Page 3 - 2020 OIT Progress Report

A LETTER FROM THE CIO
TEAMWORK WITH RENEWED FOCUS
Throughout the past year, SMU made considerable enhancements in infrastructure, instructional technologies, and new solutions to
strengthen the student experience.
Regardless of unforeseen obstacles, our efforts remained focused
on meeting the strategic needs of the university and providing exceptional customer service above all else. We brought our agility
to a new level in the midst of constant challenges from the pandemic, all while completing existing projects and supporting a host of new initiatives needed for a healthy opening this fall.
OIT worked closely with many leaders and departments across campus to implement technology and redefine business processes. This collaborative spirit is a tremendous asset and led to solutions that were creative, impactful, and timely. Efforts to strengthen classroom technology helped faculty continue teaching in a range of modalities so that students could continue learning. New investments in campus infrastructure were made to better support SMU’s growing research portfolio, and continued developments in data science and high- performance computing provided insights for critical business decisions and new discoveries.
As we look ahead, I am truly excited about the opportunities on the horizon to continue collaborating to solve large problems. We will continue to work with our peers inside and outside of OIT to bring new ideas, creativity, and advanced technical skills to support everyone at SMU. Our focus remains on improving technological foundations for research, teaching, and innovation to achieve SMU’s strategic goals.
We look forward to another great year serving SMU.
Dr. Michael Hites
Chief Information Officer Southern Methodist University