IT Task Force Meeting, 10/30/97
Attending: Joe Patlak, Rebecca Martin, Lauck Parke, Deborah Shenk,
Geetha Ramanathan, Roger Lawson, Keith Kennedy and Patrick Russell
Handouts: "Budgeting for IT"
"Administrative Systems and Data"
"Teaching and Learning"
Reported by: Patrick Russell
Minutes:
Focus of the meeting was to come to an agreement on the writing
plan and format for the draft due November 11th. Agreed to follow 4
broad categories (report themes) that include:
- Teaching and Learning
- 'Desktop' Support
- Role of the CLEO Leadership at UVM (Chief Learning and
Information Officer)
- Administrative Support & Systems (suggestions made to
refer to it as the enterprise business systems and this is TBD)
Focus will not dwell on the stable/efficient IT systems like the
telephone and campus network but rather on those that are
problematic. We will clearly define the reasons for change along
the:
- new education demands for a dynamic learning environment
- new IT demands in innovative research
- efficiency gains in productivity from standardize IT
communications
The report will consists of 4 parts:
1) Preamble that will:
- Catch/grab the reader's attention/throat in one paragraph
- Lists the 'why are we doing this?' and 'what needs to be
done?'
2) Executive Summary will begin with the Preamble and run about 2
pages.
- Summarizes the following Text and Appendixes
- Defines IT problems using examples of problems with proposed
solutions that readers can related to (ex. inability to send
Emailed attachment text or spreadsheet files to campus colleagues)
- Summary of 'opportunities lost' through inaction and
maintaining status quo
- Effects on proposed changes on all students, faculty and staff
(redefining the role of IT and the face of the technology).
- Define goals of the IT reform
- Set dates for fulfilling the IT reform goals
3) Text will be up to 10 pages of support for the Executive
Summary
- Proposed solutions will be built around the 4 theme categories
mentioned above (Desktop Support, CLEO, ...)
- Examples of IT shortcomings and IT solutions that supports our
call for IT reforms
- Expands "Opportunities Missed' section with examples (IT
shortcomings stopped the College of Medicine from revamping
medical curriculum due to inability to effectively reach the Maine
med students)
- Gives budgetary figures on the IT proposals in the final
releases
- Lists a phased implementation with set dates for completion:
- First Phase - "SWAT" teams to examine in detail our
proposed IT changes (ex. desktop standards, expanded consultant
roles, 'telephone' model of desktop tools, greater role of Web
based information dissemination...)
- Second Phase - ex. CLEO budgetary authority and annual IT
review, implement SWAT team findings, ...
- Final Phase - ex. Coordination of IT activities across
campus
4) Appendices
- For reader reference of details noted in Executive
Summary and Text
Action Items:
- - Roger is looking for volunteers to sit at a booth (2 hour
periods) at the InfoDay and address questions on the IT Committee
charge and report conclusions. Suggestions include having a
PowerPoint presentation.
- - Everyone to fire off an example of a Preamble for the
report.
- - Need to prepare for an Open Forum when the report is
released with PowerPoint demo suggested.
- - All committee members will need to have their assignments
forwarded to Roger Lawson by Monday, 11/3. Goal is to have a draft
for committee review next Thursday, 11/6.
Note: your humble scribe had some difficulty summarizing all the
views expressed in yesterday's meeting, so please comment on any
inaccuracies or points missed.