Resource Planning and Management

All topics in this report will correspond to at least one of the three major themes of Student Success, Diversity and Inclusion, and Resource Management. The following icons will accompany each topic as a reference.

Student Success

Diversity and Inclusion

Resource Management

Similar to many UB departments on campus, UBIT is currently in a strong financial position. The state-imposed expenditure cap during the COVID-19 pandemic limited our ability to move ahead with planned equipment upgrades, end of life replacements and other enhancements, delaying those projects and expenditures to future years. We are actively exploring ways to complete more projects per year by supplementing our current staff resources with implementation vendors. Some quick wins in this area have already been realized with targeted outsourced classroom technology installations and network electricians.

The VPCIO division conducts a comprehensive multi-year (5 year rolling) budget planning process that engages all levels of the organization. On an annual basis, we identify strategic technology opportunities, review software and hardware contracts, target areas for professional development and training, renew scheduled infrastructure upgrades, refresh out-of-date hardware, evaluate staff turnover and position management, plan for the upcoming student workforce and determine priority areas for investment and improvements.

In partnership with Human Resources and our academic unit partners, UBIT is expanding our recruiting strategy to recent graduates in CS, Management and other academic programs to provide a smooth transition for graduating students (with minimal professional experience) into entry-level positions. As shown below, this may also enhance the VPCIO staff diversity. The VPCIO area is thankful for the SUNY telecommuting policy and are attempting to leverage it whenever possible to assist in recruiting.

Over the past ten years, the diversity of our workforce has not dramatically changed.

What has changed over the past couple of years is our focus on ensuring each member of our search committees is better educated on the importance of being non-biased. Search committee chairs are instructed to keep a close eye on the EEO report in UB Jobs that shows demographic data of applicants. Chairs are also asked to arrange for additional, targeted advertising if their pool is not diverse. All search committee members are required to take HR’s “Best Practices for Conducting Diverse Searches to Hire Faculty & Staff” training. We have also partnered with Central HR and have a member of their team on each of our searches to help guide the committee.

Prior to the pandemic, UBIT had a committee working on guidelines on becoming more diverse and inclusive. We are partnering with the Office of the Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence on training for our staff as well as other mechanisms to assist our efforts to focus on creating a culture of inclusive excellence and focusing a pipeline for staff hires from our diverse student assistants. Internships and para-professional positions provide the students with job experience that benefits both the students and UB.