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Lehman Strategic Plan Final Report
Version 10
6/25/03
LEHMAN COLLEGE
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
STRATEGIC PLAN
Lehman IT Strategic Planning Committee Members
Charles Berger Minaz Fazal Anne Prisco
Barbara Bralver David Fletcher Joseph Rachlin
Bill Brennan Lisa Freeland Phyllis Rafti
Francine Campbell Edward Kagen Milton Santiago
George Chaikin David Martinez Robert Schneider
Noreen Crawford Sonia Martinez Barbara Smith
Louis Cruz Javier Mercado Terry Towery
Annette Digby Joseph Middleton Derek Wheeler
Ugo Fariselli Rona Ostrow Robert Whittaker
Ellen Fauerbach Michael Paull
Final Report
June 25, 2003
Editorial Committee Version 10
Lehman Strategic Plan Final Report
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
II. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
III. Strategic Technology Priorities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
IV. Information Technology Strategic Goals and Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . 9
A. Create an Interdisciplinary Research, Teaching & Learning Environment 9
B. Achieve Quality Student Outcomes & Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
C. Support Institutional Innovation & Effective College Operations . . . . 9
V. Information Technology Action Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
APPENDICES
1. Situational Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
A. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threat Analysis . . . . . . . . 18
B. External Trends and Forces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2. Technology Infrastructure Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
3. Focus Group Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
A. Report of the Administrative Computing Sub-Committee of the Information
Technology Strategic Planning Committee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
B. Faculty Focus Group Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
C. Student Focus Group Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
D. IT Staff Focus Group Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
4. Draft Summary Action Plan Implementation Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . 44
5. Draft Summary Action Plan Budget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Lehman Strategic Plan Final Report
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I. Executive Summary
This Information Technology Strategic Plan recommends that a permanent Technology
Oversight Committee, reporting to the President and Cabinet, be created and charged with
addressing and achieving the following IT goals:
College Network infrastructure improvement and effective use (i.e., electronic
enhancement of the community, using IT effectively to disseminate information,
communicate, and provide services to constituents; linking of Web resources within
the College);
E-Mail system upgrade and policies for use (i.e., use of E-mail as the primary means
of communication at the campus);
Student Services Infrastructure improvement (i.e., articulation with feeder
campuses, including course equivalency transfer evaluation; movement towards
paperless transactions and electronic documents);
College Desktop fleet deployment and improved support (i.e., planning for
equipment and software upgrades, and for equipment and software consistency);
Student/Staff training and development (i.e., education/training for students,
faculty, and staff, considering both technology and information literacy, with
measurable standards set for faculty, students, and staff);
College Data Warehouse development (i.e., implementation of a College Data
Warehouse for college planning support);
Instructional Technology, including distance learning (i.e., plan for effective
integration of technology throughout the curriculum; use of “smart classrooms”);
Staffing structures and staffing levels appropriate to college objectives, and
considering issue of local vs. central staffing.
Furthermore, the Technology Oversight Committee (TOC) will serve as the principal
agent for gathering and analyzing information on continuing IT needs, coordinating plans to
meet those needs, identifying and implementing new IT goals, and assessing the success of IT
applications across all constituencies of the College. The overarching goal of the TOC will be to
improve teaching, student services, and research.
The Plan begins with an overview of the planning context, which states the Vision for
Information Technology (IT) at Lehman and identifies three main goals and a comprehensive list
of expected outcomes (see section II, Introduction). Section III outlines six Strategic
Technology Priorities that are essential to the success of any subsequent IT initiatives at
Lehman. A broad set of Strategic Goals and Objectives are presented in section IV. Section V,
the Information Technology Action Plan, identifies the specific steps required to address the
priorities and objectives presented in sections II and III. Finally, a series of Appendices provide
background information collected during the planning process, an implementation schedule, and
a budget.
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II. Introduction
The increased integration of information technologies across all organizational levels
produces both significant benefits and major challenges for most modern institutions. Lehman
College, while confronted by several technological challenges, is adopting an assertive stance
towards the use of information technology in achieving its chosen future. With the support of
grants from CUNY Central Office and the Advanced Networking for Minority Serving
Institutions project of Educause, and in keeping with its mission, the College seeks to take a
leadership role in the application of information technologies to improve its teaching and
learning environment, and to extend its reach to new and diverse constituents.
To assist in furthering its mission, Lehman College engaged in the development of a
Strategic Plan for Information Technology (IT) during the 2002-2003 academic year. This effort
was designed to identify strengths and weaknesses within the existing College technology
infrastructure, and to identify technology improvements and initiatives consistent with the needs,
objectives, and outcomes specified in the College‟s Strategic Plan 2000-2005. To continue the
focus and effort begun with this planning process, the College will establish a Technology
Oversight Committee to provide long-term guidance for the implementation of the plan, to
identify and ameliorate problem areas on an ongoing basis, and to update the Strategic Plan for
IT accordingly.
Lehman College‟s vision for the use of Information Technology is as a resource for
research and learning, a management support tool, and a vehicle for innovation and process
simplification. We will focus our technology investments on supporting the hallmarks of our
institutional mission:
Maintaining and enhancing an outstanding research environment
Encouraging and embracing innovations in teaching and learning
Providing a supportive environment that enables all students to achieve their learning and
career objectives
Extending service to, and fostering positive relationships with, the Bronx community
Enhancing our college by providing all members of the Lehman community the
opportunity to interact, share and grow
Our Vision in Action
We will employ Information Technology innovations to assist the College in achieving its
mission by:
Creating an Interdisciplinary Research, Teaching and Learning Environment — We seek
opportunities to incorporate technologies that will enhance the learning process and promote
effective teaching and research. A crucial element in this pursuit is the support and
encouragement of interdisciplinary research and teaching initiatives. It is therefore both
logical and necessary to explore opportunities to enrich the educational experience through
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the creative use of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary applications of information
technology.
Achieving Quality Student Outcomes and Service — We recognize that both prospective
and current Lehman College students present a diversity of learning needs and career and
educational choices. We must maintain a focus on students, ensure that our environment
addresses their needs, and minimize barriers that prevent them from pursing their educational
goals. We must be vigilant in evaluating student outcomes in relations to student aspirations,
the needs of prospective employers, and the requirements of other educational institutions
offering advanced educational opportunities for Lehman students.
Supporting Institutional Innovation and Effective College Operations — We must ensure
that all faculty, administrators, students, and employees have the necessary IT resources to
enable them to pursue educational innovation, manage institutional resources effectively,
achieve their learning objectives, and provide a high quality of service.
Our Expected Outcomes:
We will realize our vision if the following outcomes are achieved through the judicious use of
technology investments:
That all Lehman students will be able to function successfully in a technological society
That all Lehman graduates will have acquired the technological skills appropriate to their
academic discipline and career preparations
That all Lehman students will have acquired the confidence to embrace new technologies
and to see the creative opportunities in their use
That all Lehman faculty will have access to, and use of, the technologies necessary to
enhance their research and teaching objectives
That we will create an environment that supports and encourages innovation, exploration,
risk taking and resourceful uses of technology throughout all aspects of College life
That we will have enhanced student relationships with our faculty, with our institution,
and with other students
That all Lehman staff have been effectively trained in the technological environment
appropriate to their positions
That we will have extended our reach and enhanced relationships with the community,
other educational institutions, business and industry, our alumni, and professional
organizations
That we can provide effective, efficient, high-quality delivery of student services and
enable sound institutional decision-making in support of student learning
That we have provided adequate support and training for faculty, administrators, and staff
to enable the success of our vision
That we have promoted more informed institutional decision-making by providing
accurate and timely data to all levels of the Administration
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III. Strategic Technology Priorities
In preparation for development of the Lehman College Information Technology Strategic
Plan, several key activities were pursued. The first was the evaluation of the quality and
comprehensiveness of the technology environment as reported through a Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities and Threat assessment (SWOT) with members of the Lehman IT Strategic
Planning Committee (See Appendix 1). Second, an analysis of the installed technology
infrastructure was conducted by members of the consulting firm supporting the planning effort
(See Appendix 2). Finally, focus groups were conducted with members of key College
constituencies: faculty, students, administrators, and IT staff (See Appendix 3). This survey led
to the identification of several key deficiencies, the correction of which represents strategic
priorities for the achievement of overall Plan objectives. It is crucial to future success, as well as
present stable operations, that the following items receive the highest priority attention during the
first year of the plan.
