Accepted Proposals

05. What if Hamilton College established a centralized Project Management Office to streamline initiatives across all divisions, fostering innovation while maintaining academic freedom?

May 16, 2025

The collaboration led by: Jerry Tylutki

With collaborators: Lisa McFall, Lucy Burke, Heather Martinez

What if Hamilton had a dedicated Project Management Office (PMO) that could transform our most innovative ideas into reality by breaking down the organizational barriers that often slow us down? What if we could ensure that creative initiatives had the support they needed to succeed? Hamilton's PMO would include representatives from every division to coordinate resources, align priorities, and guide projects to successful completion, creating a unique model for cross-divisional collaboration in higher education. This PMO can demonstrate our commitment to generating transformative ideas, and creating the infrastructure needed to bring those ideas to life!

The proposal was submitted for CATALYST funding (under $10,000) and was ranked medium with respect to the other proposals based upon the evaluation rubric.

The committee applauds the proposers for:

• Recognizing the benefits of a cross-functional team as we embark on our new strategic plan/aspirational design
• Identifying the value value in prioritizing resources across the College; this initiative could spearhead that effort

The points that the committee recommends the proposers need to continue to develop include:

• Identifying the departmental home for the committee/office
• Utilize the structure and workflow of the LITS project management system as a guide
• Creating a process by which a cross-functional team evaluates big projects
• Conder using the WHAT IF model as an example of a committee that could function as a Project Management committee

From the committee’s perspective, the next phase of this project would include:

• Exploring other successful offices
• Looking at ways to leverage the existing LITS project management structure to cross-functional campus teams
• Creating a cross-functional campus committee and building from there
• Determining who would receive the project management credential
• Connecting with Advancement so they are aware of and can communicate out progress on projects

The committee recommends funding the next phase of this proposal for $4,000 to move this idea forward for further aspirational design and development.