Transforming information technology strategy and services to support community college student needs

Madison College (formerly known as Madison Area Technical College) is a public technical and community college in Wisconsin.

Madison College serves more than 11,500 students annually and was ranked third among large community colleges nationwide. The college has more than 150 programs offering associate degrees, technical diplomas, certificates and apprenticeships, including unique programs in engineering, science and technology. It is supported by a technology services (TS) department and the chief information officer (CIO) is a key member of the President’s Cabinet.

Client’s business challenge and the related risks

Baker Tilly collaborated with Madison College to perform a broad-based assessment of its technology services function to position the institution for a culture of agile, intuitive and effective use of technology, and specifically to:

• Increase operational effectiveness through better organizational design, resource alignment/investment and governance
• Ensure structured, cooperative engagement with functional/departmental teams across the institution to meet specific needs, enhance decision-making and improve responsiveness and proactive planning
• Improve information technology (IT) capabilities to enhance integration of systems and critical data and plan for digital solutions to reduce the manual burden on departmental users via reduction in workarounds and misplaced administrative burden resulting in enhanced IT service responsiveness
• Modernize a complex solution portfolio of on-premises and cloud frameworks to provide scale/flexibility, reduce physical infrastructure maintenance effort and ensure high impact use of limited IT resources

The pandemic forced Madison College to make a sudden and wholesale shift in instructional delivery from in-person classroom settings to remote/virtual settings. TS enabled that rapid shift through distribution of needed computing and networking gear and equipment to faculty, staff and students. The swift nature of those changes did not allow for consideration of best practice adoption relative to IT resource prioritization, functionality optimization or alignment with operating budget allocations.

Baker Tilly solution and methodology

TS leadership established visionary aspirations and strategic pillars to guide its efforts in alignment with overall college strategic priorities and goals. Our assessment evaluated progress toward that vision and the required steps to achieve the objectives and stated strategic priorities. It was structured to assess four primary areas:

• Institutional strategy and direction (innovation, student/faculty experience, operation effectiveness and advanced analytics)
• IT strategy
• Information systems and technology management
• IT support and administration 

The approach included significant conversations with TS “customers” and managers, a user survey, review of TS management plans and reporting and gap assessment relative to TS strategy alignment with institution strategic priorities. The evaluation considered progress relative to:

• TS collaboration and its operating model
• Infrastructure (cloud, application, etc.) cost effectiveness and transformation
• Experience (student, faculty, staff) and innovation technology support

Our assessment culminated in a comprehensive road map, which included specific recommendations for enhanced alignment as a business partner.

Client results achieved

Madison College is prioritizing the execution plan and agrees that levering the recommendations provided will allow the institution to align and optimize technology organization, projects, resources and investments to achieve the promise of their strategic agenda while ensuring both student success and fiscal viability.

For more information or to learn more about how Baker Tilly’s higher education specialists can help your institution, contact our team.