Executive Brief

Executive Director
Canadian University Council of Chief Information Officers

August 2022

Organizational Profile

 “Representing Canada’s higher education IT Leaders”

CUCCIO is the only organization of its kind in Canada, allowing IT leaders in higher education to convene, share information, collaborate on solutions and influence institutional and national strategies relevant to IT in the university environment. The CUCCIO community is a generous, open community of individuals with a range of skills and experiences who share a common purpose – to help Canada’s universities teach, learn, research, manage and communicate through IT innovation.

CUCCIO is a non-profit, member-funded corporation representing 75  universities Canada-wide, that collectively serve over 95% of Canada’s university students. Incorporated in 2006, CUCCIO is the result of over 40 years of information-sharing, collaboration, knowledge creation and advocacy at the provincial and regional levels.  

What CUCCIO does:

Leadership: Identify, and support a collective discussion and perspective on current and emerging IT trends and issues in the sector.

Collective Voice: Shape, articulate and communicate the  collective perspective and consensus position on current and emerging IT issues and trends impacting  the sector 

Community Building: Facilitate the sharing of information, experience and expertise; advance collaborative efforts and facilitate professional development opportunities for the higher education IT community       

CUCCIO's activities focus on:

    • Fostering the sharing of best practices in information and communications technology management among Canadian universities,
    • Advancing the shared interests of Canadian universities by building and sustaining relationships with governments, government agencies, corporations and other groups of interest in the sector  
    • Identifying and delivering programs and services to support the development of the next cohort of IT leaders at  Canadian Universities,
    • Advancing sector-wide collaborative efforts and shared services, and;
    • Managing CUCCIO's resources and activities to ensure the needs of the members are met, the resources (time and money) are leveraged and the organization is transparent and accountable to the members

Vision, Mission & Principles

CUCCIO expresses their vision, mission and principles in the following way:

Vision

CUCCIO will be a leader in advancing the innovative and effective use of information and communications technology in higher education in Canada.

Mission

Through CUCCIO, members will:

Guiding Principles

Delivering Value

Supporting IT leaders in higher education

CUCCIO is the only organization of its kind in Canada, allowing IT leaders in higher education to convene, share information and discuss solutions that are relevant to IT in the university environment. This is a generous, open community of individuals with a range of skills and experiences – and who share a common purpose. Professional development and networking opportunities are also extended to the broader IT teams at member universities.

Connections are enabled through regular face-to-face and virtual meetings throughout the year, the annual CANHEIT conference and the use of a robust MS365 environment supporting a body of knowledge and providing a collaboration space for the community; facilitated access to and participation in peer networks and special interest groups; and a myriad of professional development opportunities.

Helping member universities embrace best practices in IT efficiently and effectively

Information technology is essential to every university in Canada – who rely on it every day to teach, learn, research, manage and communicate. CUCCIO’s members spend hundreds of millions of dollars on IT at universities. CUCCIO helps Canada’s IT leaders in higher education to drive IT effectiveness and innovation – for the benefit of students, faculty, researchers and administrators.

CUCCIO highlights and celebrates best practices, identifies opportunities for collaboration among universities and with other national stakeholders, collects benchmarking and other key data for the sector and enhances relationships with vendors.

Helping to drive research and learning in Canada through IT innovation

As Canada’s only community of IT leaders in higher education, CUCCIO helps to drive research and learning and the administration of Canada’s universities through IT innovation.  Actively engaged at the national level, CUCCIO provides advice to federal agencies and national stakeholders on matters of IT in research,  teaching and learning, and administration as well as supporting members serving on national bodies such as Canada’s Advanced Research and Innovation Network (CANARIE) and the Digital Research Alliance of Canada.

The Factors for Success

As a small organization of only 2 permanent staff, supported by contract resources, CUCCIO’s success in meeting the needs of its members and its overall objectives is dependent on the active engagement of the community it serves.   More specifically, CUCCIO’s success is wholly dependent on:

  • Leadership and meaningful engagement of member CIOs to inform, guide and support CUCCIO and its activities
  • Encouragement and support from CIOs for sustained and meaningful participation of their staff in CUCCIO and its activities  

 An ongoing awareness and knowledge of the current issues and emerging trends impacting member institutions, the sector and the CUCCIO community overall 

Strategic Plan 2022 - 2024

Now more than ever, higher education strategies and plans are enabled by information and technology.   CIOs and other members of the CUCCIO community will continue to be asked to bring subject matter expertise and institutional perspectives to sector-wide and/or national initiatives and discussions. 

  • To ensure that the limited resources and activities of CUCCIO are directed at maximizing benefit to members and addressing priority issues CUCCIO’s Strategic Plan 2022 – 2024 will guide CUCCIO’s activities and engagements over the next 12 – 24 months.
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Focus Areas  

To support its members and ensure that the collective voice of the community is engaged and bringing value, CUCCIO must often participate in a variety of strategic discussions and initiatives simultaneously. For the current planning period, these strategic topics areas have been identified as

Governance

CUCCIO is an incorporated, federal not-for-profit organization managed by a professional Executive Director and Business Manager, and governed by a 14-member Board of Directors. The Governance and Nominations Committee ensures balanced representation on the Board by encouraging the nomination of representatives from across the members.

The role of the Board is to:

  • Provide oversight, insight and foresight to shape the direction of CUCCIO to meet the needs of the member institutions 
  • Responsible to recruit, hire and oversee the performance of the Executive Director
  • The Directors are elected at the Annual General Meeting for a three-year term and are responsible for managing the property and business of CUCCIO. The Officers of the Board are appointed by the Directors.
  • Standing Committees are accountable to the Board, consider matters that fall within their specific areas of responsibility, and bring recommendations to the Board for decision.
  • The bylaws regulate the business of CUCCIO.

Board Members

CUCCIO’s Board of Directors for 2022-2023 is composed of the following primary member representatives:

  • Wency Lum, University of Victoria (Chair)
  • Todd Williams, Saint Mary’s University (Vice Chair)
  • Nela Petkovic, Wilfrid Laurier University (Treasurer)
  • France Bigras, Concordia University (Secretary)
  • Marc Denoncourt, McGill University
  • Martin Bernier, University of Ottawa
  • Jennifer Burns, The University of British Columbia
  • Denis Fortin, Université de Montréal
  • Alastair MacLeod, OCAD University
  • Jody Couch, Dalhousie University
  • Kimberly Benoit, University of Winnipeg
  • Gayleen Gray, McMaster University
  • Marie-Claude Arguin, Queen’s University
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