EDUCAUSE | Documents Contributed by ECAR

Climate Change, Campus Commitments, and IT

ckeller — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 10:09:13 -0500

This ECAR research bulletin analyzes how several IT offices, largely at Maryland colleges and universities, are responding to the challenges issued in the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) initiative. Since it is early in developing a response to ACUPCC commitments, the bulletin also examines what these institutions intend to do in the near future. ACUPCC was organized to galvanize the U.S. higher education community to understand and act on issues surrounding climate change and sustainability. In support of this study, the authors interviewed chief information officers at 18 Maryland higher education institutions whose presidents had signed the ACUPCC at the time of the study (twelve public four-year institutions and non-degree granting research centers in the USM, four private four-year institutions, and two community colleges), as well as a representative from the University of Pennsylvania.

Citation for this work: Balakrishnan, Suresh, and Donald Z. Spicer. “IT and Campus Climate Change” (Research Bulletin, Issue 20). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2008, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

The Academic Library in a 2.0 World

ckeller — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 10:00:29 -0500

This ECAR research bulletin provides a context for the current state of academic libraries and the issues they face in a Web 2.0 world. The literature suggests that library services in higher education will continue to be crucial to the core processes of learning, teaching, and research as long key library structures, processes, services, and staff roles evolve to accommodate the epochal changes occurring in publishing and communications. The bulletin discusses how disintermediation is affecting the academic library in higher education and the toll it is taking on traditional library collections, operations, and librarians themselves.

Citation for this work: Wawrzaszek, Susan, and David G. Wedaman. “The Academic Library in a 2.0 World” (Research Bulletin, Issue 19). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2008, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

Leading the IT Workforce in Higher Education

ckeller — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 15:22:02 -0500

This 2008 ECAR research study builds upon the work done in 2004 by ECAR in its original study of information technology leadership. The 2008 study addresses the following questions:

· How significant a transition in leadership positions are we likely to see in the next few years?

· How confident are IT leaders in their skills, and how effective are their leadership styles?

· How is the position of IT leader viewed by those who might aspire to it?

· Is higher education doing all it can to foster a strong pipeline of future leaders?

· Do changes in the generational composition of the IT workforce present new challenges for leaders?

· How concerned are IT leaders with the prospect of a future shortage of skilled IT workers?

The report is based on a literature review; 3,100 responses to a web-based survey from IT professionals from 965 colleges and universities; 20 interviews with IT professionals including senior-most IT leaders, aspiring CIOs, and women IT leaders; input from two focus groups comprising mid-career IT managers and directors to discuss the future role of the CIO and the decision to aspire to become a CIO; and case studies. It also draws from the findings from the 2004 study to frame areas of inquiry and analysis. A corporate edition is available here.

Citation for this work: Goldstein, Philip J. Leading the IT Workforce in Higher Education (Research Study 7). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2008, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

Leading the IT Workforce in Higher Education - Corporate Edition

ckeller — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 15:33:41 -0500

This 2008 ECAR research study builds upon the work done in 2004 by ECAR in its original study of information technology leadership. The 2008 study addresses the following questions:

· How significant a transition in leadership positions are we likely to see in the next few years?

· How confident are IT leaders in their skills, and how effective are their leadership styles?

· How is the position of IT leader viewed by those who might aspire to it?

· Is higher education doing all it can to foster a strong pipeline of future leaders?

· Do changes in the generational composition of the IT workforce present new challenges for leaders?

· How concerned are IT leaders with the prospect of a future shortage of skilled IT workers?

Leading the IT Workforce in Higher Education–Key Findings

ckeller — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:37:55 -0500

This document presents the key findings of the ECAR study, Leading the IT Workforce in Higher Education, by Philip J. Goldstein. The study builds upon the ECAR work done in 2004 in its original study of information technology leadership. The 2008 study addresses the following questions:

· How significant a transition in leadership positions are we likely to see in the next few years?

· How confident are IT leaders in their skills, and how effective are their leadership styles?

· How is the position of IT leader viewed by those who might aspire to it?

· Is higher education doing all it can to foster a strong pipeline of future leaders?

· Do changes in the generational composition of the IT workforce present new challenges for leaders?

· How concerned are IT leaders with the prospect of a future shortage of skilled IT workers?

Citation for this work: Goldstein, Philip J., and Judith A. Pirani. “Leading the IT Workforce in Higher Education—Key Findings” (Key Findings). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2008, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

Leading the IT Workforce in Higher Education—Roadmap

ckeller — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:51:14 -0500

This ECAR roadmap synthesizes the important issues and recommended actions drawn from the 2008 ECAR research study, Leading the IT Workforce in Higher Education, by Philip J. Goldstein. The study builds upon the ECAR work done in 2004 in its original study of information technology leadership. The 2008 study addresses the following questions:

· How significant a transition in leadership positions are we likely to see in the next few years?

