Campus Profile: Indiana University Copyright 1990 CAUSE From _CAUSE/EFFECT_ Volume 13, Number 4, Winter 1990. Permission to copy or disseminate all or part of this material is granted provided that the copies are not made or distributed for commercial advantage, the CAUSE copyright and its dateappear, and notice is given that copying is by permission of CAUSE, the association for managing and using information resources in higher education. To disseminate otherwise, or to republish, requires written permission. For further information, contact CAUSE, 4840 Pearl East Circle, Suite 302E, Boulder, CO 80301, 303-449-4430, e-mail info@CAUSE.colorado.edu INDIANA UNIVERSITY ************************************************************************ This article is based on a visit to Indiana University by editor Julia Rudy. The Campus Computing Environment department of CAUSE/EFFECT regularly focuses on the information technology environment of a CAUSE member campus, to promote a better understanding of how the information technologies are organized and managed in colleges and universities of various sizes and types. ************************************************************************ Indiana University is one of the oldest state universities in the Midwest. Founded in 1820, only four years after Indiana achieved statehood, it has grown to include eight campuses. The residential campus at Bloomington and the urban campus at Indianapolis form the core of the University, with other campuses at Fort Wayne, Gary, Kokomo, New Albany, Richmond, and South Bend. Additionally, courses are offered in Columbus, Elkhart, and other Indiana cities. Over 80 percent of the population of the state of Indiana lives within a 50-mile radius of an IU campus. With a faculty of 3,500 and an enrollment of close to 92,000 students on its eight campuses, Indiana University ranks as one of the largest higher education institutions in the United States. Information technology strategy President Thomas Ehrlich describes IU as "one university with eight front doors," capable of responding to the educational needs of a diverse population. According to Ehrlich, "computing has a central role in linking together all parts of the institution to enhance academic interactions." His administrative philosophy includes a strong belief in the value of information technology (IT) toward supporting a transformation of the University: "Information technology advances will create a more powerful and easy-to-use electronic infrastructure with the potential, if used in a cost-effective way, for increasing research productivity, enriching the educational environment, and enhancing the quality and efficiency of administrative tasks." Not long after Ehrlich's inauguration in the fall of 1987, it became clear that for information technology to play a strategic role at IU to support both education and administration, major changes would be necessary in the computing organization structure. By the spring of 1988, Vice President for Finance and Administration John Hackett and Bloomington Chancellor and IU Vice President Kenneth R. R. Gros Louis had made the bold proposal to merge the then separate academic and administrative computing centers which, according to Hackett, were "going down separate tracks, doing the same things, and not talking to each other." Besides the duplicate spending that resulted from this separation, other factors pointed to the need for such a merger. The University had identified as an important direction for both academic and administrative computing the need to make institutional information highly accessible and to build a University-wide distributed computing architecture for the future. A major stumbling block to executing these goals was the lack of connectivity between the SNA (Systems Network Architecture) network, where all administrative systems resided, and the TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) network, which primarily served the University's faculty, researchers, and students. There had been a growing recognition of the need for administrative users to access the TCP/IP network and for academic users to access SNA- based information systems, but the situation came to a head with the realization that the library systems, which were to be on the IBM administrative mainframe, would be inaccessible to academic users with the separate configuration. In addition, the administration recognized the increasing importance of setting University-wide computing policies and directions. The separate computing centers themselves were well managed, successful organizations. But according to Polley McClure, now dean and executive director of the Office of University Computing, "What is important is how the University can be better managed, through the appropriate application of technology." Merging academic and administrative computing functions and providing a strong central facility to serve as a backbone for the envisioned open, distributed systems would enable information technology to be applied even more effectively at IU than it had been in the past. UCS -- a truly merged organization Other universities have "merged" academic and administrative computing by placing them both in the same reporting structure, but essentially leaving the separate centers or divisions intact. This was not the strategy chosen at IU, where what formerly were two separate organizational units have been combined into a single new organization -- University Computing Services (UCS). Both centers were located in Bloomington, with the academic computing center serving the Bloomington campus -- but providing computing leadership and mainframe research services through an asynchronous network to all IU campuses -- and the information services organization providing University-wide administrative computing services. Because of IU's highly complex nature as a multi-campus university, centralized in some respects while decentralized in others, a CIO-type hierarchical organization into which all information-related functions were drawn for the purposes of central administration was simply not feasible -- nor would it have as effectively enabled the needed resource efficiencies and cohesive technical directions as would focusing the integration at the computing organization level. The decision to employ a true merger tactic for academic and administrative computing was arrived at after a thoughtful and participatory process that involved all computing personnel who wished to take