What should be acquired and managed at the centralized level are those resources and services which are clearly of a college-wide nature or necessity and cannot be effectively met by department- or personal-level resources and services alone. As such, centralized computing resources and services should be viewed as an extension of local computing resources, services and needs. Many computer-related services, such as technical support, the Student Information and Campus Administrative System (SICAS), volume purchases and purchase programs, planning, evaluation, and development, are clearly suited for centralization in order to provide an institutional perspective -- one of the chief concerns of the College's Strategic Plan. However, the principal strategy we propose in this plan for the acquisition of any centralized resources is more guarded; that is, to invest only in those hardware and software products which can be purchased in a modular fashion and added to incrementally as appropriate. This strategy allows us to minimize our financial commitment and risk in the ever-volatile computer market, while remaining flexible enough to expand our computing resources as our needs dictate.
Potsdam College has committed the development of it core administrative databases to ORACLE(TM), a commercial database development package which runs on nearly all viable computing platforms and is the SUNY-wide standard established for database management systems, including the Banner(TM) SICAS product. Because ORACLE(TM) is based upon an industry standard language, SQL, it is capable of integrating data from any database which is SQL-compatible. By establishing and supporting the use of ORACLE(TM) and SQL-compatible database management systems throughout our campus, we will be able to realize our goal of achieving a truly integrated information environment.
Goals:
To establish SQL as the campus database development standard for all database management systems maintained on campus
To promote and support the use of ORACLE(TM), where appropriate
In order to meet the demand for a fully integrated SICAS which will address the limitations of our current system and provide the additional administrative support systems needed to meet the goals and objectives of the College's Strategic Plan, Potsdam College has made a commitment to participate in the SUNY program to purchase and implement SCT's Banner(TM) software. This commercial package will initially provide the campus with a SIS and can be enhanced with software modules that include financial aid and alumni records, as well as other campus administrative systems. Because this commercial package is based upon the ORACLE(TM) database management system, it meets the campus' standards for fully integrated information systems.
Goals:
To implement a fully-integrated SICAS which incorporates our current SIS information as well as an early-warning/tracking and degree-auditing systems, and financial aid and bursar records
To continue our commitment and participation in the SUNY program to purchase and implement Banner(TM)
To establish plans for the SICAS which include:
- security of data storage, communication links and processing
- technical support
- system monitoring and evaluation
- system maintenance
- changes and enhancements to the system
To develop additional integrated information systems as needed
To develop and publish data dictionaries for all information systems
To establish contingency plans for disasters and failure of any information system
Goals:
To provide on-line public access to the library's bibliographic database, and to other catalogs, indexes, abstracts and CD-ROM and other databases in appropriate electronic information formats.
To establish and support Potsdam College as one of SUNY's regional library nodes
To establish an automated circulation/inventory control system for Potsdam College and all satellite library systems it serves
To provide basic library services via SUNYnet to all New York State citizens, as well as the Potsdam College community, as part of SUNY's library information system
To establish an "electronic foundation" for the development of future library services
Centralized Computing Hardware
While SUNY's new contractual agreement with Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) improves the College's ability to purchase computing equipment, we believe that our campus should be fairly conservative about the way it approaches acquiring new centralized computing resources. In addition to adhering to our campus strategy in the acquisition of any centralized hardware and software (see Centralized Resources and Services above for a definition of this strategy), we believe it is also important to purchase only that centralized hardware which supports, in theory and in practice, distributed computing and connectivity across all computing platforms (centralized, departmental and personal computers).
As with those local resources described above (see Local Resources and Services), centralized computing hardware, should give the end-user the power and flexibility to access centralized services, and manipulate and analyze data, as easily as if it were located on their desktop computers. The concept of "transparency" in retrieving and manipulating information and data--that is, not knowing where the data is, but being able to use it easily--is essential to the strategy we propose and requires adequate and appropriate local and centralized resources to ensure its success.
Goals:
To purchase centralized computing resources which meet those specifications above and adhere to the campus-wide computing strategy
To purchase only that centralized computing equipment necessary to meet the computing needs of the campus
To upgrade existing centralized computing equipment as needed to support the development and implementation of the SICAS and other centralized systems
Consultation services requested of the Computer Center generally fall into one of three categories: technical problems (usually minor) related to day-to-day computing activities; long-term projects involving special hardware and/or software needs; and, the purchase of computer hardware and/or software. The type of consultation service provided is, of course, related to the type of problem. Day-to-day problems and inquiries about campus computer purchase plans are generally handled via phone or on a drop-in/appointment basis during the Center's office hours. Long-term projects involve more preparation (selecting the appropriate tools and techniques, and scheduling resources) and may in fact involve the assistance of other users (volunteer consultants described further below and under Network of Local Consultants) and offices on campus . In addition to supporting end-users (faculty, staff and students) with the type of individualized services described, common problems, when identified, could be addressed through workshops, specialized training sessions and the Campus Computing Newsletter. Furthermore, as desktop computers and access to the campus network become ubiquitous on campus, it should be possible to provide consultation services via electronic mail (email) and electronic conferencing (see Network Services for more details on email and conferencing).
Goals:
To continue to offer consultation services described above
To establish a campus-based network of consultants
To encourage faculty, staff and students to offer their expertise and experience with hardware and software through the campus network of consultants
To publish a list of consultants and their areas of expertise and experience
To establish and formalize electronic mail and electronic conferencing as an alternative means of providing consultation services
To encourage the use of electronic mail and conferencing as a source of consultation services