UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — On July 1, the Penn State Information Technology Optimized Service Team (IT OST) marked a significant milestone, with 350 IT staff from academic and administrative units joining a new University-wide IT organization. This integration will enable the launch of an 18-month discovery period to transform IT across the University into a shared service model.
David Horton, vice president of information technology and chief information officer (CIO), said at a kick-off event for staff, “The new Penn State IT will unify IT professionals from 63 different units into a best-in-class IT organization that supports the University’s mission in an evolving higher education and technology landscape.”
This new operating model will enhance service and support for faculty, staff and students, while providing clearer career paths and opportunities for IT staff.
Laying the groundwork for a shared services model
In recent years, several initiatives explored structural and operating model changes to the University’s IT services. The current IT OST began in 2023 as part of a University-wide effort to transform internal operations and create a new ecosystem of shared support and services.
“We remain committed to our IT professionals throughout this process. They are the core of our organization and will be critical to our collective success,” Horton said. “This new model will bring new roles and career pathways at Penn State, and we are committed to providing comprehensive professional development and training to help our team thrive, all while benefiting from a strong community of shared expertise within the new organizational structure."
The effort has been guided by 17 specific recommendations developed by University stakeholders working with consultant PwC. Dedicated workstreams, comprised of IT staff, were established in January to develop recommendations for the future operating model in seven distinct areas: IT governance framework, financial taxonomy, balanced scorecard, enterprise architecture, application rationalization, solution delivery, and change management.
"I am grateful to the hundreds of staff members who helped develop the recommendations and served on the workstreams,” said Chris Lucas, deputy chief information officer. “Their commitment to helping us build the future of IT has been invaluable. David Horton and I are thoroughly reviewing the workstreams' recommendations and determining how we can integrate them into our future state operating model. We also have strong executive sponsorship for these efforts, which will allow our collective success.”
As early adopters to the model, IT staff who support Commonwealth Campuses joined Penn State IT in July 2024. Other units include IT staff in Student Affairs, Human Resources IT and Operational Excellence, the University Libraries’ Media Tech Team, and Financial Information Systems in the Office of Budget and Finance, who transitioned to the new structure in early 2025.
Building a new Penn State IT
OST leaders continue to emphasize that faculty, staff and students, who rely on Penn State IT every day, will not see unplanned interruptions to support during this transition, including this 18-month discovery phase. Project leaders and IT professionals across Penn State remain focused on maintaining critical support for the University community, while simultaneously working to transition to a new, streamlined operating model and unlocking new capacity for innovation.
Over the next month, the focus will be on maintaining stable services in the units to provide a smooth transition for IT staff and prepare for a successful start to the fall semester. Efforts are underway to formalize and document the services these teams currently provide and begin creating service level agreements, a new system of participatory governance between the units and Penn State IT.
A key component of this effort is the establishment of the IT strategic partner role, with 50 IT leaders across the University now dedicated to continuing the close alignment and collaboration with units and to introduce a new culture of digital leadership.
Looking to the future
The transitional period will carefully examine existing services; identify optimization opportunities for people, processes and technologies; and progressively deploy resources within the new IT operating model. The goal is to complete consolidation and optimization of IT services and staff by January 2027.
“By working together, we will unlock greater capacity to support our students, faculty, researchers and staff, which is the real value of this new way of working together,” Horton said.
Ongoing engagement with staff will remain a priority for the coming months, with the latest updates being made available to IT staff through the Office of Enterprise Change and Transformation web presence.