Higher education IT leaders are elevating IT service management (ITSM) as central to digital transformation after surveys show a significant share of students view institutions as lagging on digital innovation. ITSM is being framed not as a helpdesk function but as a governance layer for student experience, security and administrative continuity. CIOs told vendors and campus leaders that better incident management, service catalogs and uptime targets now influence student satisfaction, enrollment perceptions and faculty productivity. The shift requires investment in tools, process redesign and talent—changes that academic leaders must weigh against pressing budgetary trade‑offs.