Document imaging, a technology that transforms printed text, figures, and pictures into computer-accessible forms, may be offered as a solution to document management problems involving space and personnel. Administrators and planners should understand relevant issues, considerations, difficulties, and options. Examples are drawn from the…

Thoughts on planning, from the perspective of managers/administrators are presented. Eleven steps of the planning process are identified: statement of objective, proposal outline, management approval, organization, outline of plan, organization of data, evaluation of data, formulation of conclusions, review of draft plan, preparation of plan, and…

Report of a study of strategic planning, conducted by EDUCOM, a consortium of colleges and universities engaged in sharing educational technology applications, portrays information processing ideas, goals, and plans at 10 innovative colleges and universities. (Author/JJD)

Results of a national survey investigating problems with aging college computer systems are reported. On average, 68 percent of systems were identified as aging (five or more years old or not under database management systems). Strategies for upgrading obsolescent systems are discussed, and the role of planning is emphasized. Anecdotal information…

Yale University (Connecticut) uses a "constructive evolution" method of coping with maintenance and fine-tuning of aging information systems. In this process, system developers form partnerships with user department representatives to plan and coordinate system changes. Evolution of the personnel/payroll system over five years provides…

A framework is provided for planning for and using the Management Information System (MIS) most appropriate to an individual institution. Information needs are considered as part of the overall planning, managerial, evaluation, and inquiry system. Factors affecting MIS development and successful use are addressed. (MSE)

The key to making optimal use of time, energy, and institutional resources in college and university technology planning is to understand important differences between long-term socioeconomic planning and short-term operational planning. A ten-step procedure that focuses on process rather than product, and allows ready reallocation of resources as…

Guidelines are offered for colleges to use in making decisions about self-operation or contracting of campus services. Six primary factors and 10 phases in the decision process are outlined. A matrix incorporating those factors and phases, and specifically designed for decision-making concerning campus computing services is also presented. (MSE)

For liberal arts colleges, an alternative method of planning for information technology is to seek nontechnology priorities for which information technology can be justified. Drew University (New Jersey) and Hartwick College (New York) have used this opportunistic approach successfully, in different ways. (MSE)

An explanation of electronic mail describes what it is, how it works, uses by campus administrators and national and international academic networks, how to get connected, costs, and how to use specific networks. Additional resources such as special interest mailing lists and selected library catalogs and databases are noted. (Author/MSE)

The changing nature of institutional research due to the expanded use and capabilities of information technology was explored through a regional survey of institutional researchers, who indicated their involvement in information systems development. Results were analyzed for all respondents, by type of institution (four-year versus two-year), and…

Evaluation of campus computer services has been limited by the ability of higher education administrators to relate their experience in evaluating other, more traditional services to the technical complexity of computing services. The explosive growth of computer technologies requires development of a common framework for their evaluation. (MSE)

Common challenges faced by colleges and universities in fulfilling information system needs are explained and discussed, including frequent and bothersome database and application program upgrades, bugs in the application programs, business systems lacking the required business capability, upgrades to software tools used to build the business…

In a six-month period, the University of Alberta (Canada) campus computing services department formulated a strategic plan, and downsized and reorganized to meet financial constraints and respond to changing technology, especially distributed computing. The new department is organized to react more effectively to trends in technology and user…

The increased computer capability at the University of Chicago challenges its Computation Center to generate demand by making the expanded capacity available in a broader, more effective way than has been done in the past. The new computing services must be of reasonable comparable quality to alternatives, but offered at lower marginal costs. The…