1. The IT organization there has always been very dysfunctional and there are backstabbing, negative people working there.
2. Even with recent shifts at the top end, IS&T does not have strong leadership and that affects the organization negatively all the way from the top to bottom. In IS&T, Directors can be incompetent but employees are held to the highest standards. Unless they retire, you're stuck with these Directors.
3. Watch out for continuous re-organizations as they hire new consultants to redefine IS&T every two to three years and then each consultant overhauls IT according to their own predefined vision. This has led to constant upheaval since 2005, lots of bad strategic decisions, putting the wrong people into management or higher positions based on reasons that have nothing to do with their knowledge, skills or leadership ability.
4. From the time I got there until I left GSU, campus departments did not respect IS&T or feel that the organization was responsive to their needs.
5. IS&T--Why take all the time to design an 'organizational culture' when none of your Directors ever reflected any of the values that were worked out in long, tedious, painful discussions?
6. If they don't like you, they don't fire you--they RIF you
7. If they don't hire a Chief Innovation Officer from outside IS&T don't bother working there--business as usual
8. 'Below Industry Standards' pay, no raises, little opportunity to advance to management or higher positions, no bonuses, high out of pocket costs for benefits
9. IS&T Departments don't collaborate. Most are not agile and take years to implement new solutions that were paid for by student tech fees or University funding cycles. Solutions often don't work well for departments because IS&T doesn't work well with departments on campus.
10. Don't do it--don't take a job in IS&T unless GSU Leadership finally gets what's going over there and hires a 'brand new' leader at the top who will make necessary changes to IT to meet goals and objectives outlined in University Strategic Plan (published on their web site)!
