Resource Constraints and Peer Benchmarks
Higher education faces greater challenges than other industries to attract and keep qualified IT staff, competing for talent with the private sector, where wages are often higher. Increasing costs of technology are driven by inflation, supply chain disruptions and a high demand for technologists. Technology salaries rose significantly in 2022, with some roles seeing increases of up to 15.6%. Over the past three years, UIT in collaboration with Human Resources completed a compensation review, bringing salaries more in line with market conditions. Moreover, costs for essential services like software licenses and cloud solutions have increased, in some cases by as much as 20%. These rising costs challenge an already tight budget.
To strategically manage our business, UIT employs several strategies:
- Systemwide View: Work in partnership with all UH System universities to secure better pricing and contracts.
- Consolidate: Reduce redundant software licenses and simplify technology solutions to streamline operations.
- Negotiate: Work directly with vendors to renegotiate contracts, explore new financing options and leverage competitive pricing.
- Return on Investment and Total Cost of Ownership: Assess the true value of technology services and align them strategically with university goals
Peer Benchmarks: IT Investment as a Percentage of Total University Expenditures
UH State Peers
| Institution Name | Metric | |
| TAMU | 4.10% | ↑ |
| UT- DALLAS | 3.40% | ↑ |
| UH | 2.80% | |
| Texas Tech University | 2.60% | ↓ |
UH National Peers
| Institute Name | Metrics | |
| University of Oklahoma | 5.80% | ↑ |
| Arizona State University | 5.70% | ↑ |
| University of Cincinnati | 4.30% | ↑ |
| Oregon state University | 3.60% | ↑ |
| The University of Tennessee | 3.50% | ↑ |
| Universtiy of Houston | 2.80% | |
| Virginia Commonwealth Universtiy | 2.50% | ↓ |
| University of Kansas | 2.40% | ↓ |
| University of Kenntuky | 1.20% | ↓ |
Source: Core Data Survey 2023, EDUCAUSE