Improving online education and boosting technology
Improving online education
CU has robust online degree programs across our four campuses, but we believe we can step up our efforts. That’s why we partnered with Ernst & Young/Parthenon for an in-depth look at our online programs and how they align with current and future needs in the market. The project, which began in December, is assessing CU’s online capabilities by campus and program, providing a market analysis of the competitive landscape and making recommendations on strategic online expansion options.
We have an opportunity and desire to leverage existing investments in online and expand CU’s presence. Doing so will help the university to better deliver on its mission, broaden access, meet workforce needs and support innovation and entrepreneurship. Maintaining educational quality and degree reputation are guiding principles for the project and key differentiators for CU. Ernst & Young officials are meeting with hundreds of CU faculty and staff to inform the project. We expect to have recommendations on enhancements by April and we will keep you apprised.
Boosting technology
CU is a complex organization of four campuses, nearly 70,000 students, some 35,000 faculty and staff and an annual budget pushing $5 billion. Technology is obviously critical to the effective operation of such an enterprise. To ensure that we are being as efficient as possible and making optimal use of technology, we partnered with Deloitte to examine our primary technology systems. The project is assessing the current state of CU’s significant technology infrastructure, analyzing IT capabilities and services relative to industry best practices and identifying gaps between the current and future state. It is considering several aspects of IT, including governance, finance, technology capabilities and services.
The outcomes we expect include greater efficiency, more innovation and better information security. Deloitte has worked with hundreds of higher education institutions across the country on similar projects, so their expertise comes from extensive experience in the space. We expect they will have recommendations for us to consider this spring. From there teams from across CU will work on an implementation roadmap. Considering the importance of efficiency and effectiveness in technology to our operations, this project should have a significant impact on how we serve students and meet our mission.