Historic moment for Governing Council with two sitting ITS staff members

Published on: March 23, 2021

Vikram Chadalawada pictured with Rose Patten, Chancellor of the University of Toronto.

There is no aspect of university life and work that Information Technology Services (ITS) doesn’t play a significant part in, from admissions to convocation and everything in between.

“ITS is a witness to the entire lifecycle of university operations,” explained Chadalawada, Senior Manager, Student Information Systems and IT@UofT Strategic Plan Delivery for Enterprise Applications and Solutions Integration (EASI) and the Office of the Chief Information Officer. “We understand operations and we participate in enabling operations at every level within the University.”

This experience and perspective are what inspired Chadalawada, who has worked within ITS for almost eight years, to run for — and win — an administrative staff seat on the University of Toronto (U of T) Governing Council. His three-year term will commence on July 1, 2021 and run until June 30, 2024.

Historic moment

Chadalawada’s appointment is historic for U of T as it will be the first time two administrative staff members from ITS will be serving in tandem on the Governing Council. “It is fantastic to see two people from ITS take this on and it speaks volumes to how amazing our team is and the insights that they can bring to Governing Council,” said Chief Information Officer Bo Wandschneider, ITS.

On the council, Chadalawada joins Sarosh Jamal, Infrastructure & Operations Lead for EASI, whose current three-year term runs until 2022.

“Vik’s been a great friend and mentor over the years and has a very optimistic and humanistic approach to the world,” said Jamal. “His immense experience in the project and program management world also gives him the keen ability to carve out problems into simpler, approachable solutions and timelines… I look forward to working with Vik to ensure that we increase our engagement when it comes to key decisions that affect our community.”

Chadalawada, who served on the University Affairs Board and as the investigations officer for the Governing Council in the past, said he is touched by the community’s support and trust, which he secured with an impressive 338 votes.

“I want to embrace this responsibility,” he said. “My job is to make sure that people’s voices are heard. That whatever policies or proposals are being put forth at every level within the University, that they get validated and that the right questions are asked.”

With the majority of U of T’s work, learning and teaching having taken place remotely over the past year, there’s no denying the current and urgent need for ITS. However, technology alone will not solve all the institution’s problems, points out Chadalawada. “Technology combined with process, policy, leadership and governance is what’s going to result in a successful formula.”

What is the Governing Council?

The Governing Council, established by the University of Toronto Act, 1971, oversees the academic, business and student affairs of the University. It is composed of 50 members — 25 members from within the internal University community, including administrative staff, teaching staff and students and 25 members external to the University, including alumni and Lieutenant-Governor-in-Council appointees.

View the official Governing Council announcement on Chadalawada’s appointment.