Many of our institutions are in a transitional environment which has evolved in piecemeal fashion. It is time for the revolutionary fervor which greeted the new technology to subside for a bit. The role of the president is not, of course, to lead the development of new information technologies, but to establish a process and an atmosphere that will promote the integration of these inevitable new technologies, both with each other and with the mission and core values of the institution. Key to all of them is the development of organizational, instructional, and informational infrastructures which capitalize on the technological accidentals of the late 20th century and reinforce the values and peculiar identity of that institution. Expressions of the guiding principles for technology development will be as diverse as the institutions they serve.
Information technology is regarded as a basic feature of university life.
In comparison, the Maricopa County Community College District has developed a set of directional statements which, while they echo certain of the above concepts, give a clear priority to community service. Bill Chace, president of Wesleyan University, recognizes that technology has provided cost savings in commercial areas and has potential for comparable savings within the labor-intensive environment of academe. The new technology is not, in itself, a revolution. The revolution is the difference that technology makes in how we organize, structure, and empower our lives and our workplaces. Campuses are focusing on the development of partnerships within the institution, with other institutions, and with government, business, and community entities.