An Analysis of the Policies and Practices that Govern the Selection and Acquisition of Information Technology at Selected Mid-sized Public Universities

This study investigated the policies and practices that govern the selection and acquisition of information technology for administrative uses at public universities with a full-time equivalent enrollment range from 10,000 to 25,000 students. Demographic data collected by CAUSE provided background information on the age of administrative systems, presence and significance of strategic plans, academic and administrative computing organizational structures and types of computing policies. This information, along with data collected from surveys of nine technology vendor representatives, provided the framework for the study. Eight universities were selected for in-depth case studies. Interviews were conducted with directors of computer centers, registrars, directors of various administrative departments, other administrative personnel and faculty at each of the eight universities. The data, collected from the case studies, were used to examine the following issues: (a) how the historical division between academic and administrative computing affects policies, (b) how administrative strategies have evolved over the last ten years, (c) who establishes policies and participates in the acquisition process, (d) how policies and practices are similar and different among leading edge and traditional universities and (e) how practice differs from policy. The purposes of this research study were (a) to determine how administrative computing policies and practices affect the acquisition of information technology, (b) to reveal some commonalities and principles included in university policy statements and practices concerning major administrative computer technology acquisition and (c) to add to the literature and provide an improved frame of reference for university personnel seeking to evaluate administrative technology acquisition policies and practices