CARES/HEERF Classroom Standardization Project

Extra Large Project, 1000+ Resource Hours

Budget: $8M Actual: $7.9M

Timeline: Began March of 2021, Completed by February of 2022

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, remote and hybrid learning expanded significantly and in many cases became a required mode of instruction. California State University, Sacramento was awarded an $8 million grant to modernize classroom technology and support hybrid and remote learning capabilities across campus instructional spaces.

As Project Manager, I was responsible for developing the scope of work, defining project goals, and identifying, assigning, and tracking work across a large number of campus and external resources throughout the project lifecycle. This included coordinating both on-campus teams and external vendors, often outside of normal work hours, to meet strict project timelines. I was also responsible for preparing and maintaining detailed project documentation, progress metrics, and budget tracking while ensuring the project was completed within the grant deadline of less than one year and remained within the allocated funding. This project was managed concurrently alongside three other major technology initiatives.

As a result of this project, the university successfully utilized more than $7.9 million of the $8 million grant and upgraded over 480 instructional spaces with modern instructional hardware and computing technologies to support multiple instructional formats, including in-person, hybrid, and remote learning environments. The project also included development of a comprehensive training and communication plan, including updated campus web resources, public help documentation, and a training registration portal that allowed faculty and staff to enroll in hands-on workshops to learn the new classroom technologies.

The initiative was completed successfully within budget and within the required timeline and received strong recognition from the President’s Office, Information Resources & Technology leadership, and campus departments. The improvements continue to support tens of thousands of students and faculty by providing modern, flexible learning environments across the university.

Managed collaboration and coordinated work tasks across 13 campus departments and three external vendors, involving more than 30 individuals.

Required detailed documentation, transparent progress tracking, and careful financial oversight, as grant funding was limited to the project period and any costs exceeding the grant would have been absorbed by the department.

Responsible for developing and delivering periodic campus-wide and internal department communications and presentations to inform stakeholders of project progress and upcoming changes to classroom technology environments.

Ensured work was properly scoped and aligned with the unique instructional and technical needs of each of the 480 classrooms, while coordinating installation schedules around classroom bookings, campus operational constraints, and staff/vendor availability.