{"id":6309,"date":"2026-05-21T11:52:32","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T15:52:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rossweb.bus.umich.edu\/faculty-staff-blog\/?p=6309"},"modified":"2026-05-21T11:52:33","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T15:52:33","slug":"qa-cio-kerry-flynn-on-how-ross-it-supports-the-evolving-technology-needs-of-the-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rossweb.bus.umich.edu\/faculty-staff-blog\/2026\/05\/21\/qa-cio-kerry-flynn-on-how-ross-it-supports-the-evolving-technology-needs-of-the-school\/","title":{"rendered":"Q&A: CIO Kerry Flynn on How Ross IT Supports the Evolving Technology Needs of the School"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Technology supports nearly every part of the work being done at Michigan Ross \u2014 from the admissions process and classroom instruction to day-to-day troubleshooting, events, major school projects<\/a>, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chief Information Officer Kerry Flynn shares how Ross IT supports the Ross community, what major projects are ahead, and how the team is helping the school adapt to evolving technology needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the primary focus of Ross IT?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ross IT<\/a> provides a wide range of technology support for faculty, staff, and students in the Michigan Ross community. At the most basic level, our team provides operational support for day-to-day technology needs \u2014 things like laptops, desktops, internet connectivity, printing, and general computing questions. We also run the in-person support center on the first floor of the Kresge building, where community members can come with technology issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond that, Ross IT helps build and maintain digital tools, data and reporting systems, websites for key school services, and admissions tools for most Ross programs. For example, we help maintain and develop course planning tools, dashboards, and applications that support business processes across the school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A major part of our work is also supporting teaching and learning. If something isn\u2019t working in a classroom, faculty can press the classroom support button, which alerts the team so someone can respond quickly to help resolve the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We also support events throughout Ross, which can range from helping with audio-visual and streaming for a large event to supporting technology in spaces like Robertson Auditorium. Often, our role is behind the scenes, such as ensuring a livestream connects properly to YouTube.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the most common issues the Ross IT team helps Ross faculty and staff with?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Classroom support is one of the most common and visible areas where we help faculty. The same team that provides desktop and general computing support also supports classrooms, so they\u2019re often responding to issues with classroom technology, lecture capture, Zoom, presentation systems, or other instructional tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We also frequently help faculty and staff evaluate and implement new technology tools. For example, if a faculty member finds an AI teaching assistant tool or another application they want to use in class, Ross IT helps determine whether that tool is secure, compliant with university policies, and appropriate for use with student data. We work with faculty to understand how they want to use the tool and help them do so in the safest and most secure way possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, while some requests are straightforward \u2014 \u201cmy laptop won\u2019t connect\u201d or \u201cthe classroom display isn\u2019t working\u201d \u2014 others involve several layers of support, including security review, compliance, integration, training, and implementation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the most significant projects happening within the next year?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have several major projects underway, many of which are tied to new or changing physical spaces at Ross.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the biggest is Michigan Ross Los Angeles<\/a>. We are working to certify the technology in that space, including classroom AV, Zoom, recording capabilities, and other equipment. Certify means our team goes through a detailed testing process to ensure the technology works as expected before the space opens. Because the site is in Los Angeles and Ross IT will not be physically present there, we are also designing a technology support model that will look different from what is in place on the Ann Arbor campus. Our plan is for Aramark<\/a> to provide on-site technology support in LA, with Ross IT providing second-tier support remotely when needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are also heavily involved in the Wyly Hall and the Executive Learning and Conference Center project<\/a>. As those spaces are renovated, Ross IT is helping ensure the underlying infrastructure is ready, including cabling, Wi-Fi, classroom technology, TVs, streaming capabilities, wayfinding displays, and other network-connected systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another significant area is the hotel project. We are working with U-M ITS, Aramark, Ross Operations<\/a>, and other units to ensure the technology is installed and functioning properly, and to provide support when issues arise. For example, making sure hotel TVs and security cameras connect to our network and providing tech support as needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In what ways is the Ross IT team implementing AI, and how is AI improving your team\u2019s systems?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AI is one of the biggest areas of exploration and development for Ross IT right now. We are developing several AI tools and workflows to streamline processes, making them faster, easier, and more useful for faculty, staff, and students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Internally, our teams have created AI tools to help route tickets and assist web developers with tasks such as code review and upgrading older code. These tools don\u2019t replace human review, but they can speed up repetitive work and help staff focus their time on higher-value tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have also been working with the Office of Action-Based Learning<\/a> and the Sanger Leadership Center<\/a> on a chatbot based on the Michigan Model of Leadership<\/a>. Users can ask the chatbot for help with leadership or management situations, and it can suggest what to do, what to discuss, and which ideas or models may help. This tool is still a work in progress, and we are continuing to explore how to make it available securely to the Ross community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are also working with Ross Human Resources<\/a> on a chatbot for policies and procedures. The idea is to make it easier for faculty and staff to find the information they need without having to search through multiple websites or read through lengthy policy documents. For example, someone could ask what steps they need to take for a process such as FMLA, and the tool could help point them to the relevant policy and procedures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Ross IT offers AI training for faculty and staff. Bill Hegyi, technology training and communications coordinator, has been leading sessions on using AI tools, including U-M Maizey, U-M GPT, Chat GPT, Google Gemini, Copilot, and NotebookLM, and units can request training tailored to their needs. We would love to hear from the community about what kinds of AI training would be most useful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How is Ross IT supporting digital accessibility, and where can faculty and staff find resources and information to make web content more accessible?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digital accessibility is a major focus for Ross IT, and much of the work is happening through a schoolwide accessibility working group. The group includes partners across Ross and is focused on helping the school understand and meet requirements, identify areas that need improvement, and make digital content more accessible, including websites, documents, classroom materials, video content, and other digital tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are also working closely with U-M ITS as the university identifies and sources tools to support accessibility work, such as converters or remediators for PDFs. As those tools become available, Ross IT will communicate with the Ross community and help faculty and staff understand how to use them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faculty and staff can find accessibility resources on Impact and can contact digitalaccessibilityrossit@umich.edu<\/a> with questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the best way for faculty and staff to contact Ross IT?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best way to contact Ross IT is by emailing RossITSupport@umich.edu<\/a>. Our team reviews, assigns, and routes requests to the people who can provide assistance. When submitting a request, it is helpful to include clear keywords or details about the issue like whether it is urgent, broken, classroom-related, or affecting an event. The more information we have up front, the faster we can route the request and help resolve it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faculty and staff can also call Ross IT support at (734)615-3000, which connects to the help desk. The team will open a ticket and route it appropriately from there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A third option is to visit the in-person support center on the first floor of Kresge during operating hours: Monday – Saturday, 10 a.m. \u2013 2 p.m.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Technology supports nearly every part of the work being done at Michigan Ross \u2014 from the admissions process and classroom instruction to day-to-day troubleshooting, events, major school projects, and more. Chief Information Officer Kerry Flynn shares how Ross IT supports the Ross community, what major projects are ahead, and how the team is helping 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