Effective Technology Oversight Structure – The College has not had an effective technology
oversight and priority setting mechanism. Given the breadth of technology needs, and the
scarcity of existing resources, it is crucial to the maintenance as well as improvement of the IT
environment that a Technology Oversight Committee (TOC) be established as soon as possible.
College Network – The most critical layer in supporting effective service delivery to the entire
campus community is a stable, robust communications infrastructure. The College network must
be able to provide reliable, efficient access to internal services, CUNY-provided services, and to
the Internet. At present the Lehman network infrastructure is incomplete and in certain areas in
need of immediate replacement and upgrade. Improvements to the existing network
infrastructure should be completed as soon as possible.
E-Mail – The absence of a reliable, high-quality e-mail system, in combination with the network
and desktop deficiencies cited elsewhere in this priority list, contributes to the loss of significant
opportunities for improved service delivery and basic campus communications. In particular, the
opportunity to provide effective routine communication to students, and between students and
faculty, is severely restricted. A stable, flexible, fully functional web-based e-mail system is
critical for effective communications and cost savings. This system should incorporate the
delivery of secure documents, and be supported by a usage policy and a thorough user training
program.
Student Services Infrastructure – High-quality automated student services are vital to the
development of a modern, supportive educational environment. Deficiencies in the existing
Lehman College information technology infrastructure contribute to significant difficulties in
providing a comprehensive, holistic approach to the delivery of many student services. A plan
for the improvement of student services, based upon a common understanding of the capabilities
of existing technologies, needs to be prepared and implemented as soon as possible.
College Desktops – Lehman has adopted the Microsoft Windows Operating System platform,
and the vast majority of installed systems are Windows based. However, due to funding
constraints, the institution has not implemented a “fleet deployment” model for desktop
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replenishment, creating a situation where it is supporting multiple versions of the Windows
operating system. This situation presents several significant problems for IT staff and
contributes to a serious lack of interoperability for the user community. A desktop fleet
deployment replenishment plan, to include a software and hardware upgrade strategy, should be
adopted and implemented as soon as possible.
Student/Staff Training & Development – Deficiencies in user training and understanding
contribute to difficulties in taking full advantage of current Lehman technologies. An assessment
of student, faculty, and staff training needs be conducted, and a training program designed and
implemented as soon as possible. The training program should be comprehensive, coordinated,
and on-going.
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IV. Information Technology Strategic Goals and Objectives
A. GOAL: Create an Interdisciplinary Research, Teaching and Learning Environment
Objectives:
Establish minimum competencies that all Lehman students will demonstrate in the
use of computers and information technologies.
Provide an environment for faculty to integrate technology into their teaching and
also their research and non-teaching duties.
Provide a plan for the effective integration of technology throughout the
curriculum.
Implement a system for faculty training and development that will effectively
prepare faculty to integrate technology into the curriculum where appropriate.
Develop and implement a system of assessment to measure the effectiveness of
technology in teaching and learning activities.
Provide students with the necessary training and developmental support to ensure
the successful use of technology as an appropriate and routine part of their
academic and professional careers.
Offer students a technology-enhanced teaching and learning environment that
encourages and supports academic development.
Equip classrooms and laboratories with technologies that support the teaching,
learning, and research objectives of the College.
Ensure that library technologies are robust and accessible and enhance the
library‟s role as a learning destination for students, faculty and the community.
B. GOAL: Improve the Quality of Student Services and Outcomes
Objectives:
Provide efficient, accessible one-stop student service for admissions, advising,
financial aid, registration, and payment.
Create a staff of Student Affairs generalists, cross-trained and knowledgeable in
all basic student service areas and located in information-rich environments.
Provide students with direct and secure access to their own College records and a
trained staff to assist them when necessary.
Provide as many self-service options for students as possible.
Provide critical information and analytical tools for reporting and analyzing
student information in order to deliver essential support services to students.
Encourage and support faculty use of the online resources available to access
student records and information in support of their academic, advising, and
administrative functions.
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Provide student clubs and organizations with the ability to promote activities and
events and to recruit and communicate with members.
Manage enrollment and identify underserved populations in the community and
beyond through continuous data and process analysis and strategic planning.
Ensure high quality, accurate, and secure data entry and retrieval.
Establish an electronic document imaging system that allows shared access by
students, staff, and authorized personnel and that significantly reduces paper files
and filing systems.
C. GOAL: Support Institutional Innovation & Effective College Operations
Objectives:
Establish an appropriate technology oversight structure, including policies and
procedures governing access and appropriate use of technology, data, and
information services.
Maintain and continue to enhance an appropriate, secure technological
infrastructure, employing the most viable information delivery technologies, that
will increase student, faculty, and staff accessibility to College services and
information and ensure that the College has the capacity for using its technology
effectively across the College at all of its locations.
Provide the technological capability and support necessary to ensure that
administrators, faculty and staff have access to the information necessary to make
informed institutional decisions.
Ensure that all institutional processes have been aligned to provide seamless, non-
duplicated, accurate storage and movement of data and information throughout all
College systems.
Support institutional research and development initiatives integrating new
technologies into the operating procedures of all departments and units of the
College.
Establish technology standards as qualifications for the hiring of all new
employees.
Provide on-going professional development opportunities and follow-up support
for persons within all departments and units of the College.
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V. Information Technology Action Plan
The following actions are proposed to address the Strategic Priorities identified in Section
III, and the Goals and Objectives identified in Section IV. The Actions are not identified under
specific priorities or objectives, since many actions address multiple areas.
(1) Technology Oversight, Policy, and Planning:
The President, in consultation with appropriate members of the Cabinet, will establish
a permanent oversight structure, the Technology Oversight Committee (TOC), to
provide guidance to, as well as monitor the progress of, College-wide information
technology initiatives.
The TOC will be a standing committee of the College, will focus on all College
technology functions, and will have membership representing the interests of faculty,
students, staff and administration. The TOC will be structured with subcommittees
representing key College constituent groups which will include, at a minimum,
subcommittees representing instructional and administrative uses of technology.
The TOC will be charged with taking an institutional view in making
recommendations to the President and cabinet to:
o Oversee the progress toward achievement of Information Technology
Strategic Plan objectives.
o Provide information, and when necessary, educate members of the College
community regarding all aspects of the College‟s information technology
plans, policies, and objectives.
o Provide special focus on issues of access, connectivity and communication for
all members of the Lehman community.
o Ensure adherence to, and when necessary, recommend modifications to,
information technology priorities.
o Review and recommend budget priorities and allocations consistent with the
College‟s information technology plans and priorities, including planning for
the allocation of the Student Technology Fee in accordance with CUNY
guidelines.
o Review, recommend, and mediate operational policy and procedures.
o Function as an executive and constituent sounding board for College-wide
information technology issues and users.
o Conduct routine assessment of technology plans and outcomes and publicize
such findings to the College community.
o Maintain a planning focus, being watchful for the need to adjust and initiate
priorities and new planning activities when circumstances dictate.
o Ensure that appropriate policies, plans and procedures exist for critical
functions such as physical facilities, data integrity and security, disaster
recovery planning, and copyright and intellectual property right issues, etc.
The College will establish, within the structure of the TOC, a subcommittee
representing the interests of the administrative user community. This subcommittee
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will have primary responsibility for identifying and recommending priorities for
technology needs and improvements to the administrative systems of the College.
This subcommittee will assess the following needs in regard to the College‟s
administrative systems environment:
o The current use of, and capability of, all administrative systems.
o The current level of user knowledge with respect to the various functions and
capabilities of the administrative systems‟ environment, to include the need
for training and staff development to take full advantage of the systems.
o The information needs of institutional management as reflected in the ability
of administrators to gain easy access to data for manipulation, service delivery
and reporting requirements.
o The need for process and workflow review in all administrative offices to
maximize business process efficiency for all College operations and to
enhance service delivery to all College constituents.