part -- down to the operational level staff. The resulting organization was different from what was originally envisioned, but according to McClure it is very supportive of the people in the organization. To date, turnover in the new UCS organization is actually lower than it was in the former separate units, and only one key person was lost in the reorganization[1] Out of the months of discussions (most of which took place during evenings and weekends) emerged an organization that is much more efficient and effective in delivering services and that makes good operational sense to computing users throughout the University. UCS is made up of five units through which service is delivered to both academic and administrative users at IU, and one unit, Management and Administration, that oversees UCS financial and organizational functions. Computing Systems creates, maintains, and operates IU's central, shared computing and electronic information environment, which includes Digital VAXes (6420, 8820, 8650), a DECsystem 5840, and an IBM 3090-120E and 3090-300S. Information Systems, in partnerships with users, develops and maintains information systems, facilitates their integration into IU's basic missions, and performs a University-wide data administration function. Network Systems is responsible for planning, developing, and operating a University-wide data communications network to provide direct access to institutional computing resources and information, seamlessly and transparently, from a variety of platforms. This UCS unit is building a single, high-speed network using the TCP/IP protocols and a campus-wide Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) backbone. Workstation Systems is responsible for promoting, building, implementing, and supporting a distributed computing environment at IU, with the single-user desktop computer the locus for supporting a wide range of applications delivered to the desktop, as well as the point of access to information resources available through the network. Support Systems provides the organizational functions that enable members of the University community to more readily use all UCS services, i.e., from a service point of view, this is the unit that provides facilitative technical support. Support systems required for all technologies include a support center (a service and information desk), public site consulting, departmental consulting, and education and training. UCS projects that have been expedited by the merger include providing IU researchers access to the IBM 3090-300S system; shifting the focus of all central resources to the TCP/IP open protocol; linking diverse e-mail systems; supporting access to national computing networks across the range of central systems; and providing widespread access to the online catalog of the IU libraries through the Academic Information Environment (described below). According to McClure, key to the new organization's philosophy is the underlying commitment to service -- providing computing and electronic- network-based information services that truly meet the needs of faculty and administrators -- and to applying technology to supporting the institution's mission. Less than two years old, UCS has already garnered external recognition for outstanding achievement in the form of the 1990 Interop Achievement Award for Networking in the education category -- for having achieved the most in integrating the network into the strategic fabric of the organization. In support of education The University has established as a goal of undergraduate education providing students with the tools they need for living and working in a pluralistic, competitive, technological society. According to Gros Louis, IU's students must be "comfortable with technology and able to use it to its full potential." The University's long-range plan also emphasizes the importance of the network for supporting IU's instruction, research, and outreach missions. One of the most heavily used systems on the TCP/IP network is the Academic Information Environment (AIE), a menu-oriented utility on the VAX that provides a wide variety of information services to the University community. AIE offers more than 700 menu choices, with 132 submenus, providing faculty, staff, and students an impressive array of tools, services, and information to support their academic activities. The University Libraries' automated catalog is available online through the AIE. Users of the LIRN (Library and Information Reference Network) menu option can search the online catalog, request that a book be delivered to an office, ask a reference question, place materials on reserve, make suggestions, renew materials, request that a photocopy be delivered, make a recommendation for purchase, and so forth. According to James Neal, dean of University Libraries, the library must think beyond simply providing online indexes to information and begin to work toward providing online access to the information itself. IU is an active participant in SULAN (State University Library Automation Network), a library consortium formed to share resources among colleges and universities across the state. SULAN is currently in partnership with IBM to develop a dial-in access tool using the Linkway product for distribution to public and school libraries to provide a NOTIS software front end on various NOTIS clusters around the state. A funding mechanism that has greatly enhanced student computing at IU is the student technology fee levied by the University. Initially the student government questioned the fee, seeking assurance that there would be accountability for how the fees were spent. The fee has since gained acceptance, primarily because of the many tangible benefits students are enjoying. One example is that any Bloomington campus student who requests a central systems account is granted one at no charge, for as long as he or she is enrolled. Nearly 25,000 accounts have been assigned since the program's announcement. Students also may take short, noncredit classes in computing at no charge through a program called Jump Start. The student fee has also helped to increase the number of public computing facilities to twenty-four, with consulting services available at many of those sites. Most of the nearly 700 public-access microcomputers and terminals are connected to the campuswide high-speed network. Through these devices, students have access to central systems such as IUCARE, a degree-auditing system, and by next year the Internet