In one particular session, Martin Ringle, CIO at Reed College, summarized computer support data collected from twenty-five campuses over the last five to seven years. He described a situation where there has been a significant increase in resources devoted to support. Yet, user satisfaction is dropping rapidly. Stress levels and turnover among support providers is rising rapidly. Very few institutions have either the necessary leadership or financial planning in place to make strategic changes in what they are doing.
Few campuses have technology plans, much less replacement plans.
It was, and is, a pretty bleak picture. Obviously, these are incremental strategies in a world that requires new models and processes. The issue of waiting to disseminate information without reporting any real results is interesting. It seems that people need to know that alternatives exist to the prevailing pattern. We benefited from UM-C's willingness to share their insights, problems and frustrations.