Fostering a Culture of Collaboration and Service Excellence
Collaborating with Our Community
The Northwestern IT community strives to positively impact our partners and provide support for the University’s commitment to excellent teaching, innovative research, and the personal and intellectual growth of students. Built upon a culture of collaboration and service excellence, we partner with the groups listed below to deliver quality and sustainable technology services in support of the University’s ambitious mission and strategic priorities.
IT Governance
The information technology governance structure establishes the strategic, operational, and technical decision-making processes necessary to ensure an innovative, reliable, and robust information technology environment. Governance groups provide strategic leadership and establish campus-wide IT priorities and policies in accordance with the University's strategic initiatives.
Learn more about IT Governance.
Technology Leaders and Distributed IT Organizations
School and unit technology leaders and their teams are often the first points of contact for students, faculty, and staff with technology needs. Northwestern IT partners with these individuals and their organizations on projects and initiatives of all sizes to ensure alignment on priorities, implementation, messaging, and technology support needs. These leaders are critical to our efforts to support the ongoing technical needs of students, faculty, and staff at Northwestern.
View a list of Distributed IT organizations.
University Network of IT Specialists (UNITS)
University Network of Information Technology Specialists (UNITS) representatives are local technical support contacts for University departments and schools. Northwestern IT regularly distributes information to the group via the UNITS listserv, offering guidance on IT-related issues and responding to posted queries. These representatives are familiar with their local environments and users' needs, and they provide the first line of support for their areas. They are often called upon to assist with software testing and evaluation and provide valuable feedback on various Northwestern IT projects.
Communities of Practice (CoP)
Across the University, numerous organized groups are dedicated to sharing technical information and best practices in the technology industry. These groups collaborate regularly and focus on areas related to infrastructure, information security, educational technology, collaboration tools, and more.
Learn more about IT Communities of Practice at Northwestern.