IT Council Charge

The Information Technology Council (the Council) is the campus-wide committee that advises the Chief Information Officer (CIO) on information technology issues of strategic importance to the university and is chaired by the CIO. The Council is the main advisory body for ensuring the university becomes one of the top 25 public universities in information technology. The Council provides advice and guidance on issues brought to the Council by the CIO, by the Council members and by the university community. The Council is instrumental in creating and maintaining the university’s information technology strategic plan, helping to guide the implementation of the information technology strategic plan on campus, creating synergy between information technology groups across campus, and helping to eliminate barriers to advancing major information technology projects on campus. The Council will provide guidance on priorities for information technology innovation, coordination, collaboration, policy, assessment, communication, rate structures, and projects.

Membership
The IT Council is composed of five Deans selected by the Provost, the Vice Presidents, a University System of Maryland representative, three faculty members appointed by the University Senate Executive Committee, a graduate student selected by the Graduate Student Government and an undergraduate student selected by the Student Government Association.

Operation
The Council is advisory to the CIO, and will normally operate on consensus. There may be occasions when the Council can not come to absolute agreement on a recommendation. In this case, the Chair reserves the right to move ideas forward that are deemed in the best interest of the campus with the caveat that total consensus was not achievable.

Meetings
Five 90-minute meetings will be scheduled each academic year (September, October, February, March, and May). Special meetings will be called as needed.

Communication
The agenda for each meeting will be emailed to Council members and posted on the IT Council Web site prior to each meeting. Meeting minutes will be posted following each meeting. An e-mail mailing list of members will be created to facilitate communication.

Standing Committees
The Council will have Standing Committees composed of members not necessarily on the Council. The Standing Committees will be formed at the first meeting of each academic year and members suggested at that meeting by the CIO. The Standing Committees will meet regularly to provide recommendations in specific areas to the Council. The Chair of each Standing Committee is expected to be a member of the IT Council.