The May 9, 2001 Technology Planning Update is now available online.  Click here to view.

 

Planning for Information Technology at Grinnell College

February 26, 2001

The process for information technology planning is something that is receiving attention these days at Grinnell College.  It is proper that it should.  For the past eighteen months or so, we as a community have begun to define the roles we want technology to play on campus, and how information technology in particular can help achieve those technology goals.

A number of events that help to direct information technology planning have occurred since the latter part of 1999.  Also, a number of planning documents have been prepared, documents that are available to you through this web document.  What I want to do briefly here is summarize what has occurred to this point in time, and to give you some idea of where the process is headed into the future.

In this abbreviated view of the planning timeline, the starting point becomes November 1999.  Two significant events can be identified that occurred then.  First, it was early that month that the college's Technology Planning Committee first defined what it considered to be the goals for technology.  These goals that were later the basis of a planning process that was presented to the community by Deans Swartz and Kalkbrenner and Bill Francis in January and February of 2000.

The second important event in November 1999 was the first meeting of the Technology Advisory Group (TAG).  The TAG, which is comprised of a few Grinnell College alumni with particular interests in information technology, was organized to study the technology master plan as well as the then current technology infrastructure, operations and plans, and to make recommendations on future technology directions to President Osgood.

Two other recent events have impact upon the technology planning process on campus, especially where information technology is concerned.  First, in April 2000 Grinnell College Computer Services was reorganized into the Office of Information Technology Services.  Besides restructuring the information support systems to be more responsive to the service needs of the community, the reorganization presented an opportunity to emphasize the important role planning for information technology should have at the College.  The position of deputy director for information technology planning was created and became active on September 1, 2000.

The other recent event was the second meeting of TAG on campus, which occurred on November 28.  The second visit by the TAG members afforded a number of people on campus with interests in information technology, including those actively involved in the planning process, to review the changes of the past year, to revisit the TAG recommendations, and to seek additional advice.

The first product of the planning effort was the "Information Technology Strategic Projects List" dated November 17, 2000.  The strategic projects list is not intended as an IT strategic plan, but as a list of IT projects that are considered as having possible strategic value to the College.  Prepared prior to the TAG visit, the list tries to group IT projects according to the strategic goals that they address.  This document received only little distribution around campus.   The current draft is available for your review, and your comments and suggestions are welcome.

One problem with the strategic projects list was that, for the most part, it did not prioritize the list of projects to any significant degree.  Although inclusion in the list meant the projects were thought to be strategically important for the community to consider, the list did little to distinguish what projects were truly important or would have the most or an immediate impact, in the writers' view.  Hence, in December "Information Technology Priority Projects List Phase I" and an executive summary were published.  These documents identify five information technology projects from the larger list that are thought to have the largest or most immediate impact strategically for the College.

Both the TAG recommendations and the IT priority projects list identify a mandatory computer requirement for students as the greatest IT planning need for the College.  Needless to say, this represents both a significant step for the College and one that requires some consideration of alternatives.  The latest document compares three different models for student ownership of computers.  (An aside to the discussion: The recommendations say a laptop computer requirement should be implemented for the fall of 2001.  At the time the recommendation was written, that timeline was possible.  Now it seems unlikely, with the fall of 2002 being a better target date.)

Where is in the process are we and where do we plan to go?  Most of the fall was spent with ITS collecting information and developing its own view of strategic IT priorities.  The result is the documents that are available through this web page.  In December and January ITS began to seek input from a few faculty members, including several serving on the Instructional Support Committee, and from senior officers of the College.

We are now attempting to go to the full college community for input and advice.  Formal presentations have been made to the Instructional Support Committee and the committee overseeing the Instructional Multimedia Technology Specialist Program.  Additional sessions are scheduled with organizations and committees on campus, including SGA and the UCs.  We welcome discussion of our ideas and want your input. 

Those of us involved directly in the IT planning functions of ITS, especially Bill Francis and myself, want and need your advice and suggestions for the future of information technology at the College.  Please feel free to contact us, either through your participation in a campus meeting or directly using email, about the IT plan or process.

Mark Miller

Deputy Director for IT Planning

Information Technology Services