Who We Are 

DFA Information Technology is a team of staff who support OSU and DFA functions, programs and processes through a collective approach. By drawing from our complementary areas of expertise, we’re able to offer more effective, comprehensive solutions to our stakeholders and ensure our work aligns strategically with that of other divisions.  

If OSU is a city, then DFA are the architects, the planners, the builders, the managers and the caretakers who keep operations running smoothly 24/7. As the DFA IT team, we support the broader DFA division and our community of stakeholders with the process planning, IT solutions and critical information to meet the constantly evolving needs of a growing technology and communication ecosystem.  

DFA IT's Strategic Planning Overlap

DFA IT seeks to align our strategic goals and branding with the unit-level roadmaps from the groups that we support, the DFA Strategic Priorities and the OSU IT Strategic Plan.  All under the guidance of Oregon State University's Strategic Plan. We have identified several points in these strategic plans where we believe that our work intersects and complements the goals of the DFA division and university-level planning.  

Actions from OSU’s Strategic Plan 4.0 

  • Clarify vision, communications and governance guiding our physical and digital footprint 
  • Strengthen alignment within the university among our branding, marketing, communications and public affairs efforts 
  • Integrate and simplify technology systems, data practices and policies to increase our organizational agility 

Actions from DFA's Strategic Priorities for FY '23

  • Advance a safe and inclusive environment  
  • Modernize administrative processes  
  • Modernize academic and research infrastructure  
  • Be an Oregon employer of choice (by improving recruitment and expanding a welcoming and supportive workplace culture) 

Actions from UIT’s Strategic Roadmap  

  • Create a resilient, cloud-native, agile IT environment  

History

Who was Involved?

All IT-related people within DFA, from units such as UFIO, Business Affairs, Human Resources, Risk Management and more. Ben Wessel, DFA's Executive Director of IT and Operations Integration Officer, leads the consolidated IT group. 

When Did this Occur?

June 2021.

Why This Change?

This realignment brought together people with similar skill sets into a functional team and provides the leadership necessary to better coordinate IT resources across the division. Better alignment with UIT provides for more professional development opportunities and creates clearer career paths for our division’s IT staff members.

In addition, this change aligns with the DFA Guiding Principles:

  • Process consistency, balanced with flexibility, improves efficiency and effectiveness and 
  • Active stewardship of resources ensures the long-term success of the university.
  • Assessing and managing risk balances innovation and compliance. 

Communications

18 month DFA IT update: Highlights and where we are headed - Feb 7, 2023

Update on DFA IT Reorganization - December 16, 2021

Reorganizing DFA IT in alignment with UIT Strategic Plan - May 26, 2021

 

Questions?

It is DFA's goal to organize DFA IT in a way that best serves the university’s mission and the needs of OSU community members. There are a lot more details to be determined in the reorganization process, but please contact DFA IT if you have questions or comments.