The TOC will oversee policy and procedural needs of the College governing the
purchase, maintenance, support and upgrade of its entire technology infrastructure. In
the absence of action by the TOC, the Vice President for Administration will oversee
the implementation of the following minimum policies and procedures as necessary.
o Establish ongoing planning and budget management structures and processes
to ensure that current and future critical information technology requirements
are addressed.
o Centrally coordinate software installations, hardware and software upgrades,
and the maintenance of all campus computer hardware to ensure campus-wide
technology currency, and on-going interoperability.
o Where feasible and practical, prescribe hardware and software standards for
faculty and staff use, and purchase site licenses for all commonly used
applications such as word processing, spreadsheet, database, graphics, and
statistics.
o Establish an appropriate prioritization scheme for proceeding with the
previous activities, based upon the most pressing institutional needs identified
within this plan.
(2) Capital and Operating Fund Requirements:
The College must identify and allocate specific dollar amounts for technology
upgrades, maintenance, and replacement for hardware, software, services, and other
information technologies. Establishing an annual target of twenty five percent (25%)
of initial acquisition costs for maintenance and support is prudent, and based upon
current industry standards. Budgets must provide for sufficient staffing as well to
ensure proper support for technology innovation and utilization.
Life cycle budgeting: It is crucial that the College evaluate all of its existing mission
critical systems (e.g. computer labs, administrative systems, workstation software,
etc.) to determine appropriate replacement time frames for each component. Once
replacement schedules are established, budgeting can then be accomplished in a
planned and predictable fashion. The Vice President for Administration will charge
the Director of Information Technology Resources with preparing a “fleet” analysis
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of the current installed desktop and server environment with recommendations for
appropriate replacement cycles.
(3) Create a College Data Warehouse: The development of a College Data
Warehouse, which at a minimum makes SIMS data available to standard SQL queries, is
vitally needed. Also, any development of a College Data Warehouse must incorporate
the use of a user-friendly, SQL based report writer. A College Data Warehouse (CDW)
will provide the following benefits:
o Immediate Information Delivery – The CDW will shorten the time for
accessing time sensitive data.
o Data Integration Across the University – The CDW will provide access to data
from multiple information sources, thus providing a more complete picture for
institutional decision makers, faculty, and staff.
o Future Vision From Historical Trends – Effective decision making frequently
includes trend and seasonal analysis. The CDW will therefore contain
multiple years, or sessions worth of data, and various point-in-time snapshots.
o Tools for looking at data in new ways – Warehouse environments give users
tools for looking at data differently. These tools allow decision makers to ask
new questions and an opportunity to solve problems differently.
o End User Empowerment – With the availability of data, an end user can write
the query to build or modify their own reports. The warehouse empowers
institutional decision makers, faculty, and staff by placing inquiry and analysis
tools at their fingertips.
The development of a College Data Warehouse requires the following activities:
o Gain executive support through the TOC
o Identify involved user community
o Create a balanced project team
o Develop incremental implementation plan
o Provide suitable technical environment
o Execute phased implementation
o Provide training for the user community
(4) Process & Workflow Review:
It is strongly recommended that a comprehensive administrative office process and
workflow review be conducted to identify duplicative data creation and entry,
opportunities to streamline manual processes to reduce labor costs and improve
workflow, and to identify areas of low cost automation to facilitate improved
administration and service.
Implement appropriate local automated solutions to reduce costs, improve services
and free staff members to make more effective use of their time. The timeframe
CUNY proposes to implement these functions does not meet Lehman‟s needs.
Solutions are required now and, therefore, must be enacted locally. Under the
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guidance of the TOC, and in conjunction with each administrative department, the
Director of Information Technology Resources will establish a plan to investigate
available solutions (both software and hardware) and recommend the implementation
of the most effective one(s) to the TOC. The solutions will be evaluated within the
context of their possible use with multiple offices. These needs for automation
include, but are not limited to:
o Time keeping
o Forms processing
o Purchasing/accounts payable/property management
o Funds budgeting
o E-mail server
o Degree audit
o Transfer credit evaluation
o Transfer of SIMS data to Raiser‟s Edge
(5) Training and Staff Development: The Director of Information Technology
Resources, in consultation with the Vice President for Administration and other
appropriate members of the Cabinet, will evaluate the areas of need, recommend and
implement a comprehensive staff and faculty development program for all core
institutional technologies. This development program will include requirements for all
newly hired members of the College community as well as address the ongoing
development requirements of all full and part-time staff. The primary focus of the
development program will be to ensure that all members of the College community have
the requisite training and ability to utilize College technologies effectively in the
performance of their duties, thus ensuring their ongoing productivity and contribution to
College objectives for service and support. The program will include, but not be limited
to, the following core technologies:
o Microsoft Office Suite and Windows operating system(s).
o SIMS and other CUNY provided systems.
o Internet and World Wide Web information research skills.
o Blackboard.
o Electronic data storage and electronic data management technologies.
In addition, the Training and Development program will ensure that:
o Standards are set for e-mail and software use through the Technology
Oversight Committee
o Training is provided for specialized College applications
o Assistance is provided to user offices in evaluating their staff training needs
(6) Student Services:
Implement a holistic student services approach which utilizes available technologies
to establish a one-stop student support environment including such areas as program
of study, academic advising, counseling, registration, financial aid, and bill payment,
etc.
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Map processes, design, and implement a one-stop accessible student services center
which fully exploits the functionality of SIMS and identifies gaps in automated
student system services.
(7) Access to Student Information:
Building upon the capabilities of SIMS, design and implement a cross-training
program that establishes professional academic advisors as Student Affairs generalists
who can effectively communicate basic information about all student service and
academic areas.
Assess and implement the steps needed to ensure all students have ready access to
electronic resources and their own electronic records.
Ensure that adequate IT personnel are available to research, test, and recommend
tools and software to support enhancements to student services.
Provide ongoing professional development for faculty and staff on electronic access
to student records and other information that supports academic functions.
(8) E-Mail: Require students to communicate with the College through assigned e-mail
accounts (which may forward their e-mail to personal accounts).
(9) Student Life: Determine equipment needs for student clubs and design and
implement a technology training program for organization leaders.
(10) ADA: Develop a program that assesses and responds to the needs of students with
disabilities.
(11) Student Technology Competencies: The Provost, in consultation with the TOC,
will charge the appropriate academic personnel, representing all academic divisions, to
recommend to the College Curriculum Committee minimum competencies, be they for
matriculation, graduation or both, that all College students will demonstrate in the use of
computers and information technologies.
(12) Instructional Technology: The Provost, in consultation with the TOC, will charge
the appropriate academic personnel with the development of a plan for the effective
integration of technology throughout the curriculum which will support the institution’s
objectives for achievement of student technology competencies.
(13) Technology Assessment: The Provost, in consultation with the TOC, will charge
the appropriate academic personnel with the development and implementation of a
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system of assessment to measure the effectiveness of technology on teaching and
learning, particularly with respect to student technology competency outcomes.
(14) Research, Teaching, and Learning Environment: The Director of Information
Technology Resources, in cooperation with the Technology Oversight Committee and
appropriate academic personnel, will ensure that adequate classrooms, academic and
computer laboratory environments, and student services support facilities have the
necessary technologies to support the teaching, learning, student development, and
research objectives of the College.
(15) Distance Learning: The Provost will charge appropriate academic personnel with
the development of a College-wide plan for distance learning. Such a plan would
distinguish between asynchronous, off-site learner course and program objectives, and
the future introduction of blended courses that incorporate online capabilities into
traditional classrooms. The plan would set forth overall College objectives and
incorporate a strategy to ensure adequate faculty development and resources to achieve
the previous objectives.
