Inside New York Tech’s Digital Transformation

New York Institute of Technology is overhauling the tech platforms that serve its students, faculty, and staff. Not only is the university improving the digital experience for its nearly 8,000 students across four North American campuses, but it is also working to change the culture around how services are delivered.

In an interview with Inside Higher Ed, Pennie Turgeon, vice president for information technology and chief information officer, discusses the multiple projects, increased personalization, and improved student experience that are the key pieces of the university’s ongoing digital transformation.

After joining New York Tech in 2019, Turgeon embarked on a listening tour. “Over the years, I’ve learned that disparate systems [and data] have a direct impact on how people think about their work,” she said. “There is core infrastructure that just needs to work from a technology standpoint. Beyond that, it’s a lot of people and process conversations. And then it’s making sure systems and data solutions are working together in a supportive and integrated way.”

Shortly after, plans to begin addressing general technology needs were upended by the pandemic. “We quickly scaled up remote access and renovated over 120 classrooms to support blended and hybrid learning. We implemented a unified communications solution to support remote call center and phone services and developed a plan to roll out outdoor wireless coverage,” she shared.

After successfully developing and launching the Student Service HUB in February, Turgeon and her team are in the “process of reimplementing the campus intranet portal. We’re using a change in the underlying platform as a catalyst to rethink how that portal serves the entire community, and we’re looking at it in a multidimensional way,” she said, noting that a big focus is on customized digital experiences. “Our entire consumer world is centered around accessible and personalized experiences.”

In summing up her outlook on this and other projects in the queue, Turgeon offered, “I look at all these technology projects as digital catalysts for change—change that prompts people to reassess and rethink how we deliver the high-quality experiences that our students expect and deserve.”

Read the full interview.

This story is part of an initiative in which New York Tech has partnered with Inside Higher Ed and The Chronicle of Higher Education to offer strategic insights on key topics in higher education. This article is one of seven featured articles planned to run this spring.

Prior sponsored content articles include:

• “The Power of Partnerships,” in The Chronicle of Higher Education, details how New York Tech is enhancing student experiences and outcomes through unique collaborations with industry partners. 
• “Training Healthcare Professionals for a Diverse World,” in Inside Higher Ed, focuses on strategic approaches in medical and health education that are inclusive of race, ethnicity, sexual and gender identity, and differing abilities.
• “Space for Innovation,” in The Chronicle of Higher Education, focuses on the agreement between New York Tech and NASA to provide real-world experiences for students to work on technology prototypes.
• “Reinventing Teaching,” in Inside Higher Ed, highlights ways New York Tech professors use unconventional teaching methods, including improvisation, video games, and popular culture.