Office of Information Technology

The Office of Information Technology (OIT) provides technology services to support and enable the academic and research activities of the University, as well as the daily technology activities and needs of the different FAU campuses. Led by Associate Provost and Chief Information Officer Jason Ball, the highly committed OIT team develops innovative and sustainable solutions to support the institution. OIT consists of eleven different departments whose goals are to:

Deliver the best possible IT work environment/services to the faculty, students, and staff of the University
Implement new technology and maintain the IT infrastructure of the University
Develop different IT strategies, plans, and processes

OIT Mission

OIT’s mission is to plan for and provide high-quality information technology resources in support of research and teaching across all campuses, and to facilitate the efficient execution of administrative and public service functions of the University.

In addition to providing FAU vital general computing and telecommunications services, OIT also serves as a consultant and coordinator for more specific information technology activities and projects carried on by the various University colleges, departments, administrative offices, and research groups. OIT assists each unit in accomplishing its own goals and, at the same time, ensures that overall institutional goals are being met.

OIT Structure

Administrative Systems (AS) | Director: Steve Lutter

This department provides business analysis, software architecture, and design, development, and support services for custom and vendor-supplied software, including Starfish, Workday, Banner, and related integrations, to support University business processes.

Broward Technology Services (BTS) | Director: Alberto Fernández

This department provides computing services for the Broward campuses (Davie, Fort Lauderdale, and Dania Beach).

Communication Infrastructure (CI) | Director: Ken Rothhaar

This department manages all aspects of networking and voice services, network design, and the installation of the communication infrastructure for new construction and renovations, ComWare, Phonemail, Intelli-SPEECH, and operator services.

Engagement Management (EM) | Director: Wendy Wong

This department provides project management services in the IT implementation of various projects.

Enterprise Systems (ES) | Director: Mehran Basiratmand

This department manages computing systems/servers, research computing, web services (MYFAU, CMS) and user services.

Fiscal Management (FM) | Director: Lucy Martucci

This department manages OIT accounts receivable, billing functions, and budget planning.

Information Security (IS) | Director: James Cooley

This department facilitates the securing of all users, systems, and resources connecting to the University data network.

Instructional Technologies (IT) | Director: Joanne Julia

This department is responsible for classroom technology, AV services, student computing labs, videoconferencing, and instructional technologies such as Canvas and Mediasite.

Northern Technology Services (NTS) | Director: Alberto Fernández

This department provides computing services for the Jupiter campus.

Office of Institutional Effectiveness & Analysis (IEA ) | Director: Ying Liu

This department provides accurate, relevant, and timely information for use by the University community and external constituencies. IEA designs and administers survey instruments, conducts special studies on issues of significance to the FAU community, and assists academic departments and academic support units in assessing, reporting, and improving the effectiveness of their programs.

Workday Operations (WO) | Interim Director: Denise Campbell

This department is responsible for designing, developing, and supporting the configuration and reporting of all components of the Workday system.

OIT Guiding Principles

All faculty, staff, and students should have access to information technology resources appropriate to their needs and responsibilities. This access should be provided by a network that is reliable, with minimal downtime, configured in an open-standards environment that maximizes the utility of the system for all users.
Overall planning for information technology that will best serve the entire University community, and the establishment and implementation of policies and standards to facilitate its use, should be principal responsibilities of a central information technology administration. Additional central responsibilities should include the operation and maintenance of the network and its associated systems, backup for on-site technical support, and primary support for applications of University-wide importance.
In a distributed information environment, local technology decisions, funding, and primary technical support should be the responsibility of the local operating units. On-site technical support should provide expertise appropriate to the individual needs of the particular community being served.
The university should support the increasing prevalence of IT-mediated instruction through both central facilities and specialized sites in individual colleges. Technology for the classroom, whether the most advanced or at lower levels such as overhead projectors, should be adequately configured and maintained, with close coordination among the units involved. Assistance with the use of such technology should be available when needed. Physical facilities should be planned with information technology in mind.
The University's administrative data systems should be consistent, coherent, current, and easily accessible to those who must use them to conduct and manage the university's educational enterprise. The units responsible for the design of data system components must assure compatibility with the full spectrum of administrative needs. Appropriate levels of on-site support should be accessible to administrative data systems users.
The University should capitalize upon the opportunities for leadership in distance education that accompany its multi-campus structure, both in credit courses delivered remotely by core academic units and in non-credit courses provided by continuing education. Technology is an intrinsic part of the structure of curricula and programs for distance learning, and effective support for both development and use must be provided.
All components of the University should recognize that the rapid growth of our reliance on information technology requires that an increasing portion of University resources be dedicated to it. In order to ensure that technology decisions recognize technology costs, budgeting mechanisms should be developed that allocate costs and resources to the unit most directly responsible for the use of the technology. Funding for these costs should be established on a continuing basis since consistent patterns of support are essential to the formulation of long-term plans for technology development.