Information Policies: CAUSE

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From:  Coalition for Networked Information 
Information Policies:  A Compilation of Position Statements, Principles, 
Statutes, and Other Pertinent  Statements


CAUSE
The Association for the Management of Information Technology 
in Higher Education
4840 Pearl East Circle, Suite 302E
Boulder, CO  80301
  303-449-4430
Mission Statement
Source:
Facsimile Transmission of April 15, 1991 from Jane Ryland of 
CAUSE, The Association for the Management of Information 
Technology in Higher Education, 4840 Pearl East Circle, 
Suite 302E, Boulder, CO  80301
CAUSE is the association for the management of information technology in higher education. CAUSE's mission is:

to promote more effective planning, management, and evaluation of all information technologies in colleges and universities, and
to help individual member representatives develop as professionals in the field of higher education technology management.
This mission reflects an expansion from an earlier focus on administrative computing, and now incorporates the planning and management of administrative computing, academic computing, telecommunications, and other information technologies in colleges and universities.
CAUSE expanded its mission in direct response to the changing nature of campus computing organization and management. The association is committed to staying in touch with the changing higher education computing and information technology environment and adapting to changes with new and improved services and benefits to members. At the same time, the functions for which CAUSE was created initially will not be neglected, and an emphasis on administrative computing will continue.
As computing and information technology become more pervasive and dispersed across the campus, as the integration of computing, communications, and publishing accelerates, and as the role of central computing services changes, the need for a professional association like CAUSE is increasingly apparent. CAUSE must help information technology managers on campus enhance their knowledge about the business of higher education, master the ability to think critically, and learn to be creative, innovative, and flexible in order to facilitate the achievement of institutional missions through the strategic management of the information resource.
The CAUSE mission is carried out by five basic goals:

CAUSE will serve as a catalyst for the identification, discussion, and solution of issues and problems related to computing and information technology, including national issues.
CAUSE will serve as a vehicle for communication among higher education professionals with common information technology interests and concerns.
CAUSE will provide a centralized source of relevant and accessible information to support research and decision making by these professionals.
CAUSE will provide opportunities for individual and collective professional development and growth.
CAUSE will work to become recognized as a principal locus for communicating with institutional leaders on issues of information technology management.

CAUSE/EDUCOM Evaluation Guidelines for Institutional Information Technology Resources
Source:
CAUSE/EDUCOM Evaluation Guidelines for Institutional Information 
Technology Resources, CAUSE, The Association for the Management of 
Information Technology in Higher Education, 4840 Pearl East Circle, 
Suite 302E, Boulder, CO  80301
General Requirements
Information technology resources, including software, data bases, computers, networks, staff, and other resources, support institutional academic programs and institutional management/operations at appropriate levels.

Institutional Planning. The institution, in its planning, recognizes the need for management and technical linkages among information resource bases (libraries, academic computing resources, administrative computing resources, telecommunications networking, and other learning resource centers).
Access. Information technology resources in conjunction with other learning resources, are conveniently accessible to all students, faculty, and staff.
Staffing. Professional staffs with appropriate expertise are available to assist the faculty, students, and staff in making effective uses of all information technology resources.
Academic Program Support. The academic programs are supported by the appropriate information technology resources such as software, documentation, data bases, hardware, networks, etc.
Management Support. The institution's senior administration recognizes the need and supports the effective uses of information technology resources. The institution's operations and management are supported by the appropriate information technology resources including applications software, data bases, documentation, hardware, networks, etc.
Resources. The institution's resources (staff, budget, equipment, facilities, etc.) adequately support the information technology resources and services function.
Information Technology Planning. A well developed planning process involving faculty, senior administrators, staff, and students is in place for the institution's information technology resources and services.
Committees. Appropriate structures, such as user and policy committees, exist to provide guidance for the planning of the institution's information technology resources and services.

Guidelines
The following sections provide questions to help the evaluators focus more directly on various aspects of the general requirements for information technology resources. Rather than being prescriptive, these questions highlight areas that should be explored to better understand the requirements for integrating information technology resources into the institutional mission.

Guideline #1 -- Quality of Applications Software and Hardware
Computing software and hardware resources are appropriate in quality, depth, and currentness to support the institution's mission through its academic program offerings and its institutional operations and management.

1.1 Are software and hardware resources appropriate in quantity and quality to meet the needs of the curriculum and research on and off campus and the needs for institutional management and operations?
1.2 Are the applications software and hardware resources regularly updated to meet the current academic and administrative program needs?
1.3 Are the acquisitions and gifts of software and hardware consistent with the academic and administrative program needs?
1.4 Are the written policies and procedures for the acquisition of software and hardware kept current and are they widely circulated among academic and administrative departments?
1.5 Do policies and procedures exist that encourage the legal and ethical uses of software by students, faculty, and administrative personnel?
1.6 If an institution relies on the computing resources of other institutions, does it have a well-conceptualized rationale specifying the roles of both on-and off-campus computing resources?

Guideline #2 -- Support Services
The planning and acquisition of new information technology resources are timely, and the ongoing support services (documentation, development, consultation, training, maintenance, etc.) meet the needs of the institutional users.

2.1 Are faculty and administrators provided an opportunity to contribute in the planning, selection, and evaluation of the information technology resources needed by the academic and administrative programs?
2.2 Are academic support services (training, consultation, documentation, development, maintenance, etc.) provided faculty, students, and administrative personnel to meet their academic and administrative program needs?
2.3 Are budget allocations for the acquisition and the ongoing operations of information technology resources services sufficient to support the academic and administrative programs and are they consistently maintained from year to year?

Guideline #3 -- Availability of Resources
Software and hardware resources are readily available on campus, and where needed off campus, for use by the institution's academic community and its administrative units.

3.1 Do the operating hours of the campus computing centers and computing laboratories provide convenient access to faculty and students from both on- and off-campus locations?
3.2 Where off-campus resources are used as part of the institution's programs, are students and faculty provided convenient access to these resources?
3.3 Does a training program in the use of information technology resources exist for the benefit of students, faculty, and staff, including students in continuing education and off-campus program?
3.4 Are there policies and procedures to ensure the integrity and security of information used by faculty, students, and administrators?

Guideline #4 -- Network Access
The telecommunications network capabilities are appropriate to provide faculty, students, and staff convenient access to information resources on- and off-campus.

4.1 Is there a campuswide telecommunications plan for voice, data, and video?
4.2 Is the networking access to on-campus information technology resources convenient to faculty, staff, and students?
4.3 Is there appropriate access to external information technology resources for faculty, students, and staff?
4.4 Are sufficient resources (staff, budget, equipment, and facilities) available for the support of telecommunications?

Guideline #5 -- Facilities
The current and planned facilities for information technology resources and services are adequate in quantity and quality.

5.1 Are the campuswide computing/telecommunications centers and computing laboratories appropriate for the academic and administrative programs and nature of the institution?
5.2 Does campus space/facilities planning incorporate the needs and standards for information technology resources and services?

Guideline #6 -- Institutional Uses
The institutional environment encourages faculty and staff to make appropriate and innovative uses of information technology resources to improve academic and administrative programs.

6.1 Does the institution's mission articulate the role and degree of importance information technology resources play in its academic and administrative programs?
6.2 Are policies, procedures, and incentives in place to encourage faculty to make appropriate and innovative uses of information technology resources to improve the academic program?
6.3 Are policies and procedures in place to encourage administrative staff to make appropriate and innovative uses of information technology resources to improve the operation, management, and decision making of the institution?

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