Information Technology Optimized Service Team

While many of the topics under IT OST are not new, the IT OST charge, goals and objectives are drawn from Penn State executive leadership’s vision to increase agility, purpose, and opportunity and transform our internal operations. Additionally, with decreased state funding, other budgetary challenges, and decreased student populations, Penn State must adapt and change to face many realities confronting all of higher education.

Over the 18-month transition period (July 1, 2025 – January 2027), all of IT will undergo an optimization process comprised of the basic elements of:

• Discovery: Understanding current structures, processes, and needs across IT.
• Analysis: Evaluating efficiencies, gaps, and opportunities for improvement.
• Recommendations: Defining the new IT organization and placing teams into the new operating model.

David Horton and Chris Lucas will work together as co-leads of the IT OST to ensure alignment between all areas of the IT Transformation Office.

Yes, more changes will come. Penn State is experiencing a period of significant transformation, not just in IT but across the entire University. While we don’t have all the answers yet, this is an opportunity for us to come together, collaborate, and actively shape the future of IT at Penn State. Your involvement and adaptability will be essential in building an IT organization that is stronger, more efficient, and better aligned with the University’s needs.

There are no layoffs planned as part of IT OST. Our new operating model will improve processes and the way we work, while creating new roles and opportunities. We will help to develop staff through upskilling, cross-functional training and job-sharing.  Any savings will come from leveraging attrition. As IT staff members, you are critical members of the University community and provide important expertise and solutions to support Penn State’s mission.

We do not expect much change in compensation or profiles. Any changes would have to be determined.

Customer service and continuing our current work will remain important. At the same time, we are undergoing tremendous change within IT and as a university. We need to pull together and navigate through this time of change as we all work towards the future of IT at Penn State. Stay engaged, seek clarity, attend listening sessions and actively participate to help shape the future.

Some organizational structure changes will happen, but the goal will be to keep these changes to a minimum.

Direct reports of SLT members taking on new roles as part of the IT Transformation Office (Chris Lucas, Shuchi Nalepa, Dave Gindhart) will experience reporting line changes for the transition period. Workshops will be conducted to collaboratively determine the best path forward during the 18-month transition period.

There are no planned changes for Penn State IT’s Information Security area.

The new IT Strategic Partner (ITSP) role will serve as a bridge between Penn State IT and academic/administrative units. The new role, which will be in the IT job family, is being introduced as part of the effort to align IT functions across the University in a more collaborative and consultative manner. 

One of the goals of the transition is to optimize talent placement, ensuring that employees are working in roles that align with their skills and career goals, with obvious alignment in meeting the University’s overall needs. The reorganization is expected to create new career pathways, including specialization and leadership opportunities. Employees are encouraged to stay engaged and participate in discussions to help shape these opportunities. 

Travel funding and approval processes will be reviewed for consistency across areas within PSIT. Typically, each area has a professional development budget that may be utilized for conferences.  

Certification support by PSIT will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Please consult specific position descriptions posted by Human Resources to see information on preferred or required certifications for roles. 

To provide quality, timely IT support to users—wherever and whenever they need it. This ensures a consistent user experience across all of Penn State while enabling local IT to focus on high-value, strategic initiatives. 

• 24/7 IT support for your users—via chat, phone, email, portal, and walk-up options
• Frees up your team to focus on unit-specific IT needs and innovation
• Improves support consistency through standard workflows and documentation
• Ensures better reporting through unified metrics (response times, resolutions, satisfaction)
• Connects your team with other IT groups (like Identity, Security, Major Incidents) via shared channels
• Encourages continuous improvement through regular check-ins and partnership reviews
• Reduces workload through shared knowledge: Support articles and documentation are created collaboratively with service partners and units, written once and reused across the enterprise, minimizing duplication and effort  

The Tier 1 team will troubleshoot and resolve common issues. If an issue is beyond their scope, it’s escalated to your team or other appropriate support teams, following clearly defined workflows.  

We take partnership seriously. If issues arise, you’ll have direct and responsive support channels to get them addressed quickly:

• Dedicated Engagement Manager assigned to your unit
• Designated Service Desk agent who understands your workflows and users
• Direct email access to the Service Desk management team for escalation or urgent concerns
• Regular check-ins to review performance, share feedback, and resolve any challenges
• Ongoing visibility through the Teams channel and SharePoint for reporting, real-time communication, and updates

This layered support approach ensures your voice is heard, and your needs are met.

Yes. Units that have already transitioned to the centralized Tier 1 Service Desk report:

• Increased satisfaction from users due to faster and more consistent support
• Reduced workload for local IT teams
• Better visibility into support trends and problem areas Quarterly reports and success stories are available to show results.
• Freed-up capacity for strategic work: Units have been able to restart stalled projects and focus on higher-priority initiatives that were previously interrupted by the need to man phones or handle repetitive tasks like password resets. 

The onboarding process is structured and supportive, including:

1. Introductory meeting to understand your needs and goals
2. Engagement manager assigned from the Service Desk to guide the transition
3. Customized project plan and timeline using Monday.com for visibility
4. Kick-off meeting to align on roles, support channels, and documentation needs
5. Knowledge and training: You’ll provide documentation, and the Service Desk trains agents on your specific needs
6. Hypercare period: Extra support following go live to ensure success and catch anything that we might have missed in planning
7. Ongoing partnership: Regular meetings and annual reviews to adjust and improve

Templates, communication plans, and support materials are provided throughout.

You’ll have:

• A dedicated engagement manager and Service Desk agent
• A SharePoint site with updates and reporting
• An interdepartmental Teams channel for direct communication with the Service Desk as well as other groups such as Identity, Major Incident, and other service teams. 

• Regular all-partner meetings
• Quarterly and annual reports on metrics and user feedback
• Open communication channels for continuous collaboration