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Data Governance Task Force Charge Letter

(Original on UW Office of the Provost letterhead)

June 30, 2017

Data Governance Task Force
Aaron Powell, Interim Chief Information Officer, UW-IT (co-Chair)
Philip Reid, Vice Provost Academic and Student Affairs (co-Chair)
Anja Canfield-Budde, Interim Associate Vice President, UW-IT
Russell Cannon, Director of Institutional Research, UW Bothell
Colleen Carmean, Director of Institutional Research, UW Tacoma
Elizabeth Cherry, Associate Vice Provost, Compliance and Risk Services
Liz Coveney, Associate Vice President, Human Resources Administration
John Drew, Director of IT, Graduate School
Walt Dryfoos, Associate Vice President, UW Advancement
Helen Garrett, University Registrar, Enrollment Management
Erin Guthrie, Director of Institutional Analysis, Office of Planning and Budgeting
Jim Kresl, Associate Vice Provost, Office of Research
Kay Lewis, Office of Student Financial Aid, Enrollment Management
Steve Majeski, Associate Dean for Research and Infrastructure, Arts and Sciences
Karen Matheson, Director of IR and IM, College of Education
Nancy McDonald, Director Administration and Finance, School of Medicine
Adam Moore, Professor, Information School
Ann Nagel, Institutional Privacy Official, Academic and Student Affairs
Jim Phelps, Director of Enterprise Architecture and Strategy, UW-IT
Adam Sherman, Assistant Dean, The Evans School
Peg Stuart, Assistant Vice Provost, Academic Personnel

Dear Colleagues:

Thank you for your willingness to serve on the University of Washington’s Data Governance Task Force, which is charged with producing a report with recommendations for data
governance at the University.

There is an increasing demand for and reliance on data for decision making at the University. However, knowledge about data risk, needs, and points of access to data are dispersed
throughout the University. In 2006, a UW-wide committee was charged with recommending a data governance structure that would develop and implement data standards across the UW resulting in the creation of the Data Management Committee (DMC). In 2013, the scope of the DMC was expanded to providing “support and advice regarding the administration, access and use of UW data.” Currently, it isn’t clear that a single governing board is the best governance model to address issues ranging from data and metadata definitions, data integration from new systems, and supporting the access needs of data-intensive business processes. In addition, stakeholders from across campus have asked the Provost to review the current state of the DMC and data governance since in the absence of a functional and active data governance structure, data consistency and access are compromised. In addition, rapid innovations in technology can lead to divergent or competing priorities that focus on technical solutions rather than the data needs of the University.

The Data Governance Task Force is charged with the following:

  1. Summarize what the University has learned from its past data governance structures. In addition, the task force should clearly articulate the present concerns of
    unit analysts, institutional researchers, and information technology directors across the University with regards to data governance.
  2. With a summary of the current state of governance and concerns, recommend one of the following:
    1. That the DMC remain in its current form;
    2. That the DMC be modified;
    3. That a new governance model be adopted in place of the DMC.
  3. If modification of the DMC or a new governance model is recommended, the following aspects of data collection, curation, and management should be addressed:
    1. Academic and business needs for data;
    2. Consistent and clear policies for access to data;
    3. Short and long-term impact on people, organizations, and technology;
    4. Value and risk of data throughout the information lifecycle: creation to destruction or disclosure;
    5. Consistent decisions about compliance requirements; and
    6. Clear accountability for data.
  4. Provide a recommendation for membership criteria for the data governance committee(s) and a short list of faculty and staff that could potentially serve on
    governance committee(s).
  5. Finally, to ensure the data governance committee makes the best use of University resources, the report should address how the model and committee aligns with existing organizations or governance structures that currently exist which assess compliance, data privacy, information security, and information technology needs.

Learning from the past with emphasis on the further, the Task Force must engage a broad spectrum of users (deans, chairs, faculty, central leadership, faculty governance, and business
process leaders) in developing your recommendations. I’m relying on Aaron and Phil to provide the committee with direction and review the draft report. The final report with
recommendations is due by the end of Fall Quarter 2017. Thank you again for your willingness to serve on the task force.

Sincerely,

Gerald J. Baldasty
Provost and Executive Vice President
Professor, Department of Communication

cc: Kim Dinh, Sr. Director for Finance, HR & Administration