IT Governance
Our Mission
The mission of Information Technology Services and the Office of the CIO is “to enable learning, research, and service through an advanced information technology environment.” To this end, the Chief Information Officer and the Directors of Information Technology Services participate in various committees aimed at informing the strategic direction of information technology at MSU.
Policies
A number of University policies provide the governance foundation upon which Information Technology Services and the Office of the CIO operate. Among these is OP 01.16, Provision of Information Technology Resources, which states: ITS will be responsible for planning and allocating resources in support of the core IT infrastructure. Input will be provided through standing committees including the Instructional Technology Advisory Committee and the Information Technology Council.
All IT-related University policies
Information Technology Council
The Information Technology Council is chaired by the CIO and reports to the Provost and Executive Vice President. The Council’s charge is to recommend strategies and policies aimed at ensuring a unified, state-of-the-art information technology environment delivered in a secure, efficient, effective, and non-duplicative manner. The Council also provides oversight and coordination for data and information security matters, including the university’s Information Security Program, Incident Response Plan, and IT Disaster Recovery Plan, as prescribed by MSU’s Information Security Policy, OP 01.10. Council membership represents a cross-section of University stakeholders from all vice-presidential divisions as well as the Presidents of the Faculty Senate and the Student Association.
View the full Council membership
Instructional Technology Advisory Committee
The Instructional Technology Advisory Committee (ITAC) advises the Provost and Executive Vice President, the Academic Deans Council, and the CIO on instructional technology policy and priorities, including the operation of university units supporting instructional technology. The committee is expected to monitor the needs for, progress of, and the competitive position of the use of instructional technology in the programs of the university. Where appropriate, the committee recommends goals and objectives, resource allocation strategies, support personnel and services, organizational structures, and exemplary instructional technology projects.
Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services
The Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services (MDITS), www.its.ms.gov, has legislative authority for information technology procurements over all state agencies, excluding K12 and Community Colleges. For IT procurements of $250,000 or less, MDITS has delegated that authority to the CIOs at the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning. For procurements over $250,000, the MSU CIO works with the procuring department and submits the appropriate procurement request – competitive procurement, exemption, cooperative purchasing, sole source, etc. - to MDITS for review/approval.
Detailed information about IT procurement procedures can be found in the MDITS Procurement Handbook.
MissiON Advisory Council
The Mississippi Optical Network, MissiON, is a critical resource for MSU, as it is via MissiON that the University participates in the global commodity Internet as well as Internet2, the ultra-high performance research and education network of 300+ U.S. institutions of higher education. MissiON governance is via the MissiON Advisory Council, which is composed of the Chief Research Officers and Chief Information Officers of Mississippi State University, University of Southern Mississippi, Jackson State University, and University of Mississippi, as well as representatives from the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services and the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning. See http://mission.mississippi.edu for more information.