To remain viable and competitive as an institution of higher learning, Potsdam College must adequately plan and successfully manage the rapidly developing computer and information technologies that have become an integral part of the campus. Systematic planning is at the heart of the Computer Center's operation. As a department which provides campus-wide support, the Center adheres to an institutional perspective in its planning efforts, but remains committed to the concerns of individual offices, departments and schools.
The Computer Center regards the development and continual refinement of a one-to-five year computing plan as one of its highest priorities. The plan will be reviewed at least once each year by each department and updated or modified as needed. It will form the basis for all other computing plans such as the annual SCAP plan. To keep the campus informed of these plans and the direction of computing on campus, it will be important to publish a planning report at least once each year.
Goals:
To review, update and publish the campus computing plan annually
To obtain student involvement in the computer planning process
To review other college computing plans
To conduct joint planning, where possible, with other computer centers within the Associated Colleges and SUNY
To synchronize the computer planning process with the College's budget and campus planning process
Student Computing Access Program (SCAP)
SCAP provides funds for student computing resources. It is based upon a two-year campus plan submitted to SUNY Central each fiscal year. The Computer Center has been directed to assume primary responsibility for the development of the campus' SCAP plan.
Goals:
To base the SCAP plans upon the College's academic computing plan (see above) and the following priorities:
* projects of high impact in providing student computing opportunities
* resources needed to avoid a deterioration in quality, or loss, of an existing academic program
* resources which, if upgraded or enhanced, can be exchanged and shared across individual departments and schools
* resources needed to complete computing plans which have "proven track records"
* departmental plans which are critical to the success of their academic programs
* departments which could benefit greatly from a small initial investment of computing resources (in effect, seeding a program to encourage and support interest in computing)
To have the campus SCAP plan prepared for submission to SUNY Central by the end of May each year
Academic and Administrative Computing Advisory Committees
These sub-committees of the CRC are intended to provide consultation and feedback to the Computer Center. They assist in the collection of data to facilitate the computer planning process and recommend policies relating to the management and ongoing development of academic and administrative computing centers. Membership on this committee is intended to represent the campus at large.
Goals:
To meet regularly with the committee
To review and obtain feedback from the committees on academic and administrative computing plans
To determine whether the campus computing plan (including the SCAP plan) is effective and reasonably successful in meeting its goals and the needs of the campus, it is necessary to conduct an evaluation process. This process should focus on students, faculty and staff and rely upon a locally administered evaluation "instrument" (questionnaire or survey). By 1992, the campus should have a formally established five-year evaluation process which is campus-wide in scope and administered by an off-campus evaluation team.
Goals:
To survey all faculty, staff and a representative student sample each year on computing activities and their satisfaction with the service provided by the Computer Center
To establish a five-year evaluation process which is campus-wide in scope and administered by an off-campus evaluation team