Documents Contributed by ECAR and Strategic Planning, IT

This research bulletin is a personal account of the career of James Penrod, who served as chief information officer at four higher education institutions for over 25 years. Well known as an expert on leadership, Penrod discusses critical success factors for CIO leaders, from strategic planning to portfolio and policy development to knowing your personal strengths and limits.

This is the October 2003 ECAR survey instrument used for ECAR Research Study concerning Information Technology Strategic Management in Higher Education.

This roadmap reports the results of a quantitative survey and qualitative interviews of 464 U.S. and 19 Canadian universities to discover how information technology priorities, plans, resources, intentions, and actions are aligned with the broad vision of higher education institutions.

ECAR Roadmaps synthesize important information technology issues and provide recommendations for action in higher education. The content draws from ECAR research studies and case studies.

This summary reports the results of a quantitative survey and qualitative interviews of 464 U.S. and 19 Canadian universities to discover how information technology priorities, plans, resources, intentions, and actions are aligned with the broad vision of higher education institutions.

This case study explores how the University of Delaware has achieved a high degree of alignment between information technology and institution-wide priorities. It describes how an institutional culture based on high morale, strong informal communication channels, trust, and clearly articulated institutional goals fosters a climate conducive to close alignment between IT activities and the academic mission.

This study reports the results of a quantitative survey and qualitative interviews of 464 U.S. and 19 Canadian universities to discover how information technology priorities, plans, resources, intentions, and actions are aligned with the broad vision of higher education institutions. The study defines the set of activities that IT practitioners use to achieve alignment to include planning, measurement, communication, and governance. It reviews the academic and professional literature related to organization alignment, reviews findings from practice and case analyses, and ends with a summary of effective practices, lessons learned, and a speculative reflection on future modes of alignment in higher education.

This case study explores the information technology vision, processes, plans, and structures that create alignment with institutional goals at Calvin College. Calvin is a comprehensive, liberal arts, Midwest Christian college. It provides an in-depth look at the role of information technology in advancing teaching, learning, scholarship, and the competitive position of the institution.

This case study explores how the University of Cincinnati has developed a governance structure that allows the IT organization to align priorities and function as a cohesive element across the institution. Governance includes participation from all major university constituencies, including members of the president's cabinet. Four working committees represent academic, administrative, and infrastructure IT issues, and an executive IT steering committee ensures the structure's validity and stature. The University of Cincinnati has also developed a sustainable governance process for prioritizing and funding enterprise level campus IT investments in a highly decentralized research university environment.

This case study explores the processes and structures put in place by the first chief information officer of The University of Memphis in order to align its information technology organization with institutional goals. It provides an in-depth look at information technology governance, planning, performance management, and metrics as they relate to leading and managing an IT organization.

This research bulletin discusses the rationale for developing a long-term, sustainable, institution-wide strategy for campus networks and the technologies that connect institutions to the Internet. It articulates the primary elements to consider in developing that strategy, provides two models for framing such a strategy, and argues why doing so is critically important to the institution's survival and advancement in an era of globalization.