The pressure on higher education to become more innovative and effective with respect to its teaching and learning (T&L) mission is unceasing. Institutions are challenged to rethink how they perform this core mission. The campus IT organization, always of strategic importance, can become a key partner and facilitator in that process. Its…

The rate of failed and challenged Information Technology (IT) projects is too high according to the CHAOS Studies by the Standish Group and the literature on project management (Standish Group, 2008). The CHAOS Studies define project success as meeting the triple constraints of scope, time, and cost. Assessing critical success factors is another…

The winner of the 1994 CAUSE Award for Exemplary Leadership and Information Technology Excellence offers his view of information technology, resources, and management. Engineering principles are applied to information technology issues, such as access versus security and client/server versus mainframe systems. College/university information…

The trend toward decentralization of academic computing is described. Causes for the trend are examined and the best approaches to management and support of computing activities in this environment are explored. The future roles of the central computing center, departments or discipline areas, and individual users are outlined. (Author/MSE)

At Southern Methodist University (Dallas, Texas), the emphasis in computing and information services has been shifted from dividing resources between administrative and academic computing to combined central support for microcomputing. A universitywide computer planning and policy committee and a college computer coordinator acting as liaison…

Issues discussed among college and university chief information officers (CIOs) in their constituent group at the 1995 CAUSE national conference are reviewed, including future challenges in information resource management, development of new partnership types, the administrator's role in a rapidly changing environment, and effective administrative…

Discusses the role of the chief information officer (CIO) of a college or university, including such issues as: addressing institutional goals and mission; administrating organization and climate for leadership; accepting responsibility; cooperating; communicating information technology's role in the institution; understanding the role of funding;…

Universities are entering the information age with outdated organizational structures. The college president's role is to establish a process promoting integration of new technologies, with each other and with the institution's mission, especially in the library. This means giving faculty tools to deliver the new instruction being asked of them.…

At McGill University (Canada), rather than implement a costly, high-tech contingency and disaster recovery plan for information services, planners focused on risk assessment and avoidance for central and departmental information systems. Actions included better backups, less dependence on key individuals, and an institutional awareness campaign.…

Author Margaret Wheatley discusses her theory that life and work are self-organizing and that organizations must be approached as dynamic, living systems. The interview focuses on how the theory applies to higher education institutions, university leadership, physical proximity in learning, development of communities of practice, attitudes toward…

Two higher education professionals discuss cultural issues that separate librarians and information technology professionals, and inhibit enlightened leadership as their changing roles cause professional convergence. Guiding principles for the information professional are outlined: developing oneself and a new generation of leadership; recognizing…

Reports on a conference of college facility managers at which facilities professionals identified forces affecting the profession's future in five areas (information technology, resource scarcity, societal changes, government role in education, environmental deterioration) and six important roles for the manager (operational efficiency expert,…