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IT Centralization at UT Knoxville
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Building a Stronger, More Connected IT Foundation
A people-first approach to unifying IT staffing and services — so every Volunteer, from classroom to lab to office, gets reliable, secure, and well-supported technology.
Our Commitment to You, Right Now
Change can raise real questions, especially for the people who keep our labs, classrooms, and offices running every day. Here’s what you can count on as we begin this work:
- No reductions in force. This initiative is not about cutting positions — it’s about connecting the great people we already have so their expertise goes further.
- Faculty support stays strong — and gets stronger. During this initial phase, our priority is ensuring faculty continue to receive the excellent, responsive support they rely on, backed by additional resources, not fewer.
- We’re starting small and learning as we go. Two pilot areas will help us test, refine, and prove out this model before it expands further.
- Your voice shapes the next steps. Lessons from the pilots — and ongoing input from staff and faculty — will directly inform how we move into academic areas and beyond.
Why the Change?
UT Knoxville’s teaching, research, and administrative work all depend on technology that is reliable, secure, and easy to navigate. Right now, that expertise is spread across many corners of campus — often doing excellent work, but without always being connected to one another.
By unifying shared IT capabilities, we have a real opportunity to connect that expertise, reduce duplicated effort, and make support more consistent for everyone — all in service of a stronger foundation for UT Knoxville’s mission, not change for its own sake.
How Does This Benefit UTK?
This work positions the university to offer one of the best technology environments in higher education — one that fuels the discovery and application of emerging tools and practices, and supports world-class learning and research across every college and unit at UT Knoxville.
“The goal is simple: let our people do their best work, supported by technology and teams that are easier to reach, better connected, and built to grow with us.” ~Dan Harder, Deputy CIO and Chief Academic Technology Officer
What This Looks Like: A Phased Approach
We’re moving deliberately, starting with a focused pilot before expanding campus-wide. This gives us room to listen, adjust, and get it right.
Phase 1 · January 2027
Two Pilot Areas
We’re beginning with two pilot areas to test the model, build shared playbooks, and ensure IT support remains excellent — with added resources, not reduced ones.
Phase 2 · Next
Academic Areas
Building on what we learn from the pilots, we’ll extend the model thoughtfully into academic colleges and units, in close partnership with academic leadership.
Phase 3 · Future
Other Administrative Areas
Remaining administrative units will join the shared model last, benefiting from everything refined during the earlier phases.
Benefits
- Stronger Security: Coordinated safeguards, cybersecurity oversight, and compliance practices that better protect university data.
- Consistent Support: Clearer service pathways and shared practices make it easier to find the right help, every time.
- Operational Efficiency: Simplified processes and less duplicated effort free up capacity for higher-impact, mission-driven work.
- Smarter Technology Investment: Coordinated purchasing and shared resources create real opportunities for cost savings and better stewardship.
- Research & Teaching Support: Scalable campus-wide services paired with specialized expertise for the distinct needs of each discipline.
- Staff Development & Collaboration: Shared learning, professional networks, and clearer paths to build expertise and grow careers at UTK.
- Mission-Aligned Planning: Colleges, units, and IT set priorities together, building sustainable services designed for UTK’s future.
Questions or Feedback
We want to hear from you. Here’s the best way to get up to speed and make sure your perspective shapes what comes next:
Read the FAQs
Find answers to common questions about timing, roles, and what this means for your area.
Learn More
Find out more about how IT centralization provides departments and colleges with connected expertise, and read the announcement from campus leadership.
Download the printable overview to explore the centralized IT model
Share Your Feedback
Tell us your questions, concerns, and ideas through our short survey — it only takes a few minutes.
Your responses won’t just be heard — they’ll be used. Feedback from the survey directly informs the communication and how we refine our process as we move through each phase.