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Department of Information Technology

Message from the CIO

Paul E. Fisher Jr.Seton Hall University has continued to make a major commitment to information technology since its initial strategic plan in 1996. The strategic goal "to provide a technologically advanced learning environment for our students and faculty" set the direction for IT at Seton Hall University for the next decade.

What followed was a remarkable transformation.

  • Through the University's Mobile Computing Program, all undergraduate students and faculty are issued a laptop computer.
  • The campus was extensively wired, and then became completely wireless.
  • Faculty innovation in the use of technology to improve teaching and learning, extensively supported by the University's Teaching, Learning, and Technology Center, propelled the University to national recognition as a "most wired" campus.
  • A long term assessment of the impact of technology on teaching and learning at the University demonstrated that the intelligent use of technology can improve student engagement and learning.

During this time, the IT organization itself evolved in order to keep pace with the ever increasing demands for services and support.

This commitment was expanded in the University's 2003 strategic plan, which had as an objective to create a state-of-the-art administrative technology environment to enable the University to improve services, streamline processes, expand access to institutional data, and support a culture of accountability and assessment. The University selected Sungard Higher Education's Banner system for our student, finance, financial aid, human resource, and payroll systems, and Blackbaud's Raisers Edge for our alumni and development system. In January 2008 the University achieved a major milestone for this plan when Banner HR/Payroll, the last core module of the Banner Project, went live.

Together with the University's entire IT organization, I take great pride in the accomplishments we've made in the past fifteen years. The University, supported by IT, has made tremendous strides, and we've accomplished the goals set out in the 1996 and 2003 strategic plans.

Much work remains to be done, however. We plan to implement additional features of the Banner system, including data warehousing, document imaging, workflow, and identity management. We also plan to strengthen our IT environment by implementing redundant systems for key IT services, including network services and our connection to the Internet, increasing the security and reliability of all our systems and services, and documenting and improving our internal processes. We want to extend our evaluation and adoption of cutting edge technologies in support of our academic mission, including our Research Computing Pilot Project and our Mobility Initiative. And as the University launches a new strategic planning initiative, we look forward to supporting the University's new strategic initiatives, including globalization and fostering closer ties with our neighbors in South Orange and Newark.

Paul E. Fisher Jr.
Chief Information Officer