The Common Solutions Group (CSG) brings together leaders in information technology from large research universities for networking and information sharing. The meetings are hosted three times a year at different campuses throughout the country. Many meetings include a local campus tour of a research facility, lab, or classroom space, to share examples of each university’s work and mission. During the meetings, attendees collectively select topics of interest that include technical and policy issues which broadly affect research universities. The members of CSG then brainstorm, discuss, and share common solutions on their campuses. CSG meetings are attended by leading technical senior administrative staff with occasional guests from other disciplines.
The CSG winter meeting this year was hosted by Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida, January 25–27, 2023. Quite a few U-M IT leaders attended the conference: Cathy Curley, CIO, LSA; Moni Dressler, Director of Academic Technology Services, LSA; Amy Peters, Director of Research Computing and Infrastructure, LSA; Erin Deitrich, Deputy CIO, U-M Medical School; Dima Tawakkol, IS Director, HITS; Carrie Shumaker, CIO, UM-Dearborn; and Cathy Handyside, Executive Director of Enterprise Application Services, ITS.
Of particular interest to LSA, Moni Dressler presented a session on the topic of the “The Next Classroom Evolution.” Her presentation highlighted the innovations in the new learning spaces of the Central Campus Classroom Building, which LSA Technology Services is instrumental in designing and supporting. She also participated in a panel discussion about new classroom technology with experts from Carnegie Mellon University, Wisconsin, and New York University.
No vendors are invited to Common Solutions meetings, and there are no sponsors competing for attendee attention. This group exists to directly connect university technology leaders and generate collaborative ideas and solutions. Many impactful cross-institution collaborations and friendships have resulted from CSG meetings since its inception in 1993, and the inclusion of CIOs and directors from U-M’s major schools and colleges is a great step forward in diversifying and enriching the resources each university brings to the table.
Nor are the CIOs the only vital participants! CSG meetings are conducted by a coordinator, with major decisions made by a steering committee. Dr. Charles Antonelli (LSA Technology Services Research Computing) and Daniel Heyse (ITS Enterprise Application Services) have worked for many years planning and organizing the meetings and tours in a secretariat role.
We look forward to future collaborations from this broader representative group, collaborations that may result in better solutions for IT problems, cost savings by group negotiations with vendors, and smoother cross-unit cooperation.