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APPENDICES
1. Situational Analysis
A. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threat Analysis
B. External Trends and Forces
2. Technology Infrastructure Analysis
A. Hardware and Software Analysis
B. Staffing Analysis
3. Focus Group Reports
A. Report of the Administrative Computing Sub-Committee of the
Information Technology Strategic Planning Committee
B. Faculty Focus Group Report
C. Student Focus Group Report
D. IT Staff Focus Group Report
4. Draft Summary Action Plan Implementation Schedule
5. Draft Summary Action Plan Budget
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Appendix 1: Situational Analysis
A. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threat Analysis
As an integral component of the strategic technology planning process the Lehman College
Information Technology Planning Committee conducted an assessment of the institution‟s
existing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The results of the assessment
follow.
1. Strengths
Lehman enjoys an outstanding faculty
Lehman‟s faculty is prominent and recognized both nationally and internationally,
particularly in the sciences, humanities and education
The College has a reputation for solid community outreach
Lehman benefits from an attractive, convenient campus
The campus contains excellent athletic facilities
The College possesses a good research grants acquisition capability
The College grants office works particularly well with Lehman faculty
Lehman students are motivated; a high percentage of undergraduates are involved
in research
In general, the College has many excellent academic programs
There are pockets of excellent facilities and equipment to support scholarship and
student learning
The School/Division of Education enjoys an excellent placement reputation
Library facilities and access is very good
The College has a national award winning academic program: FYI
Lehman has a newly established Honors College program
The College‟s Visual and Performing Arts programs are a strength
Lehman is very active in secondary education with its College Now program; the
institution has been active in the development of five community high schools
through this program
The College benefits from a good IT infrastructure and video conferencing
capability
A solid policy of access to technology for students is in place
The IT organization and the Library work particularly well together
The IT organization has a positive reputation for supporting faculty
2. Weaknesses
Historically inadequate budgets for an institution of this size and mission
Capital funds made available without operating dollars for sustaining activity
Institutional administration has not performed well under conditions of
diminished resources
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There are no direct funding sources/mechanisms for faculty and staff equipment,
etc.
More than 50% of the faculty are adjuncts
Student access to academic facilities and services is weak
The campus lacks a community center
Communication to students as well as the community is weak and inconsistent
The College‟s Web Site is weak
Students have email but most don‟t know it exists and fewer of them use it
There is no budget line for campus-wide technology
There are no technology standards contributing to support for duplicative and
aged technologies
There is a lack of electronic equivalencies between Lehman and other CUNY
feeder schools
There is no coordinated vision for technology within the curriculum
There is no plan or debate for the value or application of distributed learning
There are major space constraints; there is a daytime scheduling problem and a
night time space problem
Working hours for staff are not flexible contributing to constrained hours of
support and service for students and faculty
Training and development opportunities for staff range from limited to non-
existent, contributing to problems of staff morale and motivation
The personnel classification schema contributes to the lack of flexibility
3. Opportunities
The College has the opportunity to enhance its attractiveness for future CUNY
investments
Lehman can improve its ability to communicate with prospective students
The College can enhance its sense of community through improved
communication capabilities for students, faculty and staff
The College can increase its visibility in the Bronx by providing technology
services to the community; CUNY on the Concourse should be explored as a
vehicle in this regard
Services and communication with Lehman alumni can be greatly enhanced
through improved technology capability
Through better communication and training the College community can take full
advantage of the technology capabilities that already exist
Lehman has the opportunity to initiate and improve communication and
coordination of IT resources, priorities, needs and capabilities
The College can have the ability to interface more effectively with the political
community in the Bronx; enhancing funding, services, and recruitment
opportunities
Lehman has the opportunity to exploit private funding sources
4. Threats
The greatest risk to the institution is inaction
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The CUNY tiering structure poses as continual threat to the College
Budget cutbacks plague the College‟s ability to effectively plan improvements in
all areas
Negative public relations for public education contributes to a potential retreat
from public higher education by prospective students and their parents
Private institutions can “steal” potential Lehman students
Potential tuition increases could undermine enrollments
The current freeze and/or policy of redirecting faculty lines contributes to an age
imbalance among the faculty and undermines existing academic programs
B. External Trends and Forces
As Lehman embarks upon a multi-year information technology strategic plan, it is important,
at the outset, to establish which outside trends and forces, foreseeable and
unforeseeable, will affect its efforts. Many of the external forces noted below will be outside
the institution‟s control.
1. Constituent Expectations – Students, faculty, staff, trustees, politicians and the
community at large expect an ever-improving return on their investment in higher
education. As a public institution, with a strong social and community service
mission, Lehman must continually deliver a high quality of service to all its
constituents in order to meet their diverse needs.
2. Tempo of Technological Change – Given the revolution in technology in the past
twenty years, it is reasonable to expect that technological change will continue
unabated.
3. Teaching and Learning Expectations – Lehman‟s students will expect IT integration
in their education. Technology is critical in the learning and teaching process, and
requires access to the infrastructure for faculty and students and continued
professional development for faculty.
4. Budget Realities – As a public institution, Lehman will be continually buffeted by
untimely and sometimes unexpected budget cutbacks and restructuring.
5. Asynchronous Course Delivery – Alternative methods of course delivery (time and
location independent) are emerging, providing viable alternatives and supplements to
the traditional classroom instruction.
6. Internet Impact – From commercial applications and research capabilities to a vehicle
for alternative course and instructional delivery, the Internet is having a fundamental
effect on higher education.
7. Outcome Measures – Emphasis upon outcome measures is undeniable. Students
expect value; Lehman will be measured by its ability to help students to achieve their
goals.
8. Information Technology Proficient Employees – As the marketplace continues its
reliance upon IT, it is Lehman‟s responsibility to ensure that students‟ education and
training are commensurate with the demands of the local economy and society at
large.
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The external factors discussed above currently shape, and will continue to shape, the
economy, the development and use of technology, the quality and nature of academic
instruction, the ways in which we administer our institutions, and the challenges students
confront. While these factors cannot be controlled, a constant and vigilant regard to their
existence, as well as a continual focus upon their potential impact, will continue to enhance
Lehman College‟s positive presence in higher education.
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Appendix 2:
Technology
Infrastructure
Analysis
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Lehman College – Technology Review
Strengths:
1. Media (video) Distribution – Great System.
a. Already 3 years old.
b. Question how widely used.
c. Need to closely examine other alternatives before upgrading or replacing.
2. ITC excellent facility.
a. Did not see any labs being used for class activities.
b. Public space well used.
c. Existing maintenance and replenishment of fleet
d. Solid network.
3. Two Stage network upgrade.
a. Phase 1 almost complete.
i. Fiber to buildings - GB
ii. Network Core & ITC.
iii. Building Cores.
b. Phase 2 complete in 2004.
i. Risers and laterals - 100MB.
ii. Floor electronics.
c. Imperative that they complete – network woefully outdated where work is not
finished-----
4. Independent Advisement system under development by Advisement office with server in
advisement office. Uses MS Access.
5. Joe‟s vision.
a. Do best with what we have – weakness also.
b. Get college to establish priorities.
c. Move tech fund to operating instead of capital.
6. Blackboard.
a. Some implementation.
7. ESIMS.
a. Register.
b. Select courses.
c. View FA.
d. Pay bills.
e. Grades.
f. Slows down as everyone registers same days.
i. This could be a “pipe” issue or CPU or program.
1. Would need further research to determine specifics.
ii. All batch processing stops.
8. CERA (Continuing Education Registration and Accounting system).
a. CE registration and billing system.
b. Also at CUNY on the Concourse.
c. IT admin systems staff did not know much about it.
i. Interesting, key administrative office without IT support.
9. Admin Systems plan.
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a. Use SIMS as a core.
b. Use middleware to develop around core.
i. Oracle.
ii. Lotus Notes.
c. Like the concept – not too sure about the products.
i. Would recommend they look at MS SQL and other web-based tools –
easier to find staff.
Weakness:
1. No disaster recovery plan.
2. CE operates separate from SIMS, duplicative data entry and records maintenance.
3. From Gartner Review:
a. No mission critical system backup.
b. Weak security.
c. No Firewall implemented.
4. Multiple pay & personnel systems,
a. City and State.
