system for business travel, improvements to the Business Objects system and a pilot implementation of a unified user interface for classrooms.