Administrative and Campus Computing Environments at Small Schools

Citation

Trinkle, D. (2001), "Administrative and Campus Computing Environments at Small Schools", Library Hi Tech News, Vol. 18 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/lhtn.2001.23918aac.016

Administrative and Campus Computing Environments at Small Schools

Dennis Trinkle

Administrative and Campus Computing Environments at Small Schools

Those who work in technology-related areas at small schools often perceive that they have little in common with their larger and better-funded cousins. The sessions at this year's EDUCAUSE annual meeting indicated that this is certainly not the case. Nearly 30 participants from a range of secondary schools, colleges, and universities attended the Administrative and Campus Computing Environments at Small Schools (ACCESS) constituent group meeting this year. The session began with the moderator asking what issues are most pressing at small schools, which refers to schools with enrollments of under 1,000 full-time students. The responses centered on the same array of concerns that larger campuses are facing: Napster and issues raised by peer-to-peer file sharing; creating new budget models; assessing application service providers, administrative systems, and one-card solutions; and developing campus portals.

The most lively and sustained discussion rotated around Napster and the broad array of problems that peer-to-peer file sharing is posing for colleges and universities. Many of the participants reported that their institutions have banned Napster and similar distributed computing tools; others are restricting use with packet shaping or quality-of-service software. Most seem concerned about the policy, legal, and ethical issues associated with the technologies. For example, they worry about what liability schools face, how to wrestle with freedom of speech issues, and how to phrase practical usage policies. Many are awaiting the results of upcoming hearings on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which might well restrict or broaden fair use provisions and institutions' exposure as Internet service providers. Participants also are concerned about the potential of peer-to-peer file sharing to overload existing network bandwidth, and they worry about how to address such a potential tidal wave.

Attendees also are concerned with developing budget models that address the wave of rising technology expectations on campus. At the heart of this issue is creating an appropriate replacement cycle for campus technologies. Many schools are still struggling to win support for a 3- or 4-year equipment replacement cycle, but demands for new, faster, better technologies continue to rise on campuses. Some participants note that a perceptual change is needed: university administrators must recognize true technology costs (including support and replacement) and treat them as operating, rather than capital expenses.

The exploration of administrative systems does not seem as pressing as it was the last two years, but a number of schools have already adopted enterprise systems, and others are waiting for a clear category leader to emerge. Discussion at this session focused on many ancillary issues concerning application service providers and portals. If the session is indicative, a keystone issue at small schools for the next 24 months might well be Web interfaces and campus portals. The small schools represented reported being in the early stage of portal exploration and investigation. At the next annual meeting, one anticipates more extensive discussion about what solutions are emerging: What metaphors and technologies work best to provide configurable, customizable, centralized information centers? What types of services are desirable online, and what services and information can be effectively offered via a portal? In essence, if you build it, will they come?

The session ended with a look forward and an invitation to come to a different site: Deerfield Academy (Deerfield, Massachusetts) for the annual meeting of ACCESS, which will be held June 20-22, 2001.

Dennis Trinkle is Executive Director, American Association for History and Computing, and Assistant Professor and Associate Coordinator of Information Services and Technology, DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana. Dtrinkle@depauw.edu