A tongue-in-cheek, point/counterpoint discussion between a user and a computer professional is presented. Personal computing, it is suggested, can help strike a balance between what users can do for themselves to gain control and responsibility and what computer professionals can do to support that. (Author/MLW)

Academic decisionmakers must be helped to use the right kind of information so that the implications of the difficult alternative choice decisions are fully spelled out. The great overriding benefit of an integrated management information approach is that it can further the institutional view and can show a broad overall picture. (Author)

The revised organizational structure for computing at The Medical University of South Carolina, the planned computer and telecommunications architecture, and the current state of implementation of these projects are discussed. Recommendations concerning resource management, software, and hardware are presented. The college had several different…

Operations tasking for data center management is discussed. The original and revised organizational structures of the data center at the University of Miami are also described. The organizational strategy addresses the functions that should be performed by the data center, anticipates the specialized skills required, and addresses personnel…

Administrators, faculty, and staff should have electronic access to records needed to perform their jobs, and students should have access to their own records--course registration and addresses. User-directed analysis and reporting are discussed and the security and audit issues are examined. (Author/MLW)

The process and experiences associated with strategic planning in a recently decentralized administrative information systems environment are described. Background information on why Virginia Commonwealth University decentralized the authority, responsibility, and accountability for the delivery of administrative information services to major…

The computing and information systems at the University of Missouri are described. All computing activity was centralized beginning in 1973 with the formation of the university computer network. Administrative data processing, financial systems, student systems, and office automation are discussed. (MLW)

In February 1980, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Lukes Medical Center in Chicago appointed a task force to study word processing/office automation and to make recommendations for acquisition, implementation, and administration. The group's working approach, findings, and conclusions are discussed. (Author/MLW)

The development of a State University System of Florida data management system is discussed with special emphasis on its user controlled aspects. Major components described include system documentation, computer data files, regional data centers, computing networks, and uniform transaction systems. (Author/MLW)

The operations of the Stanford Center for Information Processing (SCIP) at Stanford University are described: SCIP manages most of the centralized computing facilities at the university. (BH)

Statewide data collection systems emerged in the late sixties as the vehicle to achieving greater efficiency and accountability in higher education. The expectations of statewide systems were that they would meet the needs of various levels of management. The example presented in this paper is the Georgia management information system and its…

Progress in realizing the full potential of computerized data processing is being hindered by costs and by the spread of a multitude of small, independent computer facilities. There is a need for some uniformity of specifications among the various systems. The result would be a compatibility that could help to reduce costs more rapidly because of…

Consolidation of Central Washington University's computing capability to an off-campus state service center and the use of mini computers on campus is discussed. The mini computer system is cost effective and provides an efficient on-line interactive student information system for the small and medium size institution. (BH)