5 | EmpoweringTransformation PREFACE UK’s strategic vision calls on us to transform the lives of our students and advance the Commonwealth we serve by confronting challenges not only in education, but in healthcare, economic development, and societal and cultural advancement. In addition, it calls upon the continuance of our 150-year mission to be the University for Kentucky, through the education we provide, the care and services we render, and the creative research we conduct. How can information technology (IT) assist with the reimagining of what is possible for our University, our state, and our world? Universities have always been defined by two key features – the creation of new knowledge and the sharing of information. IT is a strategic asset of the University as it advances both roles, which in combination with our physical infrastructure, financial resources, research, students, faculty, and staff, enables the execution of our shared strategic vision. IT enables our students to access materials efficiently for the potential of faster, interactive, and more personalized learning; our faculty to explore innovative methods of enriching their teaching; our scientists and researchers to open new frontiers of knowledge; and our institution to manage themselves more efficiently. To execute our strategic vision at UK, we must transform our view of IT. We must be motivated by the understanding that IT is a critical, strategic tool. To be a great university of the future, UK must have an exemplary IT infrastructure, plentiful IT resources, and excellent IT services. We must embrace the use of IT and technology more broadly, and that embraced use and provisioning of IT is, at its core and primary concept, IT Abundance. Within prudent and reasonable resources, and in line with institutional priorities, UK should seek to provide an environment featuring IT that is advanced, current, readily available, and adopted by the University community in support of their achievement of the broad and varied missions of the institution. The Information Technology Strategic Plan (ITSP), developed with the overall University strategy as its foundation, defines strategic initiatives the University community desires in advancing IT Abundance. This is not a technical document, as it largely avoids technology specifics. While technology evolves, the issues to be addressed are longer-lasting and are met by developing technologies. This strategic plan shies away from discussions of priorities, even though priorities are a fact of life in higher education, including UK. Ideally, we should not dwell on the order in which we make advancement – but advancement must be made - in whatever measure possible, in all areas. This strategic plan is a complete planning document developed by the UK community. As such, it has the capability to stir this community to action. The ITSP establishes the vision of the community for what IT at UK could be. Thus enabling us to begin to assemble the various raw materials and resources at our disposal, and those we will acquire in the years ahead, into a cohesive and impressive asset. It serves as a roadmap toward IT Abundance, through which execution of its individual action items will provide quality IT infrastructure and services at UK. Our goals are ambitious, yet achievable. The University Strategic Plan recognizes that IT is vital to achieving the vision for transforming the lives of our students and advancing the Commonwealth, in that IT Abundance and innovation will support and enable student success, diversity, inclusivity, research, scholarship, outreach, and community engagement. Through this plan, IT takes its rightful place as a deliberate differentiator – helping the University push forth its goal to be the University for Kentucky, for today’s generation and those who will follow.