5. SIMS – very dated.
a. COBOL.
b. MVS.
c. IDMS.
d. Local patches and updates.
i. Requires significant maintenance effort.
e. Developing Oracle apps and data warehouse.
i. How will we maintain with staff turnover?
f. FA managed centrally.
i. Local system – unknown by IT staff.
ii. IT staff does not understand FA.
g. Degree Audit not used.
h. Admin system staff is weak, but lots of turnover.
i. No clear vision or goal with admin systems.
j. Users happy – as reported by IT staff.
6. Desktops.
a. No fleet deployment plan.
b. Hardware very old.
i. 1000 devices 4 years plus!
ii. Total fleet 2000 devices.
c. No standard operating system, supports:
i. ME, 95, 98, 98 SE, NT, Win 2K, XP
d. Labs.
i. Music lab new.
ii. Others (8) four years old.
e. Departments on their own.
i. Some hardware support.
ii. Apply to “central” or grants for new machines.
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iii. Appear to have large IT staff.
1. Somewhat difficult to determine as they have multiple reporting
lines.
2. 36 Joe‟s org.
3. 9 others?
4. Should consolidate into one organization.
iv. No coordination of hardware maintenance or software development.
1. Consolidate staff and budget.
7. Outdated Fujitsu PBX.
8. Staffing.
a. Two tier classifications makes management difficult at best.
i. HEO, HEA.
ii. Classified Service.
9. No maintenance or currency plan for the new network.
10. Multiple e-mail platforms.
11. As reported by the IT staff-----
a. Staff turnover – reported by all interviewees as number one problem.
b. No Technology goal – consensus number two problem.
i. Where are we going?
c. Downtown.
Collaborative Efforts:
1. E-mail.
2. Network Management.
3. Security.
4. Advisement system.
5. E-mail account creation system.
a. Students & employees.
b. Updates Blackboard & E-mail.
6. Accounting Systems.
7. CERA.
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Appendix 3:
Focus Group Reports
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Appendix 3.A:
LEHMAN COLLEGE
Report of the
Administrative Computing
Sub-Committee
of the
Information Technology
Strategic Planning Committee
March 2003
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Contents
I. Mission of Lehman College
II. Strategic Plan Perspectives and Goals
III. Administrative Support of the Mission and Goals
IV. Internal and External Administrative Support Environment (SWOT Analysis)
V. Vision of Future Administrative Support Possibilities
VI. Recommendations to Improve Administrative Support Capabilities
Committee Members
Noreen Crawford
Ugo Fariselli
Ellen Fauerbach
Althea Forde,
Lisa Freeland
David Martinez
Javier Mercado
Joseph Middleton
Derek Wheeler
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I. Mission of Lehman College
The mission of Lehman College is to offer its students a liberal arts education and preparation for
careers and advanced study. The College, committed to meeting the education needs of its urban
population, affirms its objectives to:
• provide access to a common body of knowledge and opportunities to develop a
lifelong love of learning
• promote excellence in scholarship, teaching, research and artistic endeavors
• develop the ability to think analytically and creatively
• broaden educational opportunities through joint programs with other institutions
locally, nationally and internationally
• promote an understanding of and respect for such differences as gender, age,
ethnicity, culture, religion, sexual orientation and physical ability
• advance the understanding and use of emerging technologies
• serve as a center for the continuing educational and cultural needs for the region
through access to the college‟s facilities and expertise in the academic
disciplines, professional fields and the fine and performing arts.
II. Lehman College Strategic Plan Perspective and Goals
A. Three Part Perspective
1. Academics
2. Student Recruitment and Retention
3. Community Outreach and Interaction
B. Over-Arching Goals
1. Recognition as a college of academic excellence
2. Success in undergraduate, transfer and graduate recruitment
3. Success in student retention
4. Recognition as a provider of high quality adult continuing education
5. Significant on-campus presence of the community at a wide array of
institutional activities and cultural offerings
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III. Administrative Support of the Mission and Goals
As members of administrative support areas, we see ourselves as having an important role in
providing a strong administrative infrastructure to support the primary mission of Lehman
College to “promote excellence in scholarship, teaching, research and artistic endeavors, provide
access to a common body of knowledge and advance the understanding and use of emerging
technologies.” We are the gateway to Lehman College. Enrollment Management promotes
Lehman to the community through outreach efforts that include High School Collaboratives and
College Now. Prospective students meet us, increasingly via our web site, and enter the
classroom with the administrative support of such offices as Admissions, Financial Aid, Testing
and Scholarships, the Registrar, Bursar and Student Financial Services Offices. As students,
they have access to support services which include the Freshman Year Initiative program,
tutoring services through the Institutional Support Services Program and many other offices.
They are guided through their course of study by Academic Advisement and are provided access
to centralized and departmental computer laboratories for general and curriculum-specific
software and equipment.
Human Resources processes faculty, staff and student workers and administers their benefits.
The administrative offices ensure that there is money to fund the payroll and operating expenses,
that faculty and staff are paid, equipment and supplies are ordered, received and delivered, loans
and scholarships are distributed and monitored, that the College is fiscally sound, the physical
plant is in good working order and the campus is safe.
The quality of these ancillary services is a direct reflection on the quality of the academic
environment. It is difficult for students to separate their experience in dealing with these areas
without projecting it onto their academic experience. When these services are cumbersome or
out-of-date compared to those of competing institutions, it seriously impinges on our
recruitment, retention, learning efforts and outcomes.
To this end, the administrative computing sub-committee recognizes the importance of providing
easily accessible, up-to-date delivery of services that enhance and support the learning objectives
that ensure our competitiveness in the educational environment. We began by examining our
current environment.
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IV. Internal and External Administrative Support
Environment (SWOT Analysis)
Strengths
- Information Technology Resource systems support the main functions of administrative
offices
- Strong ties with Information Technology Resources (ITR) for requests for programs,
updates, etc.
- Networks, wired and wireless, have made support of administrative functions more
flexible, adaptable to changing needs
- CUNY systems offload effort from College, and ensure compatibility with
CUNY/state/federal regulations
- NSS cashiering system and related accounting programs.
- Web based exit and entrance interviews for Perkins loans.
- Automated billing systems written by the IT staff.
- Automated signature sheets, direct deposit and zero check mailers for Financial Aid checks.
- Automated in-house payroll developed by the Office of Student Activities.
- Ability to manipulate data from CUNYVM system into Excel or SPSS.
- Student Retention Development System (SRDS) starting to track service utilization and
advisor productivity
- Majority of office computers upgraded to Windows XP
- Existing office web site with interactive form capability
- Personnel looking ahead to find ways of improving services
- Skilled administrative staff in various CUNY/FA computer systems and their functions
- Staff has strong morale; takes the „extra‟ step in assisting students and offices
- Office is staffed by individuals with substantial knowledge of the College, its history,
and its policies and procedures
- High satisfaction rating from students serviced
- Knowledgeable advising staff
- Basic computer literacy among staff, willing to upgrade and learn new skills
- Freshmen registration has a personal touch and is done face-to-face
- Direct oversight of technical resources and technical professionals
- Some departments strong in troubleshooting problems internally
- Much contact with major administrative and academic offices
- Good relations with other Institutional Research offices and central IR office.
- Supportive division vice-president
- Mini lab for student internet access
- Offices provide immediate access to registration, grades, billing and financial aid
information via web and telephone
- Enrollment certification letters, transcripts, corrections of College errors and refund
authorization and processing are provided on the spot
- Registrar‟s Office maintains an up-to-date course schedule on its website
- Instructional Student Support Program (ISSP) computers and computer-assisted
tutorials are available to students
- The Academic Support Center for Excellence (ACE) has a small student lab connected to the
program‟s own server
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- The support services and computers are well utilized by students for classes
- The computers in ACE and Student Learning Center (SLC) support tutoring for courses
utilizing Blackboard
- Ability to access many tapes/ data sets in order to supply college with data.
- Programs that can answer most questions for the College community and outside
sources.
- Increasing enrollment and with higher quality students
- Award winning Freshman Year Initiative program
- Institutional support for enrollment growth and management restructuring
- Increased conversion rate of applicants to enrollees
- Low tuition rate
- Well organized recruitment and marketing efforts
- Telecounseling program
Weaknesses
- Outdated technology used for administrative applications
- Lack of integrated administrative applications resulting in duplication of data and of effort,
including shadow systems
- Lack one consolidated system with all data for each student – all info about student
accessible in the one data set instead of jumping from one set to another.
