The Daily Bulletin Archive

Initiated in 1995, the technology fee is a set amount of money collected from each student—undergraduate and graduate, full and part time. It pays for items such as computers, scanners, CD burners, software and licenses, library databases, and even the new Banner system. While the annual amount—$3 million—remains unchanged from last year, management of the fee and the process by which faculty and staff can access it have changed.

First, the newly created Information Services and Systems (ISAS) Board replaces the Technology Council, which reviews and recommends the allocation of funds. ISAS comprises Computing and Technology Services (CTS) and Library and Instructional Technology. The new structure emphasizes service over technology and strives for greater partnerships with all campus departments. Voldemar Innus, vice president and chief information officer, heads the ISAS Board—which consists of the deans or associate deans; members of Student Affairs, Finance and Management, University College, and the Graduate School; the College Senate chair; and student leaders. In addition, the chairs of two newly created support boards—Academic ISAS (Maryruth Glogowski) and Administrative ISAS (Don Erwin)—and Judi Basinski, associate vice president for computing and technology services, sit ex officio on the ISAS Board.

Second, the process for accessing the funds will be more hassle-free than in previous years. In the past, funding requests needed the approval of both the Technology Council and one of the two supporting committees: the Academic Technology Advisory Committee or the Administrative Information Technology Advisory Committee. Now, ISAS automatically allots $600,000 of the fee—called “technology advancement funds”—across each of the schools.

“The schools are best equipped to make decisions for their needs,” said Innus. The annual funding cycle will continue for bulk purchases like computers for a classroom.

“With the policies we now have in place, the ISAS Board doesn’t have to focus so much on approval after approval like the Technology Council did,” said Glogowski, associate vice president for library and instructional technology. “What this means for faculty and staff is that requests will be processed faster. Schools can prioritize their needs and bank on the money being there, instead of worrying about whether they will receive funding.”

Faculty members should find the new technology fee changes helpful. “The local handling of funds really simplifies things and will allow us to procure equipment much faster,” said Dennis McCarthy, associate dean of the School of Arts and Humanities. “Before, it was sometimes hard to justify certain expenses to people outside of particular disciplines. Deans and associate deans now help with the approval process, and can make determinations between what is needed versus frivolous requests.”

The bulk of the $3 million technology fee helps the college’s central needs and focuses on advancing goals of the 2003–2008 Strategic Plan. For example, the fee will provide 10 new smart classrooms this fall.

Once the ISAS Web site is updated, technology fee expenditures will continue to be itemized as in years past. “We’re committed to maintaining transparency,” said Glogowski. “We are obligated to spend the technology fee on enhancing technology that serves students. Without the fee, our campus would struggle with infrastructure.”

According to Innus, the technology fee is just one part of overall technology funding, but it is a “very big piece of the puzzle.”

“The technology fee is critically important for supporting academic programs,” he said. “It’s about getting things done for our community.”