The University at Buffalo Information Technology (UBIT) division under the Vice President and Chief Information Officer (VPCIO) had a productive year in support of the faculty, students and administration at UB. As reported last year, 2021-22 marked the return to “near normal” operations after the pandemic, allowing the VPCIO team to “restart the IT engine” and focus efforts once more on delivering on-premise IT services to our constituents.

In this most recent year (2022-23), the VPCIO organization focused on the evolving “new normal,” which is a combination of the benefits gained during the pandemic with a digital twist on in-person values and expectation for instruction and research. These new expectations are the cornerstone of the digital transformation UBIT is strategically pursuing through major initiatives such as the enterprise-wide CRM program, the robust Wi-Fi6 wireless network (nearing completion), and exploring AI in operations, instruction and faculty/student effectiveness.

As described in this report, UBIT had many significant accomplishments in 2022-23 working with our academic and administrative partners across campus. Along with these accomplishments, UBIT continued to experience challenges in recruiting/retaining staff as well as some procurement delays due to a continuing lag in technology supply-chain markets. However, thanks to the tireless dedication of the VPCIO staff and detailed long-range planning and execution, these challenges can and have been effectively mitigated.

The VPCIO has personally focused on leading the institution in the digital transformation described above and in this report. The three themes of Academic Excellence, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and Resource Planning and Management are woven into the fabric of our organization. All members of the VPCIO organization, as well as the extended IT staff across the decanal units, recognize and embrace the goal of becoming a Top 25 public research university as well as the value and responsibility of equitable treatment for all. We strive to honor these values, while targeting the best and most innovative usages of emerging technologies.

This report summarizes these efforts and describes the strategic direction the VPCIO area will take in the coming year to help UB reach the Top 25 and beyond.

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.