· How confident are IT leaders in their skills, and how effective are their leadership styles?

· How is the position of IT leader viewed by those who might aspire to it?

· Is higher education doing all it can to foster a strong pipeline of future leaders?

· Do changes in the generational composition of the IT workforce present new challenges for leaders?

· How concerned are IT leaders with the prospect of a future shortage of skilled IT workers?

Citation for this work: Goldstein, Philip J., and Pirani, Judith A., “Leading the IT Workforce in Higher Education Roadmap”(Roadmap). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2008, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

Views of the Top: Rising IT Leaders Discuss the CIO Position in Higher Education

ckeller — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 16:06:35 -0500

This ECAR case study complements the 2008 ECAR study by Philip J. Goldstein, Leading the IT Workforce in Higher Education. Views of the Top: Rising IT Leaders Discuss the CIO Position in Higher Education looks at the role of higher education’s CIOs from the perspective of 13 rising IT leaders. As part of its broad research of IT leadership in higher education, the EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research organized two focus groups of mid-career IT executives to discuss the role of the CIO in higher education, to gain insights into the factors that drive individuals to aspire to the CIO role, and to evaluate how well higher education prepares its future leaders. This case study reports the results of those important discussions.

Citation for this work: Goldstein, Philip J., and Judith A. Pirani. “Views of the Top: Rising IT Leaders Discuss the CIO Position in Higher Education” (Case Study 5). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2008, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

Cyberinfrastructure and the Evolution of Higher Education

ckeller — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 09:01:00 -0500

This ECAR research bulletin discusses the role cyberinfrastructure will play as higher education evolves. Changes in the job markets, in higher education research and teaching, and in emerging academic disciplines are having a direct impact on, and will be directly impacted by, information technologies. As high-level national councils acknowledge, higher education has an enormous stake in these crucial and sweeping changes.

Citation for this work: Dede, Chris. “Cyberinfrastructure and the Evolution of Higher Education” (Research Bulletin, Issue 18). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2008, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

Deciphering Social Networks

ckeller — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 09:18:37 -0500

Adoption and usage data regarding social networking trends by consumers has convinced many business and IT leadership teams that social network sites, and their technological underpinnings, can be viewed as viable usage models to satisfy the communication, information sharing, and collaboration needs of the enterprise. In addition, strategists believe that the technology that supports such sites should be considered a credible technological model to help guide internal deployments. Higher education institutions should be careful, however, that they don't blindly adopt solutions simply because they are popular at the moment. Strategists unfamiliar with the field of social networks beyond its technological aspects should pay attention to issues such as:

How culture influences awareness of, and engagement in, social networks
How social networks can be structured in different ways with, or without, technology as a mediation method
How relationship dynamics influence participation (e.g., politics)

Links to documents within this file might require secure access to restricted Web sites.

Burton Group (www.burtongroup.com) provides technically in-depth research and advisory services for colleges and universities, government agencies, and commercial enterprises. Burton Group's practical and unbiased research and advice helps technologists make smart IT infrastructure decisions in increasingly complex environments. Burton Group covers directories, identity management, application platforms, architecture, and network and telecom infrastructure topics. Like ECAR, Burton Group is an unbiased advocate for the user and more than 80% of Burton Group's clients are user organizations rather than suppliers. EDUCAUSE member institutions can become users of Burton Group research services through EDUCAUSE pricing. Burton Group is an ECAR partner and can be contacted by email at slesueur@burtongroup.com or by telephone (801-373-5767).

Information Security Governance: Standardizing the Practice of Information Security

ckeller — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:05:37 -0500

This ECAR research bulletin discusses the trend to use a variety of risk assessment frameworks and standards to create an information security program that is sufficiently comprehensive for colleges and universities. These standards include the Control Objectives for Information and related Technology (CobiT) IT control framework, the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) service management framework, and the set of information control objectives now commonly referred to as ISO 27001. In specific, the process of implementing this framework at Georgia State University (GSU) is discussed. In addition, the bulletin provides a rationale for an information security governance framework that enables executives to see the degree to which their information security programs are effective in assessing and mitigating risks, protecting confidential data, aligning goals with institutional academic and business objectives, and continuously improving over time.

Citation for this work: Clark, Tammy L., and Toby D. Sitko “Information Security Governance: Standardizing the Practice of Information Security” (Research Bulletin, Issue 17). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2008, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.