February 15, 2007

Dear colleagues:

Since my arrival last summer, I have committed myself to understanding the challenges and opportunities associated with moving IET and the UC Davis campus to the “next level” of information technology.  Last fall, the Mediaworks and Classroom Technology Services units merged under the directorship of Elizabeth Gibson, as one of several realignments to better position IET to address its potential and the expectations of the campus. As the 2007 calendar year gets underway, let me share with you a few additional developments:

1. I have asked Babette Schmitt to assume a new leadership role as Director, IET Strategic Planning and Communications. Babette will continue to report to me as her role formally expands to emphasize working with campus IT advisory committees and constituent groups to promote alignment of IT services with campus needs, and to ensure meaningful campus input on IT plans and strategic directions. In the months ahead, Babette will be coordinating the consultations for two major planning initiatives: the system-wide IT Guidance Committee recommendations (http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/itgc/), in collaboration with the Library; and the development of a UC Davis Information Technologies Strategic Plan. Babette will also continue her leadership of IET’s Information and Events Unit.

2. On a part-time basis effective immediately, Doug Hartline has been asked to provide support to the IET strategic planning and communications initiatives under Babette Schmitt, recognizing his recent work in research and analysis, and his role as liaison to national groups such as CENIC, EDUCAUSE, and ECAR. Doug will continue to work in a similar capacity with Morna Mellor to support her vital work related to email, data center outsourcing, cyber-infrastructure and data center expansion, and with Debbie Lauriano in support of critical infrastructure planning. Doug’s reporting relationship to Assistant Vice Provost Dave Shelby will continue, and he will work with Dave on priority campus projects such as the electronic research administration initiative.

3. Debbie Lauriano has assumed responsibility for the IET Middleware programming team. This realignment recognizes the critical role of project management in organizing and managing IET’s infrastructure programming group. Debbie will continue her broader co-directorship (with Ray Reveles) of the IET Application Development Unit, and serving as the director of IET’s Project Management and Business Services units. Debbie will continue to report to Dave Shelby, and as part of her new capacity with the Middleware team she will co-chair (with Morna Mellor) the Middleware Workgroup and Oversight Group. Debbie has named Hampton Sublett as the new Middleware Project Manager.

4. Ray Reveles will continue his leadership focused on better coordinating projects of the Communications Resources (CR) programming group co-located at Chiles Road with the IET Application Development group. Continuing to report to Dave Shelby, Ray will also work on promoting better quality assurance /quality control in IET’s application development efforts, and on standardizing our approach to “post-event” debriefings. Ray will continue his work on establishing a campus-wide Data Administration Program, on the MyInfoVault partnership with Academic Personnel, and on implementation of the new administrative computing policy currently in final stages of development.

5. We have initiated a national recruitment for a campus Information Technology Architect, simultaneous with Tom Arons’ announcement that he has begun the process of relocating to Texas. Between now and his departure, Tom will play a leadership role in the campus identity management project, and will be heavily involved with the recruitment and orientation of his successor. We have received several applications for the architect position and a selection committee is being established. Hopefully, there will be a significant period of overlap between the successful recruitment for this position and Tom’s actual departure.

6. Curtis Bray has joined the CR programming group at Chiles Road as their new manager. Curtis comes to UC Davis after eleven years in the commercial software development sector, and with significant experience in software development and management. Curtis will be responsible to CR Director Dave Klem to ensure that his team’s software development projects are responsive to CR’s business needs, and responsible to Ray Reveles to also ensure they are well-integrated with IET’s infrastructure and middleware team activities. I believe it is essential to continue the emphasis on better integration and collaboration among the IET programming units.

7. The new “administrative computing policy” mentioned above will, when finalized, replace PPM 200-45. The new policy continues to be widely vetted in numerous venues, and seeks to create a process that will ensure those sponsoring significant IT investments have the benefit of a timely and constructive campus-wide review and discussion. The new policy is neither an approval nor a funding mechanism, but stresses open communication and broader awareness of existing and proposed projects (see http://admincomputing.ucdavis.edu/). Ultimately, this information should help create an inventory of IT needs that will guide future campus investments.

I appreciate your attention to this update and, as always, welcome your comments, questions, and feedback.

Peter M. Siegel