In 1998, UNC President Molly Broad and chancellors of the 16 constituent institutions began discussing the need for a strategic plan to guide the University in determining IT priorities, allocating IT resources, and developing or expanding IT-based services. Their deliberations resulted in the IT Strategy Project led by a steering committee of nine chancellors. A key recommendation was the establishment of the Division of Information Resources with an administrative home in the Office of the President.

UNC developed its IT Strategy after conducting a thorough assessment of the common and unique needs of the 16 campuses. The IT Strategy is not a set of directives that all of the campuses must follow in developing their IT capabilities. Rather, it is a menu of recommendations for making the most of finite resources and capturing maximum effectiveness of IT-based programs and services.

An in-depth look at the University's IT strategic planning process, recommendations and action plans is available in A Roadmap to the Future: A Report to Faculty, Staff, Students, Trustees and Friends of the 16 Campuses. A review of our progress is documented in the 2000-2001 IT Strategy Update, 2001-2002 IT Update and the 2002-2003 IT Update.