Copyright 1998 CAUSE. From CAUSE/EFFECT Volume 20, Number 4, Winter 1997-98, p. 2. 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 date appear, 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 Jim Roche at CAUSE, 4840 Pearl East Circle, Suite 302E, Boulder, CO 80301 USA; 303-939-0308; e-mail: [email protected]

From the Editor

I saw a promotion recently for Great Expectations, the modern-day film version of the Charles Dickens novel. The title brought to mind two of the topics spelled out by the CAUSE Current Issues Committee as being key �emerging or ongoing issues� in information technology and resources management.

As the article on page four makes clear, the consumers of higher education have and will continue to have �great expectations� when it comes to the various methods for acquiring knowledge. Under the headings of �Student Expectations for Technology Support and Services� and �Managing Expectations in the Face of Rising Demand and Declining Budgets� are outlines of the problems faced by information technology organizations today when it comes to delivering the goods.

It�s easy to understand why these issues should be of interest and concern to any faculty member and administrator in higher education. Students entering college today have a better knowledge of computers and technology than most of the educators they�ll meet. I watch as my nieces and nephews, none of whom are beyond their sophomore year in high school, trade e-mails with their friends, send files of words and images across the country, surf the Net, and entertain themselves with a variety of games and multimedia. They don�t think about the medium, and they are certainly not in awe of it. They don�t really care how it works; they just expect that it will. This technology is as much a part of their everyday lives as the phone, television, and automobile was to their parents and their parents� parents.

Transfer this thinking to the campus and the same expectations exist. Students today are no longer impressed that they have a data port in their dorm room; they�re more likely to be appalled if they don�t. Having an e-mail account or their own Web site is also expected, as is teaching that incorporates multimedia and interactive learning.

With the demands to produce the type of interactive teaching and learning environment the students will expect, faculty too will have expectations. While their departments may finance the hardware and software, they�ll look to the information technology and resource personnel for guidance and support. With the addition of each computer comes the addition of at least one more person who needs to learn how to use it effectively, and who will expect it to work flawlessly on demand.

This puts tremendous pressure on IT personnel. As the number of computers and networks on campus continues to increase, so do the expectations of technology financing, support, and education. The driving force behind the recent vote to consolidate CAUSE and Educom was the realization of these expectations. It�s obvious that campus computing is no longer restricted to managing information for the registrar or bursar, or simply providing a network for electronic communications, but is deeply entrenched in all areas of higher education.

CAUSE is dedicated to gathering and disseminating information to help you cope with these expectations. Throughout the year we publish articles and papers, both in print and on the Web, that address the critical issues of the day. Take advantage of your membership and use the many resources available to help find solutions to your technology problems. The CAUSE Web, with its Information Resources Library, Constituent Groups, publications, corporate and institutional profiles, and such, is rich with information. Also, take advantage of the opportunity to network by participating in the many professional development opportunities CAUSE sponsors. National and regional conferences are a great way to share information with your peers, learn from the experts, and see firsthand the latest products and services.

To borrow from another Dickens novel, whether you view these as the best of times or the worst of times, they are the times. Let us know how we can help you meet the great expectations that confront you.

James Roche, Editor

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