Strategic Plan

Student Information Systems

Provide integration for technology solutions that  support administration, recruitment, retention, academic achievement, and alumni relations.

Student Engagement

Simplify & streamline secure technology resources to provide platforms for students to interact with faculty and staff both inside and outside the classroom. Offer opportunities for students to gain real-world technical experience and increase marketability after graduation.

Student Service

Support technologies that enhance student services by providing faculty, staff, and students with improved secure connectivity, collaboration tools, and access to on-demand learning and information via tracking and reporting. Leverage digital innovation to deliver exceptional customer service and expanded access to personalized information and resources.

Enhanced Learning Environments

Ensure that all physical and virtual learning spaces have reliable, current technology that accommodates a variety of learning and teaching styles. Ensure the availability of loaner devices at Norse Tech Bar to expand access to online labs.

Ubiquitous Learning

Provide systems and infrastructure to support learning and improve access to education through accessible, innovative, online, mobile, experiential, and emerging technologies.

Student Experience

Utilize technology to strategically augment student life and social experiences for an enhanced sense of belonging that helps students build community and engagement.

• Pursue an aggressive campus investment in smart classrooms
  
• Collaborate with academic departments in researching and adopting emerging  classroom technology
  
• Utilize NKU systems to provide accessible, targeted communication to students in support of recruitment and retention, including Chatbots and other forms of artificial intelligence
  
• Expand and improve student self-service capabilities
  
• Implement additional mobile functionality
  
• Provide technology to support Hyflex classes and asynchronous on-demand learning.
  
• Engage with areas supporting student life to develop a roadmap that advances their vision

• Digital Transformation through one-to-one technology
  
• Improve the student experience with enhanced social/mobile tools that foster a sense of belonging
  
• Expand our presence in online course delivery
  
• Support faculty lecture capture innovation as more courses are made available online
  
• Provide training and support for technology integration in collaboration with a faculty mobile work group
  
• Emphasize the importance of user friendly administrative systems as part of our students' college experience
  
• Expand student services through secure self-service and mobile initiatives
  
• Develop academic technology replacement strategies that leverage virtual environments and student personally owned devices for learning anywhere, anytime
  
• Provide learning analytics to help improve courses and identify at-risk students
  Support technology to help eliminate barriers between students, faculty, and staff
  
• Expand mobile technology to create an engaging and equitable learning environment
  
• Collaborate with diverse groups and establish strong partnerships to co-create new operating models, service delivery models, and product/service offerings
  
• Find new ways to optimize innovations, allowing for rapid response to disruptive forces

Sustained Enhancements

Continue improvements to information security, privacy, and compliance programs

Effective Security Advancements

Reduce and control digital risks and improve cybersecurity while minimizing impact to the University faculty, staff, students, and guests

Agile Optimization

Extend automation and user self-service capabilities to provide secure, timely solutions

• Monitoring & Improving - Expand and improve technical monitoring and alerting tools
  
• Data Protection - Improve data protection against theft and user account takeover
  
• Policies - Update, expand, and modernize IT-related policies
  
• System Architecture - Provide system architecture designed for maximum availability, high performance and feature-rich business applications. Implement, support and maintain campus application architecture  
  to assist in achieving the university goals.
  
• Infrastructure Services - Expand and maintain reliable, flexible infrastructure services including network, telecommunications, and system storage performance.
  
• Cloud Smart - Leverage cloud technology where appropriate to provide scalable, agile, and resilient infrastructure.
  
• Information Security - Expand cybersecurity systems to better protect and monitor campus technology systems.

• Reduce Complexity - Reduce user access complexity by improving user access roles in more systems
  
• Maintain compliance - Maintain compliance with GLBA, PCI-DSS, FERPA, and HIPAA requirements
  
• Adapt and Automate - Continue to embrace a Dev Ops approach to projects while utilizing containerization and automation to optimize operations and increase productivity.
  
