Administration & Operations

FY2024 Accomplishments

ITS Administration and Operations continued its ongoing mission to stand as the partners and stewards who provide support to equip and mobilize ITS to achieve its mission.

On the Operations side, A&O led advancements in digital ecosystems and infrastructure this past year. This resulted in three new teams joining A&O in FY2024 - Systems Operations, Data Science Practice, and Digital User Experience. These groups were responsible for new services for load testing, web content management, and a refreshed user interface for the Wolverine Access Gateway, alongside innovative technology integration and cybersecurity investments.

On the Administration side, A&O worked to strengthen communication, working relationships, culture, and collaboration across our newly hybrid organization. With functions ranging from Facilities to Finance, Procurement to Organizational Development, and Human Resources to Communications (and beyond), A&O diligently strove to enhance ITS' operational effectiveness by elevating creativity and innovation in FY2024. Thanks to efforts like DEI 2.0, A&O also made it a priority to create safe, inclusive, and diverse workplaces for all.

Administration Excellence: Finance and Human Resources

Several notable achievements were accomplished by A&O’s Finance and Human Resources teams in FY2024. The Finance team successfully launched new AI capabilities, enhancing financial modeling and billing procedures. This innovation was pivotal in creating the TDx financial billing portal, which efficiently handled ITS Recharge Rates, resulting in $31 million in billings for the fiscal year. The team also adeptly managed the financial aspects of the fall Major Incident and future planning needs. Significant projects completed include the ARC Research Computing Support & Data Center Upgrade, a seven-year, $30 million capital project, and the two-year, $1 million Digital Asset Management project. Additionally, the Finance team prepared the FY2025 budget of $161 million and finalized the FY2024 actuals at $157 million, outperforming the budget by $2 million.

A&O HR also had an impressive year, focusing on enhancing training and onboarding processes. They created and facilitated a new annual Performance Management training and revamped the ITS HR Orientation for new employees. Efforts to refine HR immigration policies significantly improved ITS recruitment procedures. Collaborating with the Compensation and Classification team, ITS HR introduced the Change Management job series to the university. A key achievement was the successful completion of their first-ever apprenticeship cohort, with two apprentices receiving job offers from U-M. A&O HR also maintained a remarkable retention rate of over 91%, hired over 60 new staff members, and supported the retirements of 20 staff members. These accomplishments underscore the HR team's commitment to supporting and developing the ITS workforce.

Launching DEI 2.0 for ITS in FY2025

After the conclusion of U-M's initial five-year DEI 1.0 plan, ITS joined the larger university community in unveiling a comprehensive DEI 2.0 Strategic Plan for FY2024. The plan aims to increase diversity by cultivating and promoting staff affinity groups, creating sustainable spaces for community-building, and supporting various diversity initiatives like employee resource groups and mentorship programs. Equity efforts include enhancing digital accessibility by identifying service delivery gaps, advancing accessibility services, and developing strategic accessibility plans. In addition, ITS is committed to ensuring workplace accessibility in alignment with university policies.

To foster a sense of inclusion, the new DEI 2.0 plan emphasizes educating the community on DEI topics through training sessions, e-learning for new hires, and promoting DEI events. The plan also includes building awareness and engagement by facilitating discussions, seeking staff input, and involving executive leadership in DEI initiatives. Moreover, ITS aims to enhance its culture by connecting DEI events to broader university efforts, supporting DEI learning opportunities, and recognizing staff participation in DEI activities. These strategic actions reflect ITS's commitment to creating a welcoming environment where all individuals feel valued and included.

