Man-machine interface, the concept of a computer "query," a review of database technology, and a description of the use of query languages at Brigham Young University are discussed. The pros and cons of end-user use of database query languages are explored. (Author/MLW)

The conceptual basis for structured data architecture, and its integration with open systems technology at Indiana University, are described. Key strategic goals guiding these efforts are discussed: commitment to improved data access; migration to relational database technology, and deployment of a high-speed, multiprotocol network; and…

A University of Miami (Florida) project to centralize imaging/document management is described. The system will enable document storage, retrieval, and work-flow management, lower costs, and improve on traditional business practices. Benefits of imaging/document management, the rationale for centralizing, and the three-phase implementation plan…

Five administrative user departments at San Francisco State University discovered that they had common requirements for office automation and data manipulation that could be addressed with microcomputers. The results of a local area network project are presented. (Author/MLW)

Microcomputing can be an important component of the provision of administrative computing services. The planning decisions that were made, results that were obtained, lessons learned, and disasters observed at Hamilton College are described. (Author/MLW)

The origin and evolution of management programs at Stanford University Medical Center that have proven instrumental in guiding the implementation of a cost-effective microcomputer workstation environment are described. (Author/MLW)

Pennsylvania State University's award-winning electronic approval system allows administrative documents to be electronically generated, approved, and updated in the university's central database. Campus business can thus be conducted faster, less expensively, more accurately, and with greater security than with traditional paper approval…

Working with users through an "information center" offers an alternative to formal application systems development, and the backlog of application development projects has made this approach attractive at many institutions. Guidelines used at Loyola University of Chicago are presented. (Author/MLW)

The approach taken by Baylor University (Texas) to developing a campuswide information system focuses on better use of existing resources to expand information access to nonproduction users. Guiding principles include carefully selecting target workstations, using "information-harvesting" tools, testing prototypes, creating derivative…

In the spring of 1986 Indiana State University converted to the Series Z software of Information Associates, an IBM mainframe, and Information Builders' FOCUS fourth-generation language. The beginning of the planning stage to product selection, training, and implementation is described. (Author/MLW)

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)

Construction of a separate data base for university planning information is proposed. Characteristics of a planning system and its relationship to other university systems are discussed as well as the need for data bases that contain both quantitative and nonquantitative information. (BH)

Six public institutions of higher education in South Dakota have planned, worked closely together, and are now completing the implementation of a statewide student information system to serve the needs of six campuses and the Board of Regents. Issues related to planning and implementing software are discussed. (Author/MLW)

PULSE, an executive information system at Dickinson College, has enabled college offices such as admissions, registrar, and development and financial aid to communicate to all senior officers in an accurate, timely, and consistent manner. The system's development and implementation are described. (MLW)

The nature and source of problems in distributing access to student data, the strategies adopted for dealing with them, five successful applications implemented by the Office of the Registrar in cooperation with the Information Center, and lessons learned from these projects are described. (Author/MLW)