Advancements in information technology have caused many colleges and universities to reconsider the organization of the units providing information services. Ranging from joint planning exercises to full vertical mergers, changes in organizational structure are powerful tools administrators can use to integrate and effectively manage information…

The ways that planned change processes were used by two universities--Old Dominion and the University of Pittsburgh--in successfully carrying out projects to implement changes in their administrative systems software, hardware, and operating environments are described. (Author/MLW)

A sociotechnical systems model used by John Brown University is described that is useful for analyzing the complexities of change in an organization and for describing the many elements involved in change. (Author/MLW)

Through integration of administrative information systems across diverse technology platforms and opening access to institutional data, Indiana University has begun to expand the concept of academic information systems. The university's experience has resulted in conclusions and guidelines for other institutions to use in AIS planning and…

In a six-month period, the University of Alberta (Canada) campus computing services department formulated a strategic plan, and downsized and reorganized to meet financial constraints and respond to changing technology, especially distributed computing. The new department is organized to react more effectively to trends in technology and user…

Recently the University of Wisconsin-Madison merged three existing but disparate technology-related units into a single division reporting to a chief information officer. The new division faced many challenges, beginning with the need to restructure the old units into a cohesive new organization. The restructuring process, based on structural…

The approach used by the University of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) in designing a campus-wide information architecture and a framework for reengineering the business process included building consensus on a general philosophy for information systems, using pattern-based abstraction techniques, applying data modeling and application prototyping, and…

Describes an ongoing reengineering project at Yuan Ze University (Taiwan) that has brought about significant change by providing integrated information services to the campus community. Discusses the change process, obstacles encountered, and strategies used to overcome them. Obstacles to the change process were not predominantly technological,…

The information division at Cornell University (New York) information resources division has determined that its traditional program development method is inadequate to meet the demographic, fiscal, and technological demands of the 1990s. It is changing its systems analysis and design procedures to deliver applications better, faster, and with…

The University of Minnesota's Integrated Information Center focused on both technical and organizational integration to bring coherence and unity to support and delivery of information services. After six years, while unexpected progress has been made with end users and technological issues have progressed well, organizational issues continue to…

Because the environment in which organizations operate is changing unpredictably, traditional leadership approaches work poorly. Effective leadership focuses on finding solutions for the future and enabling their implementation. At the University of Arizona's Center for Computing and Information Technology and Faculty Development Program, this…

In 1994, the information technology organization at Indiana University, Bloomington, undertook a major computing technology conversion that affected 40,000 people. The project is described, and factors contributing to its success are discussed, including system architecture, marketing and customer communications, and migration of information…

The challenge of recruiting, retaining, and retraining information technology (IT) staff in colleges and universities affects the entire institution, not just the IT organization. Some of the issues surrounding the projected IT staffing crisis are outlined, and steps campus IT leaders can take to minimize the effect of staff turnover on…

A description of the recent development of Florida State University's administrative information services looks at the role of faculty input, the strategic plan, underlying administrative principles and considerations, networking and telecommunications, integration of instructional and research computing, and centralization of computing service…

Early collaborative efforts between librarians and computing professionals at Rice University (Texas) led to the realization that some organizational restructuring was needed to effectively serve changing user needs. A new approach to delivering user services has not only benefited users but also resulted in growth and skills development for…