Thursday, January 10, 2008
Agenda
- Introduction of any people that are substituting for committee members
- Approval of minutes from December 7, 2007
- Review of budget requests and revisions from previous draft proposal
- Develop and vote on committee budget recommendation which will be forwarded to ISU administration
- Identify possible topics for committee discussion for spring 2008
- Good of the Order
- Adjourn
Attendance
- Committee Member Attendees
- Phil Spike (chair), Pam Elliot Cain, Jason Carroll, Floyd Davenport, Ian Guffy, Steven Herrnstadt, Lee Honeycutt, Kathy Jones, Karen Lawson, Chris McCoy, Ann Thompson, Anthony Townsend, Roger Baer, and Jim Davis
- Absent Committee Members
- James Alleman, Steven Jungst, Sree Nilakanta, and Eldon Uhlenhopp
- Non-committee Member Attendees
- Mike Bowman, Angela Bradley, Randy Dalhoff, Erica Fischer, Cheryl Langston, David Popelka, and Jim Twetten
Minutes
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Minutes from December 7, 2007 meeting were approved as changed. Attendance was corrected showing Julia Sullivan substituting for Kathy Jones.
Jim Davis started off the discussion on ITS budget requests by noting that these were underfunded short term needs, and that we would move to discussions more strategic in scope this spring in preparation for next year's budget cycle.
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It was recommended that the budget requests should include an impact and risk statement for each request.
Information Privacy
The committee is in unanimous and strong support of fully funding this proposal for a critical on-campus capability. The growing use of credit cards on campus and the increasing security requirements of general computer use require greater diligence and attention to the security issues associated with this dynamic environment, and this position will ensure that we achieve this mandate. We would also note that this allocation is matched by an equivalent contribution from the University Treasurer's Office, which means that represents a partial reallocation of existing funding. Finally, security is not a "chargeback" type of service, but is a part of the operational infrastructure of university IT, and as such, needs to be centrally funded.
Anthony Townsend motioned for approval, and Ann Thompson seconded the motion. A committee vote was taken and committee support was unanimous.
WebCT Upgrade
The committee is in unanimous and strong support of fully funding this proposal to enhance the WebCT infrastructure and improve system reliability. Given the increased campus use of WebCT, ensuring a robust system is essential for the quality if student learning experiences at Iowa State University, both on and off of campus. Reliable class administration capabilities of WebCT are now essential to the efficient recording and submitting of grades and student data at both the course and university level.
Ann Thompson motioned for approval, and Roger Baer seconded the motion. A committee vote was taken and the response was unanimous.
Classroom Equipment
The committee is in unanimous and strong support of fully funding this proposal. More than just about any IT allocation, the classroom equipment budget has had perhaps the greatest impact on classroom instruction here on campus. Initial funding from the legislature has allowed us to create a seamless environment of standardized equipment in more than 75% of the university's classrooms. This equipment, which includes data projectors, sound systems, DVD players, and document cameras, provides instructors with a great deal of educational flexibility in sharing digital educational resources with their students. The committee believes the university should maintain this crucial resource in the coming years and be willing to support upcoming classroom technologies such as wideformat/high-definition media.
Lee Honeycutt motioned for approval, and Anthony Townsend seconded the motion. A committee vote was taken and the response was unanimous.
Network Security
The committee is in unanimous and strong support of fully funding this proposal to sustain the security monitoring and assessment capabilities of the Iowa State University network. Using reallocated funds, IT Services purchased the system required to effectively monitor the approximate 400 million network events every day and identify over 3500 daily network threats. This request will keep these systems current for identifying new and future threats to the Iowa State University network, critical for campus operations.
Floyd Davenport motioned for approval, and Pam Elliot Cain seconded the motion. A committee vote was taken and the response was unanimous.
Wireless Expansion
The committee is in unanimous and strong support of this proposal and recognizes the value of a campus-wide wireless infrastructure. However, the committee would like to review alternative funding models for wireless infrastructure on campus during the spring semester.
A committee vote was taken and the response was unanimous.
Capital Equipment Funding
The committee is in unanimous and strong support of this proposal. However, the committee believes that the original amount requested by IT Services for a $100K increase in capital equipment funding is insufficient given the substantial repair and replacement costs for current infrastructure. The committee believes that IT Services' estimate of $1.12M for replacement and repair for computing infrastructure is far more appropriate, and the committee recommends that the request be increased to $359K to meet this estimate. The committee further notes that as the computer plant is increasing in value, that this funding will require additional increases in future funding cycles.
Tony Townsend motioned for approval, and Floyd Davenport seconded the motion. A committee vote was taken and the response was unanimous.
Due to time limitations, agenda items V and VI were not discussed.