A&O Facilities: Building Better Workplaces

In FY2024, A&O Facilities team made significant strides in enhancing the physical environment for ITS staff. They successfully renovated the ITS workspaces on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the Administrative Services Building, making it more accessible for Central Campus staff. They even worked with the Marketing & Communications team to produce breathtaking new wall art for the enhanced ASB workspaces. Facilities also relocated the MiWorkspace Depot from the Campus Safety Services Building to the Administrative Services Building, improving logistical efficiency. The team upgraded the Arbor Lakes card readers to MCard readers, enhancing security measures. Additionally, they installed 12 electric vehicle charging stations at Arbor Lakes for U-M business vehicles, promoting sustainability. The Facilities team also completed the installation of a new roof on Arbor Lakes Building 2, ensuring a well-maintained and functional infrastructure. These accomplishments reflect the team’s mission to provide a safe, clean, productive, and cost-effective environment that supports the mission, vision, and values of ITS.

Telling the Story: ITS Marketing & Communications

ITS Marketing & Communications greatly expanded its scope in FY2024 - providing marketing services to the entire ITS organization, debuting a new emphasis on video and social media, and combining with the existing ITS Digital User Experience team (DUX) to enhance its focus on providing cohesive digital experiences.

The efforts had a number of benefits. Due to the efforts of DUX, ITS websites have a digital accessibility score of 93% compared to an average of 30% for other U-M Ann Arbor websites. The M&C team also worked closely with generative AI, U-M's Generative AI Advisory Committee, and the ITS Emerging Technology team in FY2024. The team produced multiple videos on AI-related topics, utilizing AI animation techniques, and built the university’s expansive Generative AI website. M&C also launched ITS’ first-ever Instagram page in FY2024 and hired a full-time social media manager to increase its social presence and capabilities. As a part of its outreach mission, ITS M&C hosted numerous outreach events throughout the year, ranging from “Welcome to Michigan” events for new students to “Power Up” events for finals week.

Putting the Operations in Systems Operations in FY2024

A&O’s new Systems Operations and Data Science Practice teams had a seismic impact on the organization last year. These groups showed an unwavering commitment to strengthening the digital backbone of U-M, which has yielded unprecedented progress across several domains, including

  • A new ITS Load Testing Service was rolled out to ensure the robust performance of systems under peak load conditions, providing an essential tool for upholding service reliability.

  • The Wolverine Web Services was introduced, offering faculty, staff, and students a multi-tier website content management and hosting solution tailored to diverse needs across campus.

  • The transformation didn’t stop there - The Wolverine Access Gateway was given a user interface refresh, thereby enhancing the gateway experience for finding essential U-M tools and resources.

Collaboratively, these improvements underscore the area’s dedication to providing sustainable, robust, and user-centric digital services.

In addition to the foundational enhancements described above, A&O’s Systems Operations and Data Science Practice teams led the charge on several innovative initiatives, such as:

Advancing Technological Capabilities and Services

  • Integrating GitHub Copilot with U-M GitHub to expedite the coding process using AI. This groundbreaking tool streamlines code generation, ushering in a new phase of efficiency for university developers.

  • The Pantheon web hosting service was adopted to serve Drupal and WordPress users starting in 2025, signaling another leap forward in website management services.

  • On a parallel track, the team initiated Phase 1 of the AFS Retirement, marking the beginning of a transition to more advanced data storage solutions, while also embarking on the AFS Website Upgrade Project to enhance the security of university websites.

Cloud Strategy and Cybersecurity Investments

  • The cloud infrastructure received a significant boost with the Container Service Platform Upgrade, leading to a modernized hosting environment on AWS through a partnership with Red Hat.

  • Proactive defense strategies included the implementation of Cloudflare as a web application firewall, reinforcing the protection of university digital services against external threats.

  • To further secure IT operations, Drupal was updated on ITS websites, ensuring adherence to the highest security standards.

Data-Informed Decision-Making and Systems Modernization

  • An Enterprise Data Catalog Pilot was set in motion to facilitate a university-wide data catalog, enabling more informed decision-making processes.

  • The Administration and Operations team also applied focus on internal communication improvements for managing major incidents with a revamp of the IT On Call Paging Solution.

  • Progress in modernizing reporting platforms was marked by the completion of the M-Reports Modernization Project Phase I, significantly enhancing the user interface and aligning with U-M branding.