• Business Continuity - Create and implement a long-term strategy for disaster recovery.
  
• Data Architecture - Provide methods to design, construct, and implement a consolidated, university-driven data resource.
  
• Identity Management - Provide a robust account management process capable of integration with all systems.  

Continuous Process Improvement

Support the university's efforts to improve technology-based business processes to maximize organizational efficiency and effectiveness while mitigating controls with appropriate decision making.

Enhance Operational Reporting

Improve NKU's reporting platform and identify and  address reporting gaps that support critical business processes.

Employee Experience

Expand and support self-service functionality to streamline the employee experience, while ensuring the utmost security and privacy.

Support Digital Transformation

Maintain intuitive digital solutions for all users, to stay on  the leading edge of the evolving digital working and learning environment.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Expand and support continuing education for all faculty, staff, and students to make campus a safe and welcoming place for all.

• Continue to improve and expand ERP with initiatives such as rolling out SAP HANA and Power BI
  
• Provide an enterprise level business intelligence environment supporting analytical reporting and contributing to enhanced decision-making
  
• Identify and pilot emerging technologies for campus-wide implementation
  
• Provide unified and integrated communication  and collaboration solutions that leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud-based technologies, including but not limited to:
  
  • email
    
  • digital signage
    
  • NKU mobile app
    
  • NKU website
    
• Leverage NKU's social mobile presence in support of recruitment, outreach, learning, marketing, and communications

• Provide additional self-service capabilities and expand the use of AI applications for employee and managers supporting the goal of improving business processes
  
• Maintain intuitive and accessible digital solutions for all users, ensuring that all digital and non-digital touchpoints are seamlessly integrated
  
• Provide security, privacy, and compliance technologies that ensure data privacy for all users in a secure online environment and deliver training to ensure compliance with all policies
  
• Utilize applied analytics technologies to make assessments, monitor end-to-end infrastructure, and drive decisions

Security and Privacy

Ensure all users are provided a secure and private work environment.

Talent Development

Retain and develop talent through cross training, professional development, and establishing career paths.

Transformation through Innovation

Research opportunities to use emerging technologies and new delivery models to support the long-term vision, objectives, and strategies of the university.

Support Remote Learning and Working Environments

Expand our technologies to allow for Hyflex and Hybrid U learning and working environments.

• Community & Regional Outreach - Continue to work through our partnerships with Interalliance, the IT Leadership Forum (ITLF) and ILead. Pursue additional opportunities to engage the region.
  
• Customer Liaisons for VP Areas - Establish customer liaisons to work within each VP area to understand current process/software/needs to roadmap future direction and support.
  
• Governance - Engage faculty and staff in establishing priorities through an improved, transparent, and effective governance structure. Ensure IT investments are strategically aligned with university goals and strategies through rigorous planning and governance.
  
• High Quality Customer Service - Evaluate and improve internal processes, services, and offerings to provide the most efficient and effective procedures to ensure quick response times and high-quality customer service.
  
• Best Practices & Standards - Optimize IT processes through the consistent use of standard tools, best practices, and innovative technologies.
  
• Resource Management - Establish effective strategies for planning, monitoring, managing, and protecting IT resources including human resources, organizational, financial, technical equipment, and other university assets.  

• Strategic Partnerships - Promote strategic and strong relationships with external vendors and  NKU departments to create value through focused and collaborative objectives and outcomes.
  
• Support Remote Learning & Working Environments - Expand our technologies to allow for Hyflex and Hybrid U learning & working environments.
  
• Support the Digital Transformation Process - Use digital tools to improve productivity, deliver value, and drive change to meet the organizational goals of the university and its consumers.
  
• Talent Development - Retain & develop talent through cross training, professional development, and establishing career paths to achieve a long-term, empowered, and motivated workforce where each employee can see their value to the university.
  
• Transformation through Innovation - Research opportunities to use new technologies and various delivery models to support the long-term vision, objectives, and strategies of the university.