- All accounting software not on a main server.
- Lack of all-funds budgeting
- Lack of technology personnel within most offices combined with:
- Inadequate staffing in Information Technology Resources to support administrative
department needs
- Lack of training in areas such as database and spreadsheet applications
- Limited system training, have to figure out systems pretty much on your own.
- Inadequate department budgets
- Inadequate staffing in some offices
- Inadequate college email system
- Inadequate college server prevents using the internet for purposes of communication and
student/staff self service functions
- Inability to keep students informed via mass e-mailing to students‟ preferred e-mail
addresses
- Lack of data warehouse for ad-hoc reporting
- Inadequate support services (equipment) within the duplicating and mailroom areas
- No Degree Auditing System
- No Transfer Evaluation System
- Lack of tracking systems for student visits, upcoming action dates
- No CUNY-wide data base to track students who may leave this college but go to another
CUNY as a transfer (or transfer here from another CUNY)
- Inability of potential students to check class availability
- University and College/Department goals not aligned
- Reliance on CUPS for internal data needs
- Dependence on University Admissions Processing Center (UAPC) system
- No cross training with other systems such as PaySR
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- Manual timekeeping by five staff members
- No electronic process connectivity with other offices so information is continually retyped
with opportunity for errors
- No planned budgeting for equipment and software upgrades
- Further development of the Registrar‟s website has been halted pending availability of new
web servers; therefore, the schedule of classes on the web cannot be
maintained dynamically
- Deadlines for faculty submission of grades and class rosters are not adhered to; students
and college suffer the consequences (e.g., failure to receive grades in a timely
manner and jeopardized Title IV funding)
- Course scheduling is delayed due to the failure of academic departments to submit their courses
by the assigned due date, resulting in an inaccurate printed schedule; changes are made
frequently and affected students are not notified, resulting in frustration for students,
faculty, advisors and the Registrar‟s Office
- Too many exceptions to regulations and requirements are granted to students (e.g.,
extension of registration deadlines)
- Low conversion rate from inquiry to application
- Retention strategies not formally addressed or supported
- Lack of physical and computerized “maps” to help students and visitors find locations
and navigate the college processes (information kiosks)
- Computers in the SLC cannot be connected to the ACE server so that the two labs are
unable to share resources
- Need technological support and SIMS access to increase tutoring services
- Lack of on-line tutorial services
- No dynamic website
- No clearinghouse for what is available/services to departments/programs through IT
- Lack of linked data base for administrative offices to allow transfer and tracing of
records and orders
Opportunities
- Utilize CUNY Web portal and Enterprise Resource Plan (ERP) projects to
enhance functionality and ease of use for campus administration offices
- Take advantage of underutilized technology on campus; ex. micros with software suites,
video conferencing for training and meetings including multiple campuses
- IT Strategic Planning Committee
- CUNY Human Resources Information System (HRIS) Initiative
- IR Directors Survey will offer a better understanding of where other IR offices'
responsibilities lie so we can collaborate and help each other more.
- Access to Blackboard
- Title V grants
- New Articulation agreements
- Automated appeal system
- The implementation of the Title V Retention System in the ACE and SLC
- Work Flow analyses could find ways to free up money for local program improvements
- High school on campus
- Weekend College
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- CUNY on the Concourse
- Honors College
- Scholarship leveraging
- New BBA Program
- Community college feeder schools
- Larger pool of potential students due to poor economy
- Proximity to Westchester
Threats
- National economy
- Budget/funding limitations and other resource restrictions that will disrupt the College's ability
to maintain staffing levels, maintain and/or upgrade existing systems and develop new
applications
- Pending tuition increases which statistically result in a drop of enrollment and revenue
- Heavy loaded staff means advising must be swift, focused, and impersonal
- Loss of staff affects morale and possibilities for long-term burn-out
- CUNY restricted hiring
- Insufficient funds restrict both the quality of what can be offered to students and the ability
of the office to perform routine functions
- The interests of the academic and administrative sides of the College are often divided, stalling
progress in policy making and implementation
- Proliferation of shadow systems that will divert increasing resources away from well-
integrated ERP development
- Central Office dictating changes without knowing the full impact of those changes, such
as enforcing the use of SIMS as the accounting system which is considered
inferior.
- Inflexibility of SIMS restricts creativity and accuracy in maintaining student records (e.g.,
only one address can be stored)
- Dependence upon CUNY for an HRIS system
- Reliance on CUNY central for the mainframe database makes it non-responsive to job
requests during registration. Batch jobs that normally take several seconds to run take
several hours during registration months.
- Outside offices unaware of the value of the personnel and services provided by the
administrative offices.
- Administrative offices require very technologically savvy professionals.
- Competition from other institutions, including distance learning ventures
- Bronx stigma
- Declining retention rates
- Strain on support services due to increased programs and enrollment without additional
resources
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V. Vision of Future Administrative Support Possibilities
- More flexible access to on-line systems and services for the entire community
- Web based (portal) with secure, integrated Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
software systems
- Expanded Internet lab with longer hours of operation and more staffing
- Improved electronic requests/submissions from students and the Lehman community
- Full communication capability via e-mail (students and college offices)
- Desktop access to databases to generate ad-hoc reports
- Full tracking of student visits, purpose of visit and results to aid recruitment/retention efforts
- Consistent, continual upgrading of equipment
- Efficient form of snail mail preparation
- Computer training for administrative personnel
- Improved coordination and communication between administrative offices
- Comprehensive HRIS system, including benefits module
- Forms generated and passed through approval stages electronically.
- Modernization of the Chancellor‟s Report mechanism that would drive a review and
revision of the deadlines and process.
- Additional servers would provide more timely and complete information on the web
- Improved communication within offices and between offices would improve services
provided to students, and reduce students‟ frustration levels and time
needed to accomplish tasks
- Availability of a user friendly query tool to use with SIMS would allow for reports to be
produced quickly, thereby enhancing planning functions (e.g., course offerings
and scheduling)
- Implementation of Resource 25 will provide immediate information on room utilization and
availability, allowing for better planning
- Web grading would allow faculty to submit grades from a remote site; students would then
have quicker access to their grades
- CUNY ERP systems planned will address some of the deficiencies of the current
systems – will be more integrated, with extended functionality, Web accessible
- Become better "networked" with professionals at other campuses.
- ISSP can impact on retention through direct student outreach when information is more readily
available
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VI. Recommendations to Improve Administrative Support
Capabilities
A. Establish Governance Oversight
Goal: To elevate administrative computing services to competitive standards.
Purpose: To support Lehman College as a college of academic excellence with administrative
computing technology capable of delivering student and employee administrative services at a
level that supports its academic reputation.
Rationale: A review of administrative computing at Lehman College reveals operations that are
minimally adequate by today‟s standards of interconnectivity and accessibility. Due to past
financial and oversight constraints, many duplicative processes have been developed to meet
specific department needs without integration into overall IT operations. While that has been
effective for specific, short-term, short-range problem solving, it is less effective in our current
environment of internal monetary and personnel shortfalls relevant to our institutional needs, and
in relation to our external environment of competing institutions with more technologically
integrated administrative services.
Action Plan: The appointment, by the cabinet, of an IT Steering Committee representing
Academic, Student, Administrative and Research Foundation areas charged with taking an
institutional view in making recommendations to the President and cabinet to:
● Develop IT policies and standards
● Develop a forum for presentation of possible technology initiatives
● Establish priorities for technology development/implementation
● Make equipment and operating budget recommendations
● Develop a plan for continuous replacement/upgrades of equipment and
software
B. Develop Local Automated Solutions
Goal: To acquire and employ local automated solutions to enhance workflow and better serve
the Lehman College community
Purpose: To enable staff to accomplish tasks more quickly and efficiently, and to allow them to
make better use of their time. In this way, the entire Lehman community will be better served.
Rationale: Numerous administrative functions and processes are currently performed manually.
