Tech Fee Strategic Initiatives Alignment

For fiscal year 2026 proposals, a new procedure will help align proposals to university strategic objectives. Note these important points about the updated Technology Fee proposal procedure.

• Deadlines are not changing. The university's deadlines and colleges internal deadlines are staying the same.
• The proposal submission process is not changing. All proposers will need to still submit proposals and supporting documents through the tech fee portal.
• Tech fee voting will still be conducted by each receiving unit. This voting will be held as normal after a review from the oversight committee.
• Before unit tech fee voting, all proposals will go before a newly formed Tech Fee Oversight committee. This committee will evaluate proposals against the needs of the college and university and against this year's strategic objectives. Proposals will also be evaluated against duplication of existing services across the university.
• The senate committee for IIT will no longer have oversight of technology fee proposals and changes. All change requests should be routed through the new oversight committee.

These are the focuses for FY 2026 strategic initiatives which will inform proposal evaluation.

1. Align funding of technology fees to support lifecycle replacement of existing classroom technologies.
2. Renew critical teaching and learning software utilized by students and faculty.

1. Beginning at the start of each fiscal year, a student technology fee oversight committee will be convened consisting of the Provost, Chief Innovation Officer, Senior Associate Provost for Academic Affairs, an academic college Dean, Dean of the University Library, Senate Information and Instructional Technology (IIT) Committee Chair and Executive Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Online Education. The committee will set a strategic direction for this current fiscal year’s technology fee proposals with input from academic leadership across the university.
2. At the start of each fiscal year, the technology fee oversight committee will collect recommendations to inform strategic initiatives for the upcoming funding cycle. These submissions will be open to specific stakeholder groups including (but not limited to):
   • University Deans
   • CETLOE (Center for Teaching, Learning, and Online Education)
   • IIT (Instructional Innovation and Technology)
   • Senate IIT Committee
3. The mandate's scope will include learning technologies used for course instruction consistent with Regents' policy (7.3.2.1 Mandatory Student Fees) and procedure (24.3.1 Mandatory Student Fees). Learning technologies within this scope may exist in physical spaces (such as classrooms, labs, studios, computer labs, etc.) or virtual spaces (e.g., course in the learning management system or learning tool). As future technologies are presented, they should conform similarly to this process.
4. When developing proposals, each unit may consult the university learning technology inventory dashboard for their area. The learning technologies inventory will include supporting data such as utilization, strategic importance, lifecycle replacement, etc. This list may include items units are obligated to maintain such as computers, audio/visual equipment, and other specialty devices used in instruction.
5. Student technology fee submissions should reference inventory and utilization data when formulating proposals that might upgrade or replace any learning technology infrastructure (physical or virtual). If proposals submitted fall outside the intended lifecycle replacement or tool catalog presented, additional justification may be required.
6. Each unit will then be responsible for ensuring that the proposals submitted for funding to the student technology fee committee can cover the costs of maintaining the identified infrastructure. Each unit should take the following into consideration when developing proposals:
   • IIT and CETLOE centrally provide critical learning technologies and support for the university.
   • IIT and CETLOE maintain a central learning technologies inventory based on the Space Technology Study, Academic Tools Portfolio, Learning Tools Affordances, Classroom Space Utilization, Lifecycle Replacement, etc.
   • Colleges will be notified about the strategic technology priorities and any discrepancies in known technology before proposal submission deadlines.
   • Only learning spaces that are either past due for upgrade or are due for upgrade in the upcoming fiscal year should be funded. If technology is not at the end of life and is being requested for upgrade, additional justification will be required in the proposal submission.
7. In cases where infrastructure needs within a unit outweigh the available funds within the unit’s student technology fee allocation, the University may assist with funding this infrastructure under certain conditions.
   • The learning space due for upgrade is utilized for regular instruction for undergraduate or graduate courses.
   • The learning space due for upgrade has been utilized for classes totaling over 10% of available time in contact hours.
   • A room used for ancillary instruction and not for contact hours (such as an open computer lab or graduate student computer lab) will require additional utilization justification in the funding proposal.
   • The license being requested is not already part of the university learning tools portfolio or offers capabilities overlapping existing tools offerings.
8. Remaining student technology fee funds, after critical learning technologies infrastructure has been funded, may be proposed for other projects deemed critical by the unit. All proposals should adhere to the annual strategic priorities of the university.