Highways are of little use if they are not able to handle massive amounts of traffic. Dams regulate huge water resources, and telecommunications networks are graded by the speed and volume of bits they transport. Many forms of physical infrastructures involve movement of people or materials from one place to another, resulting in dramatic decreases in the constraints of both space and time. Faculty development assumes change, movement and a value-added experience, whether in attitudes or skills. Finally, infrastructure provides a means for managing critical resources, such as land, water or electricity.
Human capital is the most important resource of any university.
Accordingly, faculty development initiatives regarding technology should be treated as central components of the broader institutional plan. As such, they automatically become part of the overall institutional mission and vision, as well as strategic agents for organizational change and transformation. The foundation of the pyramid model on page 35 shows the various dimensions of a university infrastructure, including baseline network, hardware and software access, and user training and support. The notion of baseline usually refers to a minimum set of conditions or structural requirements necessary to perform critical functions or deliver services at a given level. But, unlike many physical baseline measures, a baseline technology infrastructure is an evolving or moving target, given the pace of current technological change.