University Technology Plan
2005 – 2009

Salisbury University developed its first technology plan in 1998. The initial plan talked about building technology filled classrooms, expanding and modernizing the data infrastructure, and the development of a "Virtual Student Services Center". Technology was clearly on the "front burner" for legislators, Regents, and University Presidents. Funding was available and Salisbury, like other campuses, was building a technology rich campus environment at a very rapid rate. At Salisbury, 101 high technology classrooms were created in the between 1998 and 2004. The data network was expanded to include all campus offices, classrooms, and residence halls. Wireless network access was added in the Blackwell library, the Commons, Guerreri University Center, Henson Hall, Fulton Hall and Caruthers Hall and over 580 network connections were provided to off campus residents in the University Park Apartment Complex. In 2002 and 2003, the university created the beginnings of the "Virtual Student Services Center" by implementing PeopleSoft, now known as GullNet. This significant project has brought many campus services to the Internet. Services to faculty and students have been expanded and are now offered around the clock over the web. All of this has resulted in great technological change, and has also led to a change in the campus culture.

In 2003, SU was identified as one of the country’s "Most Connected Campuses" by the Princeton Review. A review of the course offerings in business administration, accounting, elementary education, psychology, art, music, communications, biology, geography, mathematics, and many other disciplines supports the notion that technology is indeed strategic at Salisbury University, not just tactical. The student technology survey taken in the spring 2005 revealed that over 97% of the SU undergraduates own a computer. Over 65% have high speed broadband access to the Internet 24 hours a day, whether they reside on or off campus.

Technology has found its way into the classroom, the dorm room, and even the campus coffee shop. With all of the positive changes have come frustrations and challenges. Change can be painful, but the excitement and growth that result are well worth it. Where do we go from here?

This technology plan will outline some of the directions for growth in campus technology in the areas of academic computing, administrative computing, networking and campus infrastructure, web development and media integration. These core areas of University Technology Services will be packed with growth and innovation over the next five years.

The next five years will see the significant incorporation of technology in instruction. The Internet, and the various web tools available, will enhance teaching and learning outside the classroom and around the clock. Faculty will be sharing learning resources via course web sites, while students will be collaborating on class projects in virtual meeting spaces. Wireless internet access will be provided in all common areas, gathering spaces, and classrooms as the curriculum demands. The curriculum will drive the technological growth on campus.

When the university completes construction of the Teacher Education and Technology Center (TETC) in 2008, four new computer labs (120 work stations) four specialty labs, and four student technology collaboration suites will be included. The IT Helpdesk will move to the new building and continue to expand the range of support services that are currently provided. Computer lab spaces in Fulton Hall will become a mix of department and open computer facilities. Computer labs are not going away as more and more students bring their computers to campus. The labs are always in demand for formal instruction, occasional use by instructors, sites for faculty and staff training, and walk in use by students from every discipline. The TETC will include a state of the art Integrated Media center. This high end media facility will bring together technical and creative disciplines to enable students to learn in a high tech and highly creative learning venue.

SMART classrooms have become the most highly desirable teaching spaces on campus. SU operates 101 SMART rooms (86% of all teaching spaces) and the number is still growing. These rooms represent a new standard for teaching facilities, providing a computer, digital projector, video (VCR or DVD) device, document cameras, and both internet and cable television connectivity. Essentially every SMART room is a high tech teaching facility and distance learning room. The growth of these facilities in new and existing buildings will require additional support staffing and additional dollars for replacement and maintenance in the near and long term.

The university needs to develop a variety of training mechanisms to provide appropriate technology training to faculty and staff. This will include traditional face to face training and web based training. On going training is needed to meet the professional development needs for faculty who are continually improving technology in the classroom and staff who make use of technological tools in every campus department.

Key initiatives in academic computing and services will be:

In the administrative computing the development of the Virtual Student Services Center concept will continue to grow. The university has implemented PeopleSoft in student administration services, human resources/payroll, contributor relations and financials. GullNet, as it has quickly become known, provides self service access to a variety of personal and class information to students and faculty. GullNet is now the data management platform in Admissions, Records/Registration, Advisement, Financial Aid, Accounts Receivable, Payroll, Human Resources, alumni and donor relations, and Financials. Web based self service functionality available is now open to all students and faculty. Over the next five years other campus data systems will be added to the GullNet portal and data integration will become a central focus. Obviously, data security and disaster recovery are ongoing critical issues.