Implementing appropriate local automated solutions would cut down on costs, improve services
and leave some staff members free to make more effective use of their time addressing other
tasks. The timeframe CUNY requires to implement these functions does not meet Lehman‟s
needs. Solutions are required now and, therefore, must be enacted locally.
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Action Plan: Each administrative department will assess its own needs. In conjunction with
ITR, they will then investigate available solutions (both software and hardware) and recommend
the implementation of the most effective one(s) to the IT Steering committee. The solutions will
be evaluated within the context of their possible use with multiple offices. These needs for
automation include, but are not limited to:
● Time keeping
● Forms processing
● Purchasing/accounts payable/property management
● Funds budgeting
● E-mail server
● Degree audit
● Transfer credit evaluation
For example, rather than employ traditional mass mailings, the use of e-mail to inform students
about registration, financial aid, etc. would drastically cut both monetary and manpower costs.
The same applies to communication with faculty, staff, prospective students and alumni.
Other processes would benefit similarly from enhanced automation.
C. Create a Data Warehouse
Goal: To create a Data Warehouse that will provide a self-service means to develop reports and
analyze data.
Purpose: To allow authorized faculty, staff, administrators, researchers, and associated
personnel access to integrated institutional data in order to enable effective planning for support
of academics and research, student recruitment and retention and community outreach and
interaction.
Rationale: Currently accessing data is a cumbersome process. The data resides in multiple
isolated locations and varied mediums. A College Data Warehouse (CDW) will provide the
following benefits:
Immediate Information Delivery – The CDW will shorten the time for accessing time
sensitive data.
Data Integration Across the University – The CDW will provide access to data from
multiple information sources, thus providing a more complete picture for institutional
decision makers, faculty, and staff.
Future Vision From Historical Trends – Effective decision making frequently includes
trend and seasonal analysis. To support this the CDW contains multiple years, or sessions
worth of data, and various point-in-time snapshots.
Tools for looking at data in new ways – Warehouse environments give users tools for
looking at data differently. These tools allow decision makers to ask new questions and
an opportunity to solve problems differently.
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End User Empowerment – With the availability of data, an end user can write the query
to build or modify their own reports. The warehouse empowers institutional decision
makers, faculty, and staff by placing inquiry and analysis tools at their fingertips.
Action Plan:
● Gain executive support through the IT Steering Committee
Identify involved user community
Create a balanced project team
Develop incremental implementation plan
Provide suitable technical environment
Execute phased implementation
Provide training for the user community
D. Staff Development
Goal: To make efficient use of our technological resources.
Purpose: Increasingly, the information and services we provide to students and the community
are dependent upon technology and automated systems. Our competitive edge is dependent upon
the extent to which we can provide convenient and time saving services to our internal and
external community.
Rationale: Technology is beneficial only to the extent that it can be accessed and utilized. As
new technologies become available, it is necessary to upgrade employee skills in order to
maintain a competitive advantage.
Action Plan:
● Set standards for e-mail and software use through the IT Steering Committee
● Provide training for standardized products
● Provide training for specialized applications
● Designate an office to be responsible for training
● Provide assistance to offices in evaluating their staff training needs
Staff development is presented as a separate item because it is essential to the effective use of
any technology. The Administrative Computing Sub-Committee sees staff development as an
integral component to each of the forgoing recommendations, but because previous opportunities
to upgrade the technology skills of the staff within Lehman have been limited, we wish to
highlight its importance as a critical component to effective use of technology as a competitive
tool.
E. Embark on a College-Wide Workflow/Process Review
Goal: To maximize resources for efficient college operations
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Purpose: Lehman College needs to maintain its competitive edge in the recruitment, retention
and education of students in an environment of diminishing state aid, budget shortfalls and a
shrinking economy. Economies of process and scale are a means of reallocating resources to
priority needs.
Rationale: A cursory analysis of college operations reveals breakdowns in efficiency and
monetary expenditures of labor and materials that could be redirected towards more productive
ends. With budgetary and revenue restrictions facing the College, an examination of ways to
upgrade and improve services while achieving long-term cost-savings is imperative. Every
department has developed methods to process the on-going work. These have developed over
time and have been adjusted when necessary to meet new requirements; however there has not
been a systematic review in light of technological developments on a college-wide basis.
Because of optimistic projections by CUNY of university-wide systems upgrades. localized
solutions have not been pursued. Since CUNY‟s timetable for systems implementation is now
years away, it is up to Lehman to find ways to pursue its academic and administrative priorities.
Action Plan:
● Analysis of work processes by each department
● Interdepartmental work flow analyses
For a comprehensive work flow analysis to occur college-wide, it would need support by the
President and would require quantifiable output, ex. one work flow analysis per department per
semester. It should map a current task, where it originates, the sequence, actors involved, where
bottlenecks occur; a review of forms including design, signatures needed and rationale;
suggestions for changes or revisions, ways to automate, vendor options, cost/benefit analysis and
recommendations. The plan should be reviewed by the president or designee. If implemented,
upon an effectiveness review, the greatest percentage of savings could be returned to the
department with a lesser percentage to the administration for redistribution.
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Appendix 3.B: Faculty Focus Group Report
Issues and concerns
The IT Strategic Plan needs to have a list of specific objectives, or specific changes in the
IT environment, and outline how to get there.
Suggested email policy:
o every student/employee to use email as the primary means of communication;
o will use College-assigned email address, which can be forwarded to a preferred
address;
o question as to whether alumni should retain address;
o need training available, as part of implementation.
Need to identify what type of mix should be represented on IT governance group.
Policy should require that IT Strategic Plan be reviewed and adapted to new technology
and new needs.
Registration and advisement: to the extent possible should be automated, as a strategic
objective (for ex., need community college transcript electronically).
Suggest having an information Web site for “projects in progress”.
Need to have a focus for addressing issues of instructional technology on campus.
Policy issue to be addressed re student technology literacy: soon after entrance, and at
graduation.
Questions regarding the College‟s Web presence:
o relationship of Lehman to CUNY?
o appropriate content, and review of content?
o what should ITSP include regarding Web policy?
Concern is budget to support policy – for example, for online courses, there needs to be
constant backup of faculty and student material.
Faculty support requests:
o faculty-owned Web pages, and training to maintain them;
o Internet access in faculty offices (how expedite setting up office with network
access for new faculty?);
o training for faculty, in use of available technology resources (with incentive to
participate).
Faculty/Staff orientation package should include information on technology.
