DEI spotlight - Classroom Technical Services

Classroom Technical Services (CTS) is an internal sales organization (ISO) within the Office of Classroom Management (OCM) that provides inclusive and equitable Audio/Video (AV) Technology for all students, faculty, and staff. 

CTS aligns with ASR’s DEI Vision Statements through inclusivity, accountability, people-centered practices, and administrative equity in ways that directly affect our academic spaces. It is important to CTS to continue developing initiatives so that we can maintain the efforts needed to further accessibility within our classrooms. CTS has a few recent DEI initiatives that we are proud to highlight:

• We added professional development time to our FY24 rate plan for our engineers and technicians. This adjustment sets aside dedicated time for staff to attend conferences, participate in seminars, pursue research, and obtain professional certifications. These activities not only support the University’s mission but also enhance development opportunities for our team.
• We also did an equity-focused and comprehensive review of CTS product procurement. CTS participated in an AV vendor selection process with Purchasing Services, leading to the selection of several new UWide AV vendor partners. CTS established an inclusive and open selection process to determine primary suppliers for our anticipated product lines. CTS also collaborated with internal partners, including UMarket and the Office of Supplier Diversity (OSD), to evaluate their supplier value.

Moving forward, CTS will conduct an annual pricing review to allow vendors to submit competitive proposals, ensuring ongoing value and equity in our procurement process–providing better reliability and consistency for our clients. If you would like to learn more about these initiatives, please reach out to ctstech@umn.edu.

CTS organizational alignment

In January, Dave Crane was announced as the interim director of CTS (Classroom Technical Services), and tasked with providing a proposal regarding CTS's organizational structure. In collaboration with several CTS staff, Dave submitted a proposal, which resulted in the following updates:

• The existing organizational alignment and long-term partnership between the Office of Classroom Management (OCM) and CTS will remain in place as it has demonstrated success over two decades. Dave will continue to report to Jeremy Todd.
• Dave Crane will be assuming the permanent position of Director of Classroom Technical Services, effective June 19, 2023.

As director of CTS, Dave will be responsible for the long-term prosperity of the Internal Service Organization (ISO) and its external focus. The title reflects the need to have a clear leader of an ISO that is a distinct organization within ASR’s structure with its own department ID and budgetary responsibilities. He will continue managing his current direct reports.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the organizational review, and for everyone’s contributions to an amazing team.

CTS Organizational plans

Dave Crane has been appointed as the interim director of Classroom Technical Services (CTS), effective January 23, 2023, reporting to Jeremy Todd for an expected 6 months to one year. As part of this role, Dave will be the direct supervisor of Brien Hassler and Katie MacDonald, as well as existing CTS Business Office reports.

This organizational change allows for a greater separation of duties between CTS and OCM. This will better support ongoing ASR alignment work, similar to other changes we’ve made over the past two years. As interim director, Dave Crane will manage the leadership and direction of CTS. He will be responsible for the following:

• Review alignment work that has already been done
• Identify staff development needs
• Review and make recommendations on process improvements and work efficiency
• Identify benchmarks and performance standards
• Review ISO rules to ensure compliance
• Submit a proposal to Stacey and Jeremy for an overall CTS organization structure that serves the University and the organization
• Take action and implement any quick wins that are identified as part of the alignment review or process review