Finding a balance: centralized IT support for decentralized units and the liaison program at Tulane University

Abstract

Finding a balance: "centralized" IT support for decentralized units and the liaison program at Tulane University.In most universities, there is a tension between the local technology support needs of individual colleges, schools, and departments and the demands of the entire community. We have all witnessed attempts to overcome this tension by centralizing and decentralizing support like a pendulum.Two years ago, the central technology organization created a new liaison program at Tulane University to find a balance between the demands on central technology support and the needs of the individual school, department, or division. We created a system in which there is local control--decentralized units fund the partial or whole position--and centralized management and integration into the support structure. The program has exploded over the past years, growing from one liaison to seven.