Technology survey shows USU not up to par
The technology at Utah State University is inadequate for many students because of a recent budget pull-back said Kim Marshall, interim director of Information Technology Services.
Marshall said the technology budget is far below what it should be.
“We’ve talked about [the budget] a lot lately,” Marshall said.
The budget “hold-back” had a significant impact on USU’s technology, just as it did with other areas of campus.
The hold-back has now become a budget cut, said Fred Hunsaker, vice president for Administrative Services.
“It was imposed on the university and other state institutions of higher education as well as state agencies because the tax revenues are less than what was appropriated in the last legislative session,” Hunsaker said.
A study published in The Chronicle of Higher Education on Oct. 30 about technology asserts that many institutions are falling below the technology standards of universities similar to their own. The research compared many areas of technology between universities including network support, hardware and software upgrades, desktop-computer repairs, help-desk operations, training, funding for staff and computer access.
A group of researchers conducted the study and are part of a group called Cost of Supporting Technology Services (COSTS). The researchers gathered data about computer usage from 118 different four-year colleges during the last two years. Other schools are using about 5 percent of the gross budget, while USU uses much less than that, Marshall said.
“We’re not anywhere near that,” he said.
USU uses about 1 percent of their gross budget for
technology, he said.
However, students still have access to technology at USU. There are approximately 950 computers in nine open-access labs on campus, Marshall said.
Students who are working on a graduate program or are involved in a specialized program may have the biggest advantage, he said.
The math and political science departments have labs for their graduate students. Those students who are involved in athletics also have access to some machines, although they are “not great ones,” Marshall said.
Some student who are living on campus also have access to computers. There are some in the basement of the Valley View Towers and in the Lundstrom Student Center. Information Technology Services is trying to increase the amount of computers on campus, even though they are working with a relatively small budget. The student computer fee went up this year by about “a dollar and a half,” Marshall said. The fees from this went to financing a new lab that is open to everyone, in the Family Life Building.
The university is in the process of studying technology at the university and comparing it to other institutions, said Barbara White, vice president for Information Technology and chief information officer.
“We’re looking at all our peer institutions,” White said.
The results should be back in about a week and they should be extremely helpful, White said.
The information will show us “where we need to go,” she said.
Hunsaker said at least one study, conducted by the consulting firm of Arthur Anderson, has been conducted to assess technology. The study is entitled, “Administrative Systems Information Technology.” The plan will suggest ways state universities, including USU, can upgrade their technology.
“The intent of the study was to determine how to upgrade the technology of all state institutions of higher education,” Hunsaker said. “The funding or lack of funding to implement the ‘plan’ will affect all state institutions of higher education.”