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Appendix 3.C: Student Focus Group Report
Summary Notes
Strengths
E-Sims is viewed by students very positively. Saving time, improved drop/add
and access to online grades were mentioned as major pluses
The number of academic labs viewed a strength
Upgraded library computers viewed positively
Students recognized the College‟s efforts toward ADA compliance
Lab supervisors viewed as helpful
Lab printing capabilities viewed very positively
Blackboard was seen as a major plus by students who had experienced the
technology
Weaknesses
Internet reliability viewed as sporadic
Lab policies not always clear
E-mail reliability and ease of access and use viewed as a major problem by
students
Computers in Career Services old with limited software
After hours access to library databases seen as a limitation
No clear student familiarization or training programs seen as a problem
Vision
Students viewed the creation of a technology information handbook or brochure
as a big help; but it must be accessible and understandable
Improved access to certain lab facilities viewed as necessary
Students would like to see more online courses/classes
Improved network/e-mail reliability viewed as necessary
More streaming video and use of electronic media deemed helpful
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Appendix 3.D: IT Staff Focus Group Report
Issues and Concerns
I. Resources: End-User Needs
(a) Hardware
(i) Standard Configurations
(ii) Purchasing Mechanism
(b) Peripherals
(c) Hardware
(d) Software
(i) Standard Configuration Package
(ii) Purchasing Mechanism
(e) Software Maintenance and Upgrades
(f) Supplies
(g) Data and Information
(h) Technical Support
(i) Facilities, Administration, and Overhead
II. End-User Application Software
(a) Electronic Mail
(b) Web Browser
(c) Word Processing
(d) Spreadsheet
(e) Database Management
(f) Graphics
(g) Planning and Scheduling
(h) Desktop Publishing
(i) Web site development
(j) Mainframe Applications
III. Problems in End-User Computing
(a) Waste
(b) Mistakes
(c) Computer Crime
(d) Piracy
(e) Invasion of Privacy
(f) Loss of Data
(g) Computer Viruses
IV. User Support Management
(a) Managerial Concerns
(i) User Support Mission
(ii) User Support Performance and Justification
(iii) Staffing the Help Desk
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(iv) User Support Staff Training
(b) Managing a User Support Project
(i) Project Management Steps
(ii) Project Management Tools
V. User Needs Analysis and Assessment
(a) User Needs Analysis Steps and Tasks
(i) Understand the Personal or Organizational Goals
(ii) Understand the Decision Criteria and Constraints
(iii) Define the Problem Clearly
(iv) Identify the Roles of Stakeholders
(v) Identify Sources of Information
(vi) Develop an Understanding of the Existing Situation
(vii) Investigate Alternatives to the Existing Situation
(viii) Develop a Model of the Proposed Solution
(b) Needs Analysis and Assessment Tools
VI. Training Computer Users
(a) Plan the Training
(i) Determine the Trainees‟ Background
(ii) Determine the Trainees‟ Content Needs
(iii) Determine the Skill Levels the Trainees Need
(iv) Determine What Trainees Already Know
(v) Define the Training Objectives
(b) Prepare for the Training
(i) Specify Which Topics Will Be Covered
(ii) Organize the Topics
(iii) Select an Effective Training Environment
(iv) Select the Delivery System for the Training Materials
(v) Develop Specific Training Materials
(vi) Design Training Evaluation Methods
(c) Present the Training
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Appendix 4: Draft Summary Action Plan
Implementation Schedule
Responsible Completion
Action Item Task Entities Date
(1) Technology Oversight, Establish a permanent President, Cabinet 10/1/03
Policy, and Planning oversight structure, the
Technology Oversight
Committee (TOC)
Create TOC subcommittees, TOC 12/1/03
at minimum representing
instructional and
administrative uses of
technology
(2) Capital and Operating Identify and allocate VP for Administration 10/1/03 for
Fund Requirements specific dollar amounts for FY2004
technology upgrades,
maintenance, replacement
of hardware/software,
services, staff
Prepare for “Life Cycle VP for Administration, 1/1/04
Budgeting” Director of IT
Resources
(3) Create a College Data Gain executive support TOC 12/1/03
Warehouse through the TOC
Identify involved user TOC 12/1/03
community
Create a balanced project TOC 12/1/03
team
Develop incremental Project team 2/1/04
implementation plan
Provide suitable technical Director of IT 4/1/04
environment Resources
Execute phased Project team 10/1/04 for
implementation initial phase
Provide training for the user Project team 11/1/04
community
(4) Process & Workflow Conduct process and Administrative Begin by 11/1/03
Review workflow review for Subcommittee of TOC
administrative offices
Establish a plan to Director of IT 12/1/03
investigate available Resources, Admin.
solutions Subcomm. of TOC
Recommend Director of IT TBD
implementation of selected Resources
local automated solutions
(5) Training and Staff Evaluate areas of training Director of IT 2/1/03
Development need Resources, VP for
Administration,
Cabinet
Recommend a Director of IT 5/1/03
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Responsible Completion
Action Item Task Entities Date
comprehensive staff and Resources
faculty development
program to TOC
Implement the approved Director of IT 7/1/04
training and staff Resources, others TBD
development program
(6) Student Services Implement a holistic student Admin. Subcomm. of 3/1/04
services approach the TOC, others TBD
Create a one-stop accessible Admin. Subcomm. of 8/1/04
student services center the TOC, others TBD
(7) Access to Student Design and implement a Provost, VP for TBD
Information cross-training program that Student Affairs
establishes professional
academic advisors as
Student Affairs generalists
Ensure all students have Director of IT 3/1/04
ready access to their own Resources, VP for
electronic records Student Affairs
Ensure that adequate IT Director of IT 7/1/04
personnel are available to Resources, VP for
research, test, and Administration
recommend tools and
software for enhancements
to student services
Provide professional Director of IT Included with
development for faculty and Resources, others TBD item 5 above,
staff on electronic access to “Training and
student records, etc. Staff
Development”
(8) E-Mail Require students to TOC 9/1/04
communicate with the
College through assigned e-
mail accounts (which may
forward their e-mail to
personal accounts)
(9) Student Life Determine equipment needs Director of IT 3/1/04
for student clubs and design Resources, Director of
and implement a technology Campus Life
training program for
organization leaders
(10) ADA Develop a program that Director of IT 6/1/04
assesses and responds to the Resources, Campus
needs of students with Facilities Officer,
disabilities Coordinator of Special
Student Services
(11) Student Technology Create a process to develop Provost, TOC 11/1/03
Competencies minimum student
technology competencies,
for matriculation,
graduation, or both
Submit recommended Provost, other 11/1/04
student technology academic personnel
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Responsible Completion
Action Item Task Entities Date
competencies to College TBD
Curriculum Committee
(12) Instructional Create a process to develop Provost, TOC 5/1/04
Technology a plan for effective
integration of technology
throughout the curriculum,
which will support the
institution‟s objectives for
achievement of student
technology competencies
Develop a plan for effective Provost, other 5/1/05
integration of technology academic personnel
throughout the curriculum TBD
(13) Technology Assessment Create a process to develop Provost, TOC 2/1/04
a system of assessment to
measure the effectiveness of
technology on teaching and
learning, particularly with
respect to student
technology competency
outcomes
Develop a system of Provost, other 12/1/04
assessment to measure the academic personnel
effectiveness of technology TBD
on teaching and learning
(14) Research, Teaching, and Ensure that adequate Director of IT First annual
Learning Environment classrooms, labs, and Resources, TOC, report to TOC in
student service facilities others TBD March, 2004
have the necessary
technologies to support the
teaching, learning, student
development, and research
objectives of the College
(15) Distance Learning Create a process to develop Provost 5/1/04
a College-wide plan for
distance learning, including
adequate faculty
development and resources
to achieve the intended
objectives of the plan
Develop a College-wide Provost, other 5/1/05
plan for distance learning academic personnel
TBD
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Appendix 5: Draft Summary Action Plan Budget
TMD Pro Forma IT Cost Model
Table 1: Summary Costs
FY 03/04 FY 04/05 FY 05/06 FY 06/07 FY 07/08
Summary Costs
Staff Costs - Table 3 $3,616,820 $3,616,820 $3,616,820 $3,616,820 $3,616,820
Equipment & Supplies - Table 2 $275,097 $280,897 $286,807 $292,838 $299,002
Hardware, Software, & Services - Table
4 $1,429,133 $1,117,503 $1,140,943 $1,164,383 $1,187,823
Network & Telephone System - Table 5 $808,594 $888,911 $898,702 $908,493 $918,284
Total Costs $6,129,644 $5,904,131 $5,943,272 $5,982,534 $6,021,929
Cost by Functional Area
Administrative
Staff Costs $1,301,643 $1,313,186 $1,311,556 $1,309,973 $1,308,435
Equipment & Supplies $69,403 $74,201 $75,281 $76,388 $77,522
Hardware, Software, & Services $269,255 $271,920 $274,585 $277,250 $279,915
Network & Telephone System $203,995 $234,813 $235,892 $236,983 $238,083
Total Administrative $1,844,296 $1,894,120 $1,897,315 $1,900,593 $1,903,955
Educational
Staff Costs $2,453,177 $2,441,634 $2,443,264 $2,444,847 $2,446,385
Equipment & Supplies $205,694 $206,696 $211,526 $216,450 $221,480
Hardware, Software, & Services $1,159,878 $845,583 $866,358 $887,133 $907,908
Network & Telephone System $604,598 $654,098 $662,809 $671,510 $680,200
Total Educational $4,423,348 $4,148,010 $4,183,957 $4,219,940 $4,255,973
Total Costs $6,267,644 $6,042,131 $6,081,272 $6,120,534 $6,159,929
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