IT GOVERNANCE
Technology Governance Structure
Three interconnected governance bodies provide strategic direction, advisory insight, and operational perspective to support informed technology decision‑making across the Virginia Community College System. Together, these bodies balance enterprise priorities, stakeholder perspectives, and practical execution to guide technology investments and initiatives in support of the VCCS mission.
Decision Authority
Advisory to ITEC
Model ratified April 2025 · VCCS Technology Governance
IT Executive Council (ITEC)
Final decision authority. Established by and reports to the VCCS Chancellor. Oversees enterprise-wide IT strategy, approves the IT project portfolio, and governs technology funding and the Technology Roadmap.
Technology Council
Stakeholder-driven advisory body to ITEC. Expresses stakeholder needs, advises on technology initiatives, and identifies new initiatives for ITEC consideration. Operates through four standing committees.
Advisory Groups & TLC
Operational groups providing recommendations on specific initiatives. The Technology Leadership Committee (TLC) is a permanent body representing the senior IT leader at each of the 23 colleges.
The Three Bodies
Each body has a distinct role, working together to ensure technology decisions are informed, representative, and aligned with VCCS’s mission.
IT Executive Council (ITEC)
Tier 1 · Decision
The final decision authority in the IT governance model. Established by and reports to the VCCS Chancellor. Responsible for strategic IT decisions that impact VCCS at an enterprise level.
2 Senior Vice Chancellors
VCCS CIO (Chair, Tech Council)
Director, Shared Services Center
Technology Council (TC)
Tier 2 · Advisory
A stakeholder-driven advisory body to ITEC. Acts to express stakeholder needs, advise on technology initiatives, and identify new initiatives for ITEC consideration. Chaired by the VCCS CIO.
4 reps from TLC
1 rep from Shared Services Center
2 System Office reps
Technology Leadership Committee (TLC)
Tier 3 · Operational
Fosters partnerships with VCCS leadership, academic units, and IT professionals. Serves as the strategic voice for college IT professionals across the system.
Shared Services Center IT lead
VCCS CIO
Tech Council Membership
| Name | College | Committee | Representing group | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Standing Committees
Four standing committees provide domain-specific oversight and actionable recommendations to ITEC.
Standing Committees
Campus Technology
Advises on campus‑level technology priorities across the system. Brings a cross‑institutional perspective on technology infrastructure, classroom technology, and college‑facing services to inform effective and efficient technology experiences.
Enterprise Applications
Provides guidance on enterprise systems, integration strategies, and application portfolio management. Evaluates major application investments and guides the lifecycle of core administrative and student-facing platforms.
Security & Compliance
Advises on cybersecurity posture, risk management, regulatory considerations, and incident preparedness. Develops recommendations related to system-wide security standards, controls, and practices that help protect student data and institutional assets.
Organizational Effectiveness
Examines business operations, funding models, and cost recovery strategies. Identifies opportunities for shared IT services and standardization that deliver value and efficiency across the system.
VCCS Workgroups
Committees can form temporary, cross-representative working groups to tackle specific initiatives, and these groups disband once their defined goals are accomplished.
Standing Committees
Emergency Notification System (ENS) Workgroup
The ENS Workgroup is a cross-disciplinary group of VCCS representatives charged with evaluating current emergency notification systems across the system, developing standardized specifications, and recommending a scalable, reliable platform that ensures consistent and compliant emergency communications across all VCCS institutions.
Enterprise Cost Recovery (ECR) Workgroup
The Enterprise Cost Recovery (ECR) Workgroup will focus on evaluating and improving the framework used to allocate enterprise technology costs across the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). The scope of the workgroup includes reviewing the current ECR model and methodologies, identifying gaps, inconsistencies, and inefficiencies, and developing recommendations to enhance governance, transparency, and alignment with system budgeting needs.
SOC 2 Type II Repository Workgroup
The SOC 2 Type II Repository Workgroup is responsible for developing a standardized approach for collecting, storing, governing, and maintaining vendor security documentation across VCCS, including SOC 2 reports, HECVATs, NDAs, and related security artifacts. The workgroup will establish repository governance, access controls, ownership, and lifecycle management processes to improve compliance, reduce duplication of effort, and support systemwide procurement and security reviews.
BoodleBox Workgroup
The BoodleBox Workgroup is evaluating whether BoodleBox — an AI-enabled collaborative workspace giving access to multiple AI tools — should be piloted and potentially adopted system-wide, weighing its value against security, privacy, accessibility, procurement, and support requirements.
Decision Roadmap
Key governance milestones, initiative reviews, and approval checkpoints across the planning horizon.
Tech Council Decision Process
Technology requests move through a structured, transparent process — from intake through committee review, Technology Council recommendation, and final ITEC decision.
Governance Principles
Designed to be flexible, transparent, and mission-aligned — balancing oversight while avoiding unnecessary bureaucracy.
Strategic Alignment
Technology decisions are evaluated against VCCS strategic plan goals, ensuring IT investments drive measurable educational and operational outcomes.
Broad Stakeholder Involvement
The governance process brings together Academic Services, Student Services, Admin and Finance, Workforce, Human Resources, Legal, and IT leaders from around the system to ensure technology decisions reflect diverse perspectives.
Data-Driven Decisions
Business cases are developed grounded in research, ROI analysis, financial impact, roadmap alignment, and success metrics.
Risk-Aware
Cybersecurity risk, compliance obligations, and operational resilience are core inputs to all governance decisions, managed through the Security & Compliance Committee.
Fiscal Responsibility
The governance process promotes transparency in IT spending, supports fair and sustainable cost‑recovery approaches, and guides shared services efforts that help reduce unnecessary duplication across the system.
Transparency & Communication
The Technology Council facilitates two‑way communication between IT governance and the broader system, enabling colleges to engage in governance activities and stay informed about decisions.