Registration System will allow course registration from any device connected to the TCP/IP network. Over forty software packages are available on the central systems. Many faculty require students in their courses to use this software for assignments and research. Most mainframe instructional computing services are accessible through the instruction menu on the AIE. The AIE offers "electronic classrooms," that is, course-specific computing environments designed to centralize course-related computing activities and encourage faculty-student communication and interaction. A special-project unit of UCS, the Center for Innovative Computer Applications (CICA), provides an opportunity for faculty and researchers to explore new computing technologies, especially in the areas of scientific visualization, high-end computer graphics, and high- performance computing. In addition, a Fine Arts computing site with special graphics capabilities and a site that offers NeXT workstations will soon open. In support of administration President Ehrlich believes strongly in the role that information technology can play in University administration. "How we manage ourselves depends critically on information, having access to the right information, and having the right systems to warn us when we are getting off track. You can't manage otherwise." In particular, Ehrlich's decision to establish responsibility center management at IU would not have been as feasible without the potential for a quality, distributed information systems environment. Distributed systems will also support the administration's philosophy that "operating decisions should be made at the level nearest the issue in the organization." According to Arthur Lindeman, assistant vice president of the Office of Information Technology, and executive director of Financial Management Support: "We are assessing the way technology supports the academic and administrative functions of the University. Using open network, client/server architectures, we are beginning to develop the kind of application software that supports the decentralized responsibility center management environment that Ehrlich has instituted. We are rapidly moving away from the processing of paper forms for financial transactions -- such as purchasing, budget transfers, payroll vouchers, personnel forms, invoices -- and will soon be doing this all electronically, with entry and business transactions occurring at the appropriate, decentralized level." Working with the University Budget Office and UCS's Information Systems unit, Lindeman is coordinating the effort to develop an integrated financial management system to consolidate accounting, contracts and grants, payroll, and budget administration. The IS unit is using this pilot project to test the functionality of relational database management systems technology and distributed access to data. The pilot team has incorporated CASE technology into the project, which UCS believes will allow system developers to be more productive and produce higher quality systems. According to James Perin, director of the IU budget office: "CASE tools are a must if we are to have a development environment with the flexibility necessary to meet future University needs." The past year has seen a philosophical shift in systems development methodology toward the expansion of "partnerships" between UCS and end- user departments. To meet administrative needs of the future, users will play a much more extensive role in systems design. The Joint Application Design (JAD) method has been selected to meet these objectives. Its use, in combination with CASE and relational database technology, is seen as a means of ensuring that important University goals for administration are met -- the efficient and effective management of the University through expanded and improved access to institutional data and the ability to transform that data into management information. Planning for IT In addition to its own internal strategic planning process, UCS works closely with several University committees toward developing strategic directions for computing and information technology at IU. In 1987 the Academic Computing Planning Committee proposed a coherent direction for academic computing, and last year the Administrative Computing Advisory Committee published a similar report. According to McClure, these two documents taken together form the core of UCS's vision for Indiana's computing and network environments. Other planning and policy groups such as the Administrative Computing Needs Planning Committee, the Access to University Information Task Force, the University Academic Computing Coordinating Committee, and the End-User Computing Task Force, have also helped to generate new initiatives. Once a month, McClure meets with the directors of the computing centers of the IU campuses to address planning, standards, architecture, and integration issues in as cohesive a manner as possible. Through a similar, informal "network" organization on the Bloomington campus, UCS, University Libraries, Communication Services, and the Audio-Visual Center meet regularly to coordinate IT-related plans and directions. An innovative program offered through UCS provides academic departments throughout the University help in preparing comprehensive computing plans, which often result in their being awarded funds to acquire computing hardware and software to meet their needs. This program has been very well received and has strengthened communication and good will between the central computing organization and academic departments. In their 1987 report on future directions for computing at IU, the Academic Computing Planning Committee stated: "The business of the university is the discovery, organization, communication and storage of information. It is a business that is currently undergoing a transformation that is as potentially dramatic as the changes caused by the introduction of electricity or the telephone." Three years later, it is clear that Indiana University is well on its way to that transformation. ************************************************************************ Note: IU has contributed several documents to the CAUSE Exchange Library, a service available to all CAUSE members, that describe their IT plans, strategies, and organizational units. For information, call Charlotte Hilligoss at (303) 449-4430 or send electronic mail to: orders@CAUSE.colorado.edu. ************************************************************************