Many small, private colleges lack the resources to develop a planning, management and evaluation (PME) system and the result is planning becomes a neglected function. An in-depth study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for the Detroit Institute of Technology is described. (MLW)

The steps taken toward office automation by the University of Maryland are described. Office automation is defined and some types of word processing systems are described. Policies developed in the writing of a campus plan are listed, followed by a section on procedures adopted to implement the plan. (Author/MLW)

A microcomputer-based system to analyze both historical funding and current resource allocation patterns helped to prepare for an anticipated budget crisis at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The system also included a module which permitted decision makers to test resource allocation alternatives. (Author/MLW)

Five alternative approaches to computer operations are reviewed including: using a service bureau, joining others in operating a computer center, using in-house personnel for hardware operation and software development and maintenance, purchasing softward, and entering a full or partial facilities management agreement. (MLW)

As knowledge has become the central economic resource of the post-industrial society, it is essential that government should be the catalyst for discussion and resolution of issues surrounding information technologies. The establishment of an Institute for Information Policy and Research is advocated. (MLW)

Computer technology cannot be expected to make up for poor management; change the fundamental way business is done; define itself; or stop mistakes from being made. Computer technology can be expected to help make better decisions, help deal with change; automate mundane tasks, and offer an opportunity to look at things differently. (MLW)

Some of the major problems facing higher education over the next decade and how microcomputer-based decision support systems can be used to address these as well as everyday administrative problems are discussed. Examples using electronic spreadsheets and database management systems are provided. (Author/MLW)

Some of the major problems facing higher education over the next decade and how microcomputer-based decision support systems can be used to address these as well as everyday administrative problems are discussed. Examples using electronic spreadsheets and database management systems are provided. (Author/MLW)

The development and implementation of an institutional framework to guide the management and use of information technologies (computing, office automation, and telecommunications) at Mount Royal College in Calgary, Alberta, are described. (Author/MLW)

Guidelines are offered to institutions seeking to interface their diverse student and administrative databases. Administrative costs associated with maintaining separate data systems are often unnecessary, and duplication of data can make consistent and accurate reports hard to achieve. (Author/MLW)

Results of a national survey investigating problems with aging college computer systems are reported. On average, 68 percent of systems were identified as aging (five or more years old or not under database management systems). Strategies for upgrading obsolescent systems are discussed, and the role of planning is emphasized. Anecdotal information…

Methods for examining the risk of long-term interruptions of data processing in large computer centers are discussed. Procedures are outlined for responding to such a disaster, with the University of Illinois Administrative Computer Center and its security system cited as an example. (SF)

The 1990 winner of the ELITE Award for Exemplary Leadership and Information Technology Excellence in higher education offers his axioms for information resources management, covering authority/control, communications, project management, decision making, people management, strategic planning, change management, crisis management, and personal…

To provide effective leadership and assure project success, policy makers should understand two major pitfalls in pursuing purchased administrative systems solutions. First is the failure to organize for successful project implementation and monitoring, including organizing for contract negotiation; second is the failure to develop an effective…

For liberal arts colleges, an alternative method of planning for information technology is to seek nontechnology priorities for which information technology can be justified. Drew University (New Jersey) and Hartwick College (New York) have used this opportunistic approach successfully, in different ways. (MSE)