Wesleyan University streamlines getting work done

Wesleyan University wanted to enable a single, integrated, and consistent approach to IT for students, faculty, and staff. By establishing ServiceNow at the heart of the university’s IT operations, it empowered IT managers to respond quickly to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A home for all talents

Wesleyan University is a cutting-edge liberal arts institution where critical thinking and practical idealism go hand in hand. Founded in 1831, its historic residential campus in Middletown, Connecticut is home to 3,200 students. Thanks to their own wide-ranging interests, paired with the university’s creative programming and an unwavering commitment to interdisciplinary learning, graduates go on to enjoy distinctive careers across the spectrum, in government, business, arts and entertainment, science, and sports. Notable alumni include CNN anchor Maria Santana and legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick.

Passing the test

As a small university, Wesleyan’s IT is centralized with students and faculty alike accessing systems and equipment provided on campus. When the coronavirus pandemic struck, university leaders offered students and staff the option of remaining on campus or studying and working remotely, often overseas. As a result, the Wesleyan IT team’s ability to respond quickly and provide vital additional services and support was tested to the limit.

Investment pays off

“From being quite campus-centric, we needed to rethink our approach to IT so that we could cater equally well for everyone, whether on campus or elsewhere in the world,” explains Karen Warren, Wesleyan’s Deputy Chief Information Officer. As extensive users of ServiceNow since 2014, Karen and her colleagues had a forensic understanding of the Now Platform, its functionality, and capabilities. This long-term investment in ServiceNow paid dividends throughout 2020 as the university scrambled to maintain business as usual.”

Fantastic resources

“We’ve been committed to ServiceNow in IT for a long time, and now it is being adopted in other areas of the university. It is central to our entire IT operation and our single source of information,” says Karen.

“We just released our IT services portal to meet the needs of students and faculty seeking knowledge and support in these difficult times—and for our IT staff too because it provides access to resources and closes an information gap, better equipping IT staff to have current information and reducing handoffs!”

Single source of the truth

“There’s a theory that ServiceNow is only for big universities with big budgets—that simply isn’t the case! We don’t have a big team or a big budget but ServiceNow has been fantastic for us. Colleagues throughout the university come to me to ask how ServiceNow can help them with their challenges. It’s such a solid product with so much functionality, providing a platform that’s just as productive for us as it is for the biggest corporations in the world.”

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