Small liberal arts colleges play a vital role in American education, and the wise use of computers at these institutions is likely to help them to preserve their important position in academia. These institutions should cooperate and take advantage of the expanded alternatives and capabilities created by advances in computer technology.…

This discussion of increased computer usage at Santa Clara University focuses on results of a questionnaire sent to faculty and staff to determine personal computer usage. Attitudes towards support and training, electronic communications, and information sharing are discussed, and the establishment of the Personal Computer Center is described.…

Describes the computing hardware, software, staffing, user supports, and services of Cornell University's Computing Services program. (CMV)

The successful Merit Computer Network is examined in terms of both technology and operational management. The network is fully operational and has a significant and rapidly increasing usage, with three major institutions currently sharing computer resources. (Author/CMV)

Describes the strategy used at Carnegie-Mellon University for providing adequate services for the increasing demands of campus computing. This strategy combines the flexibility of leasing with the economy of outright purchase by acquiring smaller systems at frequent intervals and distributing processing. (CMV)

Describes the development and implementation of a plan at Baylor College of Medicine for providing computer support for both the administrative and scientific/ research needs of the Baylor community. The cost-effectiveness of this plan is also examined. (Author/CMV)

Summarizes findings of the Fourth Inventory of Computers in Higher Education. Responses to a questionnaire were received from 1,822 U.S. institutions and campuses, which reported on the administrative functions, personnel, equipment, instructional use, and costs of their computer facilities. A two-volume report on this survey will be published in…

Given the trends in technology and the resultant shift in cost patterns, the question arises as to the best role for the central computer center at a college or university. Managers should try to choose a strategy that enables the institution to exploit emerging technology while maintaining continuity in the provision of their services. (Author)

The EDUCOM Financial Planning Model (EFPM) is a computer-based financial model-building system which can also accommodate such nonfinancial applications as faculty tenure and student flow models. This article focuses on the uses of EFPM at three representative institutions: Carnegie-Mellon, Oberlin, and Purdue. (CMV)

Small stand-alone microcomputers can serve as the basis for running a sophisticated general-purpose interactive software system capable of supporting such interactive tasks as computer assisted instruction, word processing, and data processing, as well as other software development. A successful system using the PASCAL programing language is…