You don’t have to be an IT professional to know that technology is reshaping higher education at a breathtaking pace. Artificial intelligence, quantum computing and other emerging technologies aren’t just changing how we work—they have the potential to fundamentally transform how we teach, learn and conduct research. As these changes accelerate, UW–Madison’s IT community has a unique opportunity to shape how our university adapts and thrives in this evolving landscape.
Over the coming months, this blog will explore forces and trends that will impact our future in university IT. Each month, we’ll focus on a different topic that will define our future success.
This isn’t about changing priorities or prescribing solutions—by and large, we’re working on the right things right now. Instead, this series focuses on what’s coming next. It’s about acknowledging our shared future, starting conversations and fostering collaboration across our broad IT community.
Building & supporting our greatest asset: Our people
The future of IT in higher education depends first and foremost on our people. UW–Madison is fortunate to have a broad and deep pool of dedicated and skilled IT professionals across the university. As systems become more complex and interconnected, we need to think strategically about how we support, develop and retain those people to navigate a changing landscape.
Key areas we’ll explore include:
- Creating meaningful career development pathways
- Fostering a culture of continuous learning
- Building inclusive teams that bring diverse perspectives to problem-solving
- Maintaining work-life balance during times of growth and change
Advancing research through computing innovation
UW’s Wisconsin Research, Innovation and Scholarly Excellence (RISE) Initiative aims to address significant, complex challenges facing Wisconsin and the world through accelerated faculty hiring, enhanced research infrastructure, interdisciplinary collaboration and educational opportunity. RISE-AI, RISE-EARTH and RISE-THRIVE represent massive new research investments that will position UW–Madison as a leader working to solve some of the most pressing issues of our time.
To support those ambitions, the university will need to advance its computing infrastructure, including storage, networking, data centers, and cloud and computing resources. Future discussions will examine:
- Supplying the computing power needed for the RISE research focus areas
- The growth of mass-scale computing to accelerate discovery
- Supporting advancements in artificial intelligence to benefit all
- Opportunities for collaboration across departments and institutions
Sustainability: Building a greener digital future
Environmental sustainability isn’t just an institutional priority—it’s an opportunity for IT operations. We’ll explore:
- Strategies for reducing the environmental impact of our IT infrastructure
- Growing responsibly to meet campus energy needs
- Innovative approaches to sustainable data center operations
- Partnerships with campus facilities and vendors to improve energy efficiency
Modernization & federation: Working smarter together
As our technology needs grow more complex, we must find ways to work together to explore initiatives to reduce risk, improve the usability experience with technology, and increase our collective efficiency to maximize IT’s impact. The university’s needs are changing, and we in IT should meet this challenge. Future discussions will cover:
- The benefits of shared services and federated IT models
- Successful examples of cross-department collaboration
- Strategies for modernizing legacy systems while maintaining service quality
- Approaches to lessening redundancy while preserving local expertise
Cybersecurity: Protecting our digital future
Effective cybersecurity has never been more critical. The bad actors are gaining better tools and more sophisticated approaches all the time. Staying one step ahead to protect our students, staff and university resources must be a top priority. We’ll examine:
- Emerging threats and protective strategies
- Ways to balance security with usability
- Creating a security-minded university culture
- Opportunities for collaboration on cybersecurity initiatives
Continue the conversation
This blog is part of an ongoing dialogue about our shared digital future. I invite you to:
- Consider what you can do within your sphere of influence to help UW prepare for the future
- Share your ideas, insights and experiences with your colleagues
Together, we can build an IT foundation that will support our university’s mission for years to come.
Best,
—Lois
This is part 1 of our “Envision the Future” series examining key technology trends and opportunities in higher education. Join us each month as we explore different facets of UW–Madison’s IT future.