Steve Reynolds, my friend and SunGard Collegis colleague, called to my attention to an article by Edward J. Leach, VP of the League for Innovation in the Community College. In Community and Technical Colleges, Information Technology, and Revolutionary Times, Ed describes the role of IT in the community college and the issues attaching to that role in the years ahead. One paragraph particularly caught my attention -- the italics are mine.
"Funding for large- and small-scale information technology projects will continue to be an issue for many community and technical colleges. Still, through thoughtful strategic planning and careful negotiations with key vendors, colleges with tight budgets can find opportunities to upgrade and deploy information technology advances, especially those improvements that are academic rather than administrative investments. Rightfully so, past experiences with cost overruns as well as funding concerns will move colleges to more closely examine the connection, if any, between dollars spent in information technology improvements and increases in student achievement and employee performance. Although some community and technical colleges have deferred recent large-scale information technology projects because of lack of sufficient funding, many institutions will once again consider undertaking major IT-related projects, especially at those institutions recently able to pass bond measures."
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