Once the main pieces of GullNet are in place and support processes are firm, we will be reexamining business processes in several areas to determine where workflow is appropriate. Great efficiencies can be gained by automating business processes in areas like student registration and records, accounts payable and receivable and purchasing.

Key initiatives in administrative systems and services will be:

In order to meet these goals the university will need to dedicate additional resources for consulting and provide the appropriate staffing required in both the functional and technical areas.

Networking and telecommunications are often lost in the technology discussion, but they are the most important part of technology development. The university has recently upgraded its network to gigabit Ethernet at the core and is adding to its size as new buildings are brought online and current spaces are redesigned. Over the next five years the development of new residential facilities, the Teacher Education and Technology Center, and wireless hotspots around the campus will be the most significant projects. It is believed that their will be a large increase in the number of wireless notebook computers on campus. Currently (2005), about 35% of SU students own notebooks. As wireless internet access becomes the norm, the incentive to wireless will advance this technology in the classroom and in everyday life.

Key initiatives in networking will be:

Web Development to date has been about gaining a web presence. Most academic and administrative departments now have web sites. Most faculty have a personal web site, or are using WebCT (about 35%) as their vehicle for communicating and providing teaching resources to students. Over the next five years the web will become the integrated "working/learning platform" for students, faculty and administrative units. With the implementation of the core student, human resource and financials systems in 2003 and 2004, the university has the building blocks to assemble a working platform from which all university business, and a great deal of instruction, can take place. The development of the campus portal in 2004 will be the starting point for integrating campus services on the web. This "Virtual Student Services Center" will actually be more broadly developed than we had originally thought. Integrating business and personal content, the campus portal will be the personal work space for each member of the campus community.

While developing this sophisticated internal work/learning space, we will not lose sight of the original use of the university web site – to communicate who we are and what we do to the internal and external community. This is an ongoing challenge. We must continue to provide timely, accurate, and attractive information to all who are interested in the university. The university has built a reputation as a center for the sharing of web development expertise. Since 2000, Salisbury University has hosted a Web Development Institute each summer. Although the focus and participants have changed regularly, the basic goal of sharing ideas and techniques, while helping to build a web development community in higher education, has been consistent. This event has brought together web development professionals from higher education, K-12, the software industry, and the consulting community. Some of the goals for the Web Development area over the next few years will include:

The Integrated Media Center will replace Television Services. As the university builds the Teacher Education and Technology (TETC) building, digital media will become a focal point of the building and a growing part of the curriculum in several departments. Plans are underway to create a state of the art digital media lab in the TETC. This 19,000 square foot facility will become a center for academic collaboration and innovation. Partnerships with external media entities will insure that the facility provides the most realistic learning environment possible for the education of tomorrow’s media specialist and creative artists and teachers. The move toward digital media development has already begun as faculty from several disciplines are working with existing resources to transform their classes. This effort will be greatly enhanced by the Integrated Media Center (IMC). This center and the programs working within it will enable Salisbury University to offer the most technologically rich programs in the region.

The IMC will include audio and video teaching editing facilities, two open video production suites, a multimedia integration lab, digital photography lab, and a multimedia art gallery. Also included in the center is a state of the art television production studio with additional editing facilities.

This exciting new center will foster collaboration between academic programs and provide a professional quality teaching environment. The TETC is now in the design phase and will break ground in 2006. Goals for the 2004-2008 time frame will include:

The next five years will be as exciting as the past five years, when it comes to technology at Salisbury University. We have expended a great deal of effort developing our classroom technology, network infrastructure, and administrative computing systems over the past five years. In the next five years these efforts will provide the building blocks for even greater achievements in campus communication and services, media development and cross discipline collaboration, and even more technology rich instruction. The campus has embraced technology in much of what we do. The future will include an even deeper utilization and integration of technology into daily life. Our graduates will be prepared to use the latest technologies, prepared to work collaboratively in creative teams, and to communicate even more effectively in the digital culture.