Stresses the need for having financial and staff data available at the school level and relates Minnesota's state department of education's experience with school-level data collection. Schools need to develop unit record data collection and integrated, relational databases. School-level data can provide answers to major questions concerning…

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…

The University of Kansas record management system using optical disk storage in a network environment and the selection process used to meet existing hardware and budgeting requirements are described. Viability of the technology, document legality, and difficulties encountered during implementation are discussed. (Author/MSE)

A computerized fund-raising office relies on two software capabilities: word-processing software (to create, edit, store, and print text) and database software (to store, organize, and sort large numbers of facts). These capabilities handle: mass-producing personalized letters, maintaining records of gifts and acknowledgments, and generating lists…

The results of an adaptation to a community college of Simpson's (1987) model for tracking student persistence within major and at the institution is presented. The software used is described and a discussion of the issues that arise in looking at persistence within a community college setting is provided. (Author/MLW)

School districts need a strategic, comprehensive, electronic data processing resources plan that would include the following major elements: (1) systems; (2) hardware; (3) software; (4) staffing; (5) control; and (6) projected budgets. (MLF)

Alumni research does not yet have its own body of literature and resources. Readings are selected from related areas, such as fundraising, marketing, survey research, and other resource books. (MLW)

The use of prototyping and simulation at St. Louis University to evaluate the implementation decisions and design of a student information system are described with regard to their impact on, and interaction with, institutional policies and procedures. (Author/MLW)

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…

Describes a study of 11 large firms that identified difficulties that organizations encounter in matching current information technologies with business needs. The main problems are discussed, including high costs of new technology, lack of computer literacy among senior management, and lack of time in the information systems department. (Contains…

The evolution to date of the United Kingdom's Administrative Computing Initiative for universities, a program funding development of institutional management systems for both operations and planning, is described. The program divides universities into four families, each of which has adopted a different approach to systems development. (Author/MSE)

A methodology for developing a strategic, long-range organizational information architecture is described. The development of a plan to identify key categories of information to enhance decision making and operational productivity is detailed. Figures and tables detail the methodology's application at the University of Minnesota. (DB)

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…

Through integration of administrative information systems across diverse technology platforms and opening access to institutional data, Indiana University has begun to expand the concept of academic information systems. The university's experience has resulted in conclusions and guidelines for other institutions to use in AIS planning and…

The University of Miami (Florida) information resources department developed and instituted a program of "jump level leadership" in 1989 to open communication between all hierarchical levels. Results include free flow of ideas within the department, organizational changes, and happier, more effective employees. Successes, problems, and…