Information Resources Strategic Plan 1995-99 (166164795)

7/29/2019 Information Resources Strategic Plan 1995-99 (166164795)

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Information Resources Strategic Plan 1995-99

INFORMATION RESOURCESSTRATEGIC PLANFISCAL YEARS 1995 - 1999

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXASP.O. Box 13495Denton, TX 76203-6495

February 28, 1995

Approved: _______________________________

Alfred F. Hurley, PhD,Chancellor and President

Universities are in the process of making a dramatictransition. Less bound by the ivy-walls, they are becominghubs of information exchange and knowledge development.Electronic networks are facilitating worldwide linkages amongresearchers, mentors and students. Because of the base ofpower created by this access to information, it is vitallyimportant that universities employ these electronic resourcesin a way that facilitates individual and societaldevelopment.

These resources must be available to each member of theuniversity community, empowering each to become a creative,

independent problem solver. Information access should beflexible, transparent and reliable. Use of this informationshould engender collaboration, coordination, collegiality,cultivation of talent, openness, and disciplined self-governance.

This environment blurs/breaks down lines that divide unitswithin the university and that impede them from workingtogether freely and effectively. It encourages a "win-win"mentality, a sense of teamwork, and a spirit of cooperation,and it discourages a sense of competition for, and ownershipof, resources.

- taken from Preamble to theUNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXASVISION FOR THE ROLE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGYFall 199

Table of Contents

I.EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



II.INTRODUCTIONMajor Information Resources Projects CompletedMajor On-going Information Resources InitiativesProposed Major New Information Resources InitiativesObstacles & ConstraintsCurrent Information Resources Environment

III.PLANNING FACTORS and ASSUMPTIONS

IV.GOALS, OBJECTIVES, STRATEGIES, AND ACTION ITEMS

V.SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATIONA.Organization and PersonnelB.Policies and PracticesC.Methodology for Information Resources PlanningD.ConfigurationF.Interagency Network ParticipationG.DatabasesH.Major ApplicationsI.Relationship of UNT Information Resources Strategies toState Information Resources Goals and Objectives

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS

INFORMATION RESOURCES STRATEGIC PLANFISCAL YEARS 1995 - 1999

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Over the next five years, UNT's information resourcesstrategies are directed primarily toward (1) better meetingthe needs of our students and (2) more cost-effectivelyproviding quality service throughout the University.

One way UNT will better meet the needs of its students is toemploy information technology to reduce time and distance as

barriers to instruction and learning. Distance learningprograms and remote access to computer services will beespecially beneficial for students living in the Dallas-FortWorth Metroplex. Voice response applications (such astelephone registration) will not only provide convenience,but also availability to persons with disabilities.Electronic mail and Internet access provide valuable tools toall students. Video/audio conferencing systems will expandthe classroom environment throughout the Metroplex and thestate.

The quality of instruction at UNT will continue to beenhanced through appropriate application of information

technology. This will be made possible by the upgrading ofequipment and environments in classrooms and computer labs.Labs will continue to provide a variety of hardware andsoftware to support different learning programs. Systemswill become easier to use, and supplemental training andsupport will be available. Faculty will be given increasedsupport and opportunities to learn about and use informationtechnology.

Information technology projects will focus on student



advising and other student support services. Students willbe able to send and retrieve information and requests frommore locations, at convenient times, via telephone, incomputer labs, and across the Internet. A degree-audit-reporting system will improve accuracy and timeliness ofstudent advising at UNT and area junior and communitycolleges.

To more cost-effectively provide quality service throughoutUNT, several information technology projects are planned.Applications such as electronic mail, scheduling, and formswill assist with shortages in staff and faculty positions.Campus-wide hardware upgrade/maintenance programs andsoftware licensing/distribution will reduce costs of laborand materials and provide better tools for existing staff.Standards, easier-to-use software, and coordinated usertraining programs will enable more effective use of thosetools.

Support costs will be reduced as further efforts are made topool resources such as departmental networks. The cost ofmainframe computing may decrease if processing currently doneon two mainframes can be migrated to a single mainframesystem. Further cost reductions may also be achieved by

gradually migrating some of the mainframe computingapplications to UNIX and PC platforms. As administrativeinformation is more readily available, users are able tofunction with less intervention from applicationsprogrammers. And as programming tools improve, programmersare able to do their jobs more efficiently.

Finally, information technology projects will continue tohelp UNT to obtain external funding. Faculty will haveaccess to the resources necessary to obtain and support theirresearch, grants and contracts. UNT may become an InternetService Provider, providing community access to theinformation highway for a fee. Fund-raising information will

be available to appropriate individuals to assist with thoseefforts.

The projects and strategies mentioned above, along withothers in this Strategic Plan, are proposed in support of UNTand State of Texas goals. Further, they are consistent withthe UNT VISION FOR THE ROLE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY:

Information technology can provide powerful tools that mustbe used strategically to ensure the success of the Universityof North Texas in tomorrow's emerging information economy.These tools should be used to:

* create a more effective, learner centered instructionalenvironment* make research processes more effective, acceleratingknowledge development and exchange

* facilitate university-wide cooperation and coordinationby networking complex relations

* enable data-based planning and well informedparticipative decision making

* extend the boundaries of the University to reach out to:* customers



* suppliers* competitors* partners

* provide all of UNT's community with seamless exchange ofinformation worldwide

* ensure that all our services are responsive to clientneeds

* empower each member of UNT's community to be an activeparticipant in a shared vision of a new and even moreeffective University

Implementing this set of goals will provide informationaccess for all members of the University community in amanner that enables them to achieve their designatedobjectives and that supports the educational mission of theUniversity. [1]

INTRODUCTION

MISSION STATEMENTUNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS

The University of North Texas is the largest and mostcomprehensive research and doctoral degree-grantinginstitution in North Texas. The University is committed toexcellence in teaching and the discovery and application ofknowledge through research and creative activities. As ametropolitan university, the institution is dedicated tocontinued growth as a leader in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Dentonarea; the Metroplex; and state, national, and internationaleducation communities.

The University:

* conducts high-quality instruction, scholarship, and

service by:* fostering excellence and innovation in teaching andlearning;

* supporting research and creative activities thatadvance knowledge, strengthen undergraduate andgraduate programs, and promote the application ofknowledge for the benefit of society; and

* accepting a primary leadership role in addressingcommunity needs of the Metroplex region and thestate;

* maintains a community founded on free and open inquiry,academic integrity, and the examination of values;

* nurtures development of students by providing continuing

opportunities for intellectual, physical, emotional,social, and career growth;* stresses understanding and appreciation of thehistorical, intellectual, technological, scientific, andcultural nature of the search for knowledge;

* promotes the advancement of the arts; and* supports a culturally diverse environment and advocatesmutual respect for all members of the Universitycommunity as they strive for excellence.



The University fosters its relationship with the Universityof North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth andcultivates partnerships with elementary and secondaryschools, community colleges, other universities, businesses,government agencies, and nonprofit organizations to improvethe quality of education and community life. [2]

From the University of North Texas Strategic Plan 1995-99,several institutional priorities for Fiscal Years 1996 and1997 were identified by UNT's Chancellor in consultation withthe University Committee of the Faculty Senate and theUniversity Planning Council. These priorities are set forthin preparation for a potential shortfall in state assistancefor the next biennium, addressing 'what we need to do in thenear-term to improve our long-term future.' [3] It isprimarily upon these priorities that this InformationResources Strategic Plan is based. (All priorities arelisted in Section IV.) Each priority directly impacts thedirection of information resources at UNT.

Major Information Resources Projects Completed:

A brief overview of some of the significant informationresources projects completed within the last two years

follows. For a more detailed description, please refer tothe Progress Report on the University of North TexasInformation Resources Strategic Plan '93 - '97. [4]

Tools for sharing local and global information, such asGopher, World-Wide Web (WWW) viewers, and USENet Newsreaders, were deployed campus-wide. By now, most of thecampus community are familiar with Gopher, a Campus-WideInformation System that provides easy access to a widevariety of information on campus and around the world.Materials now available through Gopher include: theUniversity's graduate and undergraduate catalogs, courseschedules, campus calendar of events, departmental

information, and library information. Usage of WWW andUSENet is steadily increasing.

The capacity of the UNIX host systems used for generalinstruction and research was increased by 30% with theinstallation of a SUN SPARC Center 1000. In addition, thecentral UNIX user-ID application process was automated. Anystudent, faculty, or staff member may now apply for a user-IDfrom any networked computer on campus, or from off-campus viamodem.

Some of the preliminary groundwork was laid for the move to acampus-wide electronic mail system. As the number of users

grows, and different e-mail systems are integrated, theinstallation of an X.500 directory service will make itpossible to look up addresses of users.

University systems for accounting and payroll/personnel wereadapted to interface with the State Comptroller's UniformStatewide Accounting System (USAS) and theHuman Resources Information System (HRIS).

The number of voice response applications grew, as did usage.



The number of incoming phone lines was increased to 112 toaccommodate the number of users. A new voice responseapplication, ASSIST, was implemented to provide outgoing faxcapabilities for individual class schedules and grades;payment of tuition, fees, and blocks via credit card;checking of grades and open class section information;information about registration dates; and other generalinformation.

The campus network wiring infrastructure was developedextensively. Internal wiring was completed in severalbuildings, including Administration, Advancement, Art,Auditorium, Biology, Chemistry, Engineering Technology,General Academic Building, Information Sciences, LanguageBuilding, Marquis Hall, Music Building, Physical EducationBuilding, Willis Library, Terrill Hall, and Wooten Hall.Other buildings are partially completed: Kendall Hall,Speech and Drama, University Services, and University Union.Most campus buildings are networked through the fiberbackbone. Some buildings, however, could not be connected tothe fiber backbone. These buildings, have been added to the10Broad24 network, which allows the campus-standard Ethernetto run over the older broadband network. Buildings nowserviced by 10Broad24 are Advancement Center, Athletics,

Chestnut Hall, Edwards Hall, Highland Hall, and SullivantCenter.

In addition to wiring, UNT's networks realized several otherimprovements. The regional link to the Internet wastransferred from Sesquinet to THEnet, at a substantial annualsavings. Dial