EDUCAUSE | Contributed by Organizations or Campuses; Articles, Papers, and Reports; and IT Staffing

Chief Information Officers Speak Out

ckeller — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 10:18:18 -0500

Five experienced CIOs discuss security, staffing, and how they respond to changing technology on campus.

Women in Technology: Hear Us Roar

ckeller — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 17:26:24 -0500

This series is comprised of articles written by women on the topic of "Women in Technology,"

Dorm geek, unsung hero

drupal — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 17:00:33 -0500

At a growing number of colleges and universities, students serve as the first line of technical support on campus. The role of the residential computing consultant (RCC) is not new, but is becoming increasingly common in an institution's approach to dealing with the range of computer problems that students regularly face. At Stanford University, about 100 students serve as RCCs, living in the dorms and responding to service calls from students. They earn about $180 per week and undergo a four-day training course. Problems range from the mundane to highly complex, requiring consultation with professional IT staff on campus.Brandon Smith, an RCC at Stanford, noted that most college students are prone to panic when technology doesn't work and that "they're not very patient." Jennifer Ly, manager of Stanford's Residential Computing, said that although many of the RCCs are computer science majors, others are not pursuing technical studies. "We seek someone with an appetite for problem solving who can provide excellent customer service," she said, "and who is willing to learn."

Mid-Level Salary Survey 2004-05 Executive Summary

drupal — Wed, 26 Oct 2005 12:24:50 -0500

The CUPA-HR Mid-Level Executive Summary provides comprehensive and up-to-date salary data for higher education mid-level administrator s and and professionals.

Study: IT Job Market May Be Looking Up

drupal — Mon, 13 Jun 2005 13:49:48 -0500

A survey conducted by staffing firm Robert Half Technology paints a rosier picture for IT professionals than has been offered by the company for three years. Results of the survey, which polled CIOs at more than 1,400 U.S. companies, showed that 14 percent expect to hire full-time IT staff in the third quarter, while 3 percent projected reductions in IT staff. Eighty-one percent of respondents said their staffing levels will remain steady. Respondents indicated that the primary factors determining staffing levels were business expansion (38percent) and the need for higher levels of customer and end-user support (21 percent). The report comes amid mixed signals regarding the IT job market. According to the Labor Department, the number of unemployed high-tech workers fell by 64,000 last year. Still, the overall number of unemployed IT professionals was nearly 150,000, and 60,000 high-tech jobs were cut in the first quarter of this year, double the number of jobs lost during the same period in the previous year.

IT's Morale Dilemma

drupal — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 12:38:04 -0500

A new report from the Meta Group indicates low morale among workers in the IT field, and analysts warn of a range of consequences from unhappy workers. According to their survey, the Meta Group reported that 72 percent of companies identified low morale as a serious problem. A recent poll by IT employment Web site Dice.com estimated that 80 percent of IT workers suffer from low morale, which analysts attribute to continued softness in the IT market and new concerns over the possibility of jobs being outsourced overseas. As a result, many IT companies are perceived as being unconcerned with employee retention.
The slowdown of investments in IT, as well as layoffs and uncertainty about when the troubles will end, has left many IT professionals disillusioned with the profession. According to analysts, negative effects of low morale including lower productivity and higher turnover exacerbate the difficulties IT departments are already having.

Converging Universes: New Models for IT Professional Certification and Academic Credentials

drupal — Fri, 06 Sep 2002 12:09:56 -0500

This article reviews several major trends, or "GigaTrends," driving the growth of IT certifications, compare and contrast the roles of IT certifications versus academic degree credentials, propose a new model for the integration of IT certifications in academic IT programs and degrees and present a case study of NWCET's partnership with a major IT certification provider to create an integrated academic corporate IT program.

Six Steps to Optimizing IT Staff

drupal — Wed, 18 Apr 2001 10:59:33 -0500

Human capital management issues continue to dominate IT managers' concerns, with the IT labor shortage rapidly worsening and skill levels across a wide range of domains in impossibly short supply. This article discusses ways to retain those employees.

Information Technology Compensation Program

drupal — Tue, 06 Oct 1998 12:32:37 -0500

This manual outlines a pilot developed to provide a flexible, market-competitive compensation program. The goals of the program are to reward performance, encourage employee skill development, help attract and retain qualified technology employees, provide employees greater career development opportunity and decentralize compensation decision making to the department level. Major features of the pilot program include: (a) six broadly defined information technology classifications, (b) three progressive competency levels within each classification, (c) salary structure based on broad market competitive pay ranges for each classification, (d) opportunity for annual salary adjustments for performance, competency advancement, and equity, (e) flexibility in starting pay; and (f) optional pay features such as team-based pay, project pay, and bonuses. The manual also outlines the roles and responsibilities of participating administrators and staff.