University Park, Pa. -- A video that showcases how critical Information Technology (IT) is to teaching, research, and business operations at Penn State is now available to students, faculty and staff at http://its.psu.edu/strategicplan. The short introductory video features Penn State's vice provost for Information Technology, Kevin Morooney, outlining the vital role IT plays in transforming University business processes, enhancing teaching and learning, strengthening research enterprises, and building new kinds of collaborative tools and communities. The video also introduces Information Technology Services' newly released Strategic Plan, which is available at the same site.
According to Morooney, Penn State's IT infrastructure is critical for collaboration, interchange and innovation today. Web tools, course management systems, e-mail and network services have become essential in teaching and learning. "We need to recognize that even our business processes would not be possible without large-scale IT systems to manage processes such as payroll and student billing," he stated, "and the ever-increasing amount of research at Penn State would not be possible without intensive computing technologies like clusters and 3D models. It's important that we all recognize the value of IT in research and academia today, so we can jointly develop strategies that enable us to anticipate future information technology needs that will support Penn State's growth and evolution in the coming years."
Morooney encourages faculty, staff and students to view the video and read the complete ITS Strategic Plan by visiting http://its.psu.edu/strategicplan/. Development of the ITS Strategic Plan has been a collaborative effort over the past year, involving input from ITS employees and faculty, staff and students across the University.