UITS Strategy Planning
Building our IT Strategy
University Information Technology Services is developing a strategy with measurable goals that align IT priorities with the university’s strategic imperatives—student success, research, and community engagement. Sponsored by the university’s interim Chief Information Officer, the plan will address current and emerging technology needs and guide short- and long-term priorities to ensure steady progress and adaptability as we Deliver on Our Promise.
The UITS organizational strategy is being shaped by broad campus input. We are gathering insights through surveys, listening sessions, and direct conversations to understand what matters most and where challenges exist. These insights will be distilled into specific needs, validated with campus partners, and translated into goals that will anchor the final IT strategy and plan.
Grounded in a community-driven approach, the strategy will bring clarity, focus, and accountability to IT work across the institution. By defining measurable outcomes that guide decision-making, it will ensure UITS’s efforts align with the university’s priorities and the needs of the campus community by moving the division from many independent initiatives to one connected, coordinated IT strategy for the institution.
A Wildcat-Inspired IT Strategy
Service-driven. Mission-aligned. Future-ready.
IT plays a critical role in advancing student success, research excellence, and community impact. This strategy guides how UITS prioritizes technology decisions and investments across the University of Arizona — and how we show up for the people we serve.
Built with Campus Input
From August 2025 through January 2026, UITS held more than 50 stakeholder sessions — including campus meetings, internal team forums, and IT Summit workshops. We asked students, researchers, faculty, staff, and community partners what was working, what wasn't, and what they needed most.
What we heard:
- Students are navigating fragmented tools and inconsistent experiences
- Researchers need right-sized storage, compute options, and compliance-ready environments
- Community partners encounter siloed, inconsistent digital touchpoints across the university
- Within UITS, we need to simplify tools, clarify service ownership, and invest in our people
This strategy is our response.
Aligned to UA Strategic Imperatives
Everything UITS does connects to the university's three strategic imperatives:
| UA Strategic Imperative | UITS Objective |
|---|---|
| Success for Every Student | Support Students Using Digital Tools and Services |
| Research That Shapes the Future | Provide Secure Technologies That Advance Research |
| Engagement with Our Communities | Deliver Digital Experiences to Campus and Community |
| (All Imperatives) | Strengthen Our Organization |
And underlying all of it:
Strengthen Our Organization — because the quality of our team and our internal processes determines everything else.
Strategic Objectives
Support Students Using Digital Tools and Services
- Connect every student with the digital platforms, tools, and services they need to succeed.
- Provide students with access to the technologies relevant to their field, supporting career readiness aligned to their professional goals.
- Enable technology integrations that support a connected and transparent student academic experience.
- Cultivate consistent technology experiences through partnership with academic units and shared practices across the organization.
Provide Secure Technologies That Advance Research
- Partner with ORP and the Provost's Office to support researchers across the full research lifecycle.
- Create clear pathways for researchers to access the full portfolio of UITS support services.
- Expand access to computing, storage, and compliance-ready infrastructure.
- Serve as an active partner in the discovery and adoption of emerging research technologies.
Deliver Digital Experiences to Campus and Community
Community refers to both campus partners and external organizations. UITS's role is to enable access, visibility, and connection.
- Support campus and community programs with reliable, scalable technology services.
- Make university services more visible and accessible regardless of technical proficiency or type of need.
- Create opportunities for partners to discover and access university digital services.
- Partner with campus and external organizations to amplify their work through technology.
Strengthen Our Organization
- Establish clear ownership, handoffs, and escalation paths.
- Make work and project status visible and accessible across teams.
- Standardize intake, prioritization, and delivery processes while considering diverse needs.
- Support IT staff through defined career pathways, mentorship, and professional development opportunities.
- Foster a culture of continuous improvement.
Our Delivery Philosophy
Across all four objectives, UITS operates with four consistent commitments:
Reliable Services
Predictable, consistent delivery you can count on.
Working Together
Coordinated, collaborative partnerships so you don't have to broker the system.
Future Ready
Prepared for what's next — from AI-ready research infrastructure to modern student tools.
Strong Foundations
People, process, and culture that make everything else possible.
How It All Fits Together
The IT Strategy sits within a four-level framework connecting university mission to day-to-day work:
- U of A Strategic Imperatives — The university's mission and goals
- IT Strategy — UITS mission and strategic objectives (this page)
- Work Prioritization Model — How we decide what to work on
- Action Planning — Detailed initiatives, owners, and metrics, published annually
What We're Working On Now
- Establishing a clear decision-making process for work prioritization
- Creating visibility into work in progress and how it connects to the strategy
- Building regular feedback opportunities with campus partners
- Developing and publishing the IT Action Plan (refreshed annually)
Have feedback? We want to hear from you.