The launch of HealthCare.gov, the website of the Affordable Care Act (AKA Obamacare), was a major public relations disaster for the Obama administration. This case examines some of the factors that contributed to the failure of the launch and then details how Optum, an information technology service provider, considered the opportunity provided by…

Migrating from a traditional to a relational database technology requires more than traditional project management techniques. An overview of what to consider before migrating to relational database technology is presented. Leadership, staffing, vendor support, hardware, software, and application development are discussed. (MLW)

Five suggestions are made for moving the college public relations program toward more personal communication: (1) study the communication successes and strategies of others; (2) reassess current communication methods; (3) begin building a small-scale constituency-relations program; (4) establish a contact database; and (5) put the best principles…

Reporting occupies a central place in institutional research but is ongoing and never completed. With automation and data management, the proportion of time spent on either routine or ad hoc reporting should decline. This function need not draw unnecessarily from resources for more interesting work. (MSE)

This participant's guide is intended to be used in a one-day workshop for college/university staff on changes in requirements for schools disbursing federally supported student financial aid under the reauthorized Higher Education Act. The materials are in a workbook format and include copies of workshop display materials, space for notes, case…

Discussed is the reporting quandary at higher education institutions. These points are appraised: the clearinghouse function, data definitions, and the data base management function. The author warns against the suggestion that the institutional research office should assume the responsibility for all reports prepared by and departing from the…

Selecting computer tools requires analyzing information requirements and audiences, assessing existing institutional research and computing capacities, creating or improving a planning database, using computer experts, determining software needs, obtaining sufficient resources for independent operations, acquiring quality, and insisting on…

The use of a database management system to assist in tracking the progress of master's degree candidates in a nursing administration program is outlined, including a summary of database concepts, a description of the system, and a discussion of its application in other clinical and academic nursing settings. (MSE)

Current issues in selecting, structuring, and implementing microcomputer database management systems in research administration offices are discussed, and their capabilities are illustrated with the system used by the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Trends in microcomputer technology and their likely impact on research administration…

This training guide is intended for use by personnel who administer Federal Direct Loan Programs at institutions of higher education. Chapter 1 describes the program, the school's role, school eligibility criteria, the Department of Education's role, the 7-step electronic data exchange (EDE) process, and quality assurance. Chapter 2 explains…

This training guide for a one-day workshop provides an introduction to the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program for administrative personnel at higher education institutions. The six sections of the guide, each corresponding to a workshop session, include activity sheets, questions for participants to answer, and space for notes. Following…

Wesleyan University's imaginative use of computer programing helped project into the future and consider alternative fund-raising methods. The process of planning the model and its use in assessing three program options are outlined, and the computer method's usefulness in motivating development staff is emphasized. (MSE)

The University of Rochester's experience with online analytical processing (OLAP), part of its executive information system, is reported. The server, a multiuser, local area network (LAN)-based database loaded from legacy systems or a data warehouse, can rapidly manipulate and display data, and allows quick creation and changing of analytical…

A listing of new software packages appropriate to college alumni and fund-raising program administration includes 26 packages for personal computer systems and 25 for larger systems. Listings include the name and address of the vendor, contact person's name and telephone number, software titles, software cost, hardware, and intended institutional…

Proceedings of the 1982 CAUSE national conference on information resources for college management are presented. The 41 presentations cover five subject tracks: issues in higher education, managing the information systems resource, technology and techniques, small college information systems, and innovative applications. In addition, presentations…