IT Team's Efficient Collaboration Saves Costs and Improves Classroom Technology at Penn State Hazleton

New Task Forces Aim to Standardize IT Services and Foster Collaboration Across Campuses

Founded in 1855, Pennsylvania State University, commonly known as Penn State, is a major public research university it has since grown to include 24 campuses across Pennsylvania and offers a wide range of undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs. The university's mission is to provide high-quality education and research opportunities. IT professionals across Penn State's campuses are collaborating to create solutions for students, faculty, and staff. The IT Optimized Service Team (OST) played a key role in integrating Commonwealth Campus IT into Penn State IT, improving collaboration and enhancing IT services' efficiency and responsiveness. This ongoing work continues to uncover new opportunities for further collaboration.

New task forces have been created to standardize audio/visual resources, improve University events, and provide greater collaboration among IT professionals. Kari Williamson, director of Commonwealth Campus IT, highlighted the shift from campus-specific roles to a unified "one team" strategy, making it easier to support neighboring campuses and enhancing IT services across Penn State. In the updated model, various IT units across different campuses are collaborating to streamline processes, software packages, and hardware configurations that were previously distinct. The aim is to enhance compatibility between campuses.

At Penn State Hazleton, an internal team of IT experts from across the commonwealth updated classrooms in the Kostos Building after a 2017 renovation, avoiding a $40,000 per-room vendor quote. Tony Cingle (University Park), Rob Notari (Scranton), and Vince Mitchell (Schuylkill) collaborated to update the rooms, with Cingle and Mitchell preparing three classrooms on-site and training the Hazleton IT team, while Notari offered remote support. Notari highlighted that many faculty and staff now move between campuses, requiring a common platform to ensure that their devices are supported and can work seamlessly with classroom technology across locations.

The IT team completed crucial tasks before the fall semester, ensuring a smooth academic experience for students. Kari Williamson highlighted that collaboration across campuses allowed them to leverage talent from neighboring areas. This teamwork led to standardized equipment instructions and streamlined processes for software and hardware requests. The collaboration also enhanced back-up support; when an IT colleague needed leave before the semester, Tony Cingle coordinated with Kevin Churik (New Kensington), Jim Serafin, Shawn Alexander, Nick Scott, and Scott Smith (Behrend) to cover the pre-semester work and ensure everything was operational.

Shawn Alexander highlighted the team's growing desire for collaboration, with a strong willingness to offer and accept help. Scott Smith, on-site communicating with faculty, relayed their needs to the remote team, which focused on rebuilding lab systems, installing new software, and updating A/V resources. Tony Cingle praised the team's efficiency, noting they not only covered responsibilities during a colleague's leave but also made progress, ensuring a smooth transition when the colleague returned without needing to catch up. Jedlowski emphasized plans for initiatives that Penn State has not pursued before, aiming to leverage expertise from various campuses to provide enhanced service and support. The team’s goal is to ensure all campuses and units are aligned, delivering consistent IT services and support for students and employees across the commonwealth.

Editor’s Note:

The collaboration among IT professionals across Penn State’s campuses is driving significant improvements in the university’s technology infrastructure. The IT Optimized Service Team (OST) and newly formed task forces are streamlining processes, enhancing classroom technology, and ensuring smooth semester preparations. These efforts reflect Penn State’s commitment to aligning its IT services and better-supporting students, faculty, and staff across the commonwealth. 

Skoobuzz hopes that the university will keep focusing on standardizing processes and collaboration to improve the quality of IT services for students.