Why is the university expanding the student technology fee?
What process did the university use to arrive at the decision to expand and raise the student technology fee?
What will the student technology fee be used for?
What IT services will be supported by the technology fee?
I will graduate before 2008. Why should the technology fee apply to students who will never use the new student information system?
I am a graduate student holding a research assistantship that covers full tuition costs. Will the technology fee be paid from my advisor’s grant?
Once the new Student Information System is in place, will the technology fee be lifted?
How much does the university spend on IT?
Is implementing the new Student Information System the largest expense in the university’s IT budget?
How does the university decide on the amounts to budget in the IT area?
Why doesn’t the university charge students for IT based on use?
Will any students be exempt from the Technology Fee?
Why is the university expanding the student technology fee?
All students utilize IT services. Currently, only the 3000 or so students living on campus pay a technology fee. The application of the technology fee to all students is a more equitable arrangement.
What process did the university use to arrive at the decision to expand and raise the student technology fee?
For more than a year, deans and school administrators as well as the Faculty Senate discussed funding the IT needs of the university. A variety of funding mechanisms were considered, and in the end the senior administration chose to extend the technology fee to all students. This approach keeps the investments in IT visible and understandable to everyone across the university, and ensures that funds are earmarked for IT projects.
What will the student technology fee be used for?
The student technology fee will be used to offset the costs of IT infrastructure and services at Case. Included in this is the implementation of the new PeopleSoft student information system. This system replaces Case’s outdated and unreliable student system, and will allow students to more quickly and reliably have access to academic and financial aid records, course registration processes, transcripts and advising records, as well as many other kinds of information.
What IT services will be supported by the technology fee?
IT programs and services offered by the university include electronic media in libraries; interactive teaching tools; and the software center,which provides more than $4,000 of software at no cost to the campus community. New versions of Microsoft’s Vista (valued at over $500) will be available on the software center later this year. Among other programs and services, wireless access and experimental and research use of the network are also free at Case, though not at some peer universities.
I will graduate before 2008. Why should the technology fee apply to students who will never use the new student information system?
The fee does not begin until Fall 2007, and the new student information system is scheduled to start in spring 2008. The student technology fee will support all aspects of Case’s IT infrastructure and services. All students use these services to some extent. Also, the new student information system will be used to maintain all student records, generate transcripts, etc., even for students who graduate before Spring 2008.
I am a graduate student holding a research assistantship that covers full tuition costs. Will the technology fee be paid from my advisor’s grant?
Each school has the flexibility to decide how it will handle the technology fee for students supported on research grants or scholarships/fellowships.
Once the new Student Information System is in place, will the technology fee be lifted?
Costs (for staffing, training and enhancements, among others) for the new student information system will continue after its implementation. In addition, Case is committed to providing its students, faculty and staff with the best technology possible, given realistic constraints on resources. Taking into account the rising costs of technology in general and the importance of staying current with technology, especially at a research university, it is likely that the technology fee will remain in place.
How much does the university spend on IT?
Case spends approximately $26 million a year on IT infrastructure and services across campus, including all the electronics, servers, storage, e-mail, collaborative tools, software, administrative services, academic technology and staffing. The Educause core survey in 2005, the most recent information available, estimated that the average IT investment among Case’s peer universities was $32 million.
Is implementing the new Student Information System the largest expense in the university’s IT budget?
No. The largest part of Case’s IT expenses is staffing. Case has fewer than 100 IT staff working in its information technology department. The average among peer universities is 194, according to the 2005 Educause core survey.
How does the university decide on the amounts to budget in the IT area?
There are several groups that advise on initiatives and investments for academic, research and administrative IT. The Information Technology Services Planning and Advisory Committee (ITSPAC), consisting of several faculty and staff members, advises on policies and practices related to the selection, funding, deployment, management and assessment of information services. In addition, the Faculty Senate Committee on Information Resources advises in this area. Also, the deans of the school are regularly involved in discussions on IT initiatives.
Why doesn’t the university charge students for IT based on use?
Rather than starting to tax individual services in an ala carte method, the university committees and groups reviewing the situation recommended the comprehensive fee as the most equitable arrangement and the most consistent with current practices.
Will any students be exempt from the Technology Fee?
There are certain categories of students who, by special agreement, have tuition waived or pay reduced tuition rates to Case. These students will be exempt from the Technology Fee, and include the following:
Employees taking classes on tuition waiver (but partners/dependents on tuition waiver will be assessed the tech fee)
Pre-College Scholars
Alumni/Senior Special Audit
Post Docs taking courses
International Exchange Students studying at Case
Fisk exchange, or other students visiting Case
SAGES Presidential Fellows taking courses
Students studying at Case through the cross-registration program
CIM students
Case students engaged in full-time study at Case or another institution (e.g., study abroad, Senior Year in Absentia) or in full-time experiential educational opportunities (e.g., Co-op, practicum) will be assessed the Technology Fee since they have access to ITS services throughout the duration of these activities.
The announcement, dated October 31, 2006 can be found here. |
