College/University Roles in the Transition to an Information Age Society

Abstract

New York State, like most states, is reeling from the on-going effects of the national recession. Major businesses are still "rightsizing," government-oriented industries and installations are converting or closing their sites, rural sections of the state are continuing to lose agriculture and manufacturing as a base of employment. In this time of great need, the Public Sector (state and local government, health care, social services, public education) is doubly confronted with a loss of tax revenue and an increased demand for services.The State University of New York is focusing on how it can help meet state needs in this period of transition. For the past two years, SUNY has spearheaded an assessment of information technology and telecommunications as a facilitating vehicle for reforming how the Public Sector could cut costs while improving services to the client. In December 1992, a task force of "chief information officers" from government and education produced a report (_TELECOMMUNICATIONS: A Vital Infrastructure for the New New York_, now in the CAUSE Library) that outlined a vision and strategy by which the educational community of the state could be "anchor tenants" of a new concept of "open" communications. This development could help transform the NREN into a new information infrastructure for the Public Sector of the state and open access to business _and_ industries for economic development.