When students, faculty, and staff need help, they don’t think about organizational charts, support models, or which department owns a service. They simply want to get their work done and know where to turn if they need assistance. 

Most people think of Cornell services as a single ecosystem, much like ordering a package online. Customers see a single experience, even though many people and processes contribute behind the scenes to make it happen. 

“The community experiences Cornell as one university, not as a collection of separate organizations,” said Alysia Villanti, Program Manager for Information Technology Service Management. “The more effectively service providers work together behind the scenes, the easier it becomes for faculty, students, staff, and the rest of our community to get the support they need.”  

As part of the Cornell Experience Modernization Initiative (CEMI), the Service Management team is examining how services are delivered and supported across organizational boundaries. The goal is not to change how every organization operates, but to identify opportunities where shared practices, better visibility, and improved coordination can create a more consistent experience for the Cornell community.  

Any Customer, Any Service, One Experience 

Because many university services depend on multiple teams, systems, and processes working together, a single request may involve administrative offices, technology providers, support teams, and external vendors. When those connections are unclear, people can experience delays, confusion, or extra effort to find the help they need.  

To support a more seamless customer experience, the Service Management team is assessing existing service management practices, identifying opportunities to improve visibility into service ownership and support responsibilities, and exploring ways to make it easier for teams to collaborate when services depend on one another.  

This work is especially important as Cornell prepares for Workday and other new capabilities being introduced through CEMI. Supporting these services will require collaboration among functional and technical teams across human resources, finance, budget, data and reporting, and information technology.  

Over time, the knowledge and capabilities developed through this work will help create a stronger foundation for service delivery across Cornell. By strengthening collaboration behind the scenes today, Cornell is building sustainable capabilities that will support both the goals of CEMI and future institutional priorities.  

The vision guiding the initiative remains simple: Any Customer, Any Service, One Experience. 

Learn More about Service Management 

Any Cornell community member interested in learning more about service management is welcome to join the monthly meetings of the Service Management Special Interest Group.