Hello everyone,
I am pleased to be the new director of information technology for the College of Arts and Sciences. My family and I relocated to Manhattan from Reno, Nev. I have worked in various IT roles at three universities and several private enterprises.
My wife, Lisa, has a background in elementary education. Our daughter is about to start 7th grade at Anthony Middle School and is excited to join the Konza Youth Choir. Our dog, Rainbow, is a 7-year-old Rottweiler mix who prefers tug-of-war over fetch. When not working, I enjoy exploring with Atlas Obscura, learning with Audible, and playing pickleball.
I’d like to clarify the purpose of having a dedicated IT director for our college. Although some departments have been fortunate to hire individuals to manage their IT systems, the college has not had an IT staff dedicated to serving all departments. Many have relied on Service Level Agreements or individuals pulling double-duty on IT and other obligations.
The university is establishing dedicated IT staff in each college to foster direct relationships with faculty and staff and understand each college’s needs and challenges. This initiative involves multiple phases, the first of which was completed with my hiring. The second focuses on evaluating our college’s specific needs. We have formed a task force consisting primarily of faculty members from across the college, and a steering committee that includes staff members serving multiple IT roles for the college and their own departments.
My goal is to equitably meet the needs of all units whether they have customized computer equipment or more standard setups.
As Phase II gets underway, I do not yet have the whole IT staff in place. However, as you open tickets with K-State IT, please feel free to include me as a contact on the service requests so that I am informed about your needs and can ensure issues are promptly resolved.
Thank you, and I look forward to working with all of you.
Sincerely,
Matt Spears