ERIC Number: ED412857
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1997
Pages: 17
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Case Study: How a Commitment to Technology Advanced Our Strategic Plan. AGB Occasional Paper No. 32.
Detweiler, Richard A.
Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges
Hartwick College (New York) developed a strategic vision for its future and invested significantly in information technology to transform that vision into reality. Guided by its president and trustees, Hartwick, a small, independent liberal arts college, formed a strategic plan in phases. At a formal board retreat in 1993, with faculty, students, and staff, the college affirmed its values, developed a statement of purpose, and brainstormed ways to better educate for the future. Over the next 18 months, dozens of task forces helped create an institutional five-year program with technology as a central feature. The college equipped students, faculty, and staff with personal computers; worked to resolve platform and software issues; garnered widespread enthusiasms and support; created a campus computer communications network; and changed its administrative computing system. Ten lessons for trustee boards were identified: (1) information technology implementation must be mission-driven; (2) information technology must fit the institution's values and future; (3) information technology is a resource; (4) try to meet 90 percent of needs 90 percent of the time; (5) think workable technology; (6) standardization is key; (7) focus on people not technology; (8) think about major trends in information technology; (9) information technology is costly; and (10) information technology investments are a leap of faith. (JLS)
Descriptors: Administrative Policy, Case Studies, Change Strategies, College Administration, College Planning, Computer Networks, Computer Software Selection, Computers, Governance, Higher Education, Information Technology, Institutional Mission, Liberal Arts, Long Range Planning, Organizational Communication, Organizational Development, Policy Formation, Private Colleges, Professional Development, Program Descriptions, School Policy, Small Colleges, Staff Utilization, Strategic Planning, Technological Advancement
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Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Policymakers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, Washington, DC.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A