Measuring IT Success Against Benchmarks

The president and CIO of Roberts Wesleyan College recently examined information technology investments and services on campus with the aid of the "Information Technology Benchmarks: A Practical Guide for College and University Presidents," a Council of Independent Colleges workbook written by David Smallen and Karen Leach. A page-by-page comparison of campus practices with the workbook's benchmarks, along with discussion of included value points, helped us measure and evaluate our IT operations. The guide is designed as a tool for senior campus leaders to help them understand some key concerns about campus information technology. The workbook's exercises raise good questions for campus leaders to discuss with IT leadership and create opportunities to address challenges. Roberts fared well against most benchmarks, scoring consistently low in the IT investment side but high in services and support deployment and the institutional value of technology. Our successes can be attributed to specific practices detailed below.