March Update
March 15th, 2010
Hi, happy “almost spring” – the daffodils have broken through in Durham, though with the torrential rains, they might be regretting it. Certainly driving or walking outside the past few days has been a bit like playing dodge ball, what with branches and other shrapnel flying around.
I’ve talked here, in IT meetings, in classrooms, and with partners at UNH and USNH, about technology needing to be selected, prioritized, designed and implemented according to business priorities. Linking technology plans to an organization’s strategic plans is no longer an innovative activity; it is table stakes. Read more »
Please Read: UNH Strategic Plan
February 9th, 2010
The UNH Strategic Plan was delivered by President Huddleston, but represents months of work by the UNH community – faculty, staff, and students, including UNH IT. Please take time now to read or re-read the transcript of the speech, and the actual plan: http://unh.edu/2020/
If you were one of the many crowded into Johnson Theater on February 2nd, you may have noticed that the vignettes presented on the screen used technology. UNH IT needs to support UNH and its many constituents in its journey towards 2020. Whether it is daily operations like ensuring the data center is secure or promptly helping the many people who call the Help Desk or visit the ITSC, near-term items like completing the Banner Advancement program or the Blackboard upgrade, or longer-term items such as cyberinfrastructure, we all contribute each working minute.
After reading the speech and the plan, take a moment to ask yourself, what can I be doing today to help UNH to realize its goals? Fixing a problem the first time, completing a task on time and correctly for a project due months away, or strategizing about potential new investments – these and more are valid answers.
Thanks for all that you do.
Joanna
p.s. Bonus points for using the word “nimbility” in a sentence at least once a month. 
You Can Get There from Here: Technology Should be Glass, not Bricks
December 9th, 2009
Transparency. Accessibility. Interoperability. These are positive characteristics of technology implementations.
People increasingly perceive institutions through a technology lens. The clearer the lens, the better the perception. The more bricks obscuring the view, the more frustrated and disenfranchised the user.
We don’t want to notice the login screen, we want to get through to the information. We don’t want to notice the device, we want to create and experience the words, the data, the sounds, the pictures. We don’t want to know folder names, IP addresses, configuration settings, storage quotas, multiple IDs and passwords – we want to get to class, do our jobs, finish the project, interact with people, buy a ticket to the concert, cheer the sports team, know where to park, and when the next bus is coming. Read more »
Fall Update
September 21st, 2009
Hi, welcome to Fall 2009. The leaves are turning, there’s a lot more people with backpacks on campus, and with that the IT activity continues to move at a fast pace.
Wireless on the Thompson Hall lawn was the hot topic in September. Students and others are happy to be able to hang out in the courtyards and grassy areas with their laptops. Thanks goes to student leadership for being the catalyst, and Doug Green’s UNH IT Telecommunications Engineering team, who got the outdoor wireless unit up with record speed. Why is wireless so important to students? They need the flexibility to work independently and in groups, connect to online services without having to worry about network jacks and cables. Read more »
Welcome!
August 18th, 2009
Hello, and welcome to the UNH CIO Blog. I will be using this channel as a means to solicit feedback from the campus community on my thoughts and ideas, to let you know what I’m thinking and doing, and get responses. I look forward to the dialogue.
It’s back to school time – and the back to school list has long since added computer equipment to the standard issue #2 pencils, highlighters, notebooks and backpacks. Information technology is an integral part of the education experience – today’s students are digital natives and expect to get information and have interactions online, as well as the important face-to-face.
It’s been just over 90 days since I joined UNH, and I’ve been spending a lot of time talking to people about their perceptions of technology. While there are differences in opinions of what works, what’s most important, there is a constant refrain – technology is important, our needs are increasing, the partnership between all departments and UNH IT needs to continue and strengthen. Students want more wireless. Faculty want academic technology options that suit their delivery styles. Researchers want to be able to collaborate more effectively. Administrative departments want efficiency and predictability. Everyone wants it to be sustainable, reliable, accessible, flexible and affordable.
Key message: UNH IT provides a service that people need and want. The UNH community is eager to be part of the evolution of technology. These first months have been encouraging and energizing.
So what’s next? I want to continue and expand the dialog. Is technology appropriately supporting your role here at UNH? Why or why not? When you need help, is it there for you? Let’s talk.
Joanna C. Young
Associate Vice President and Chief Information Officer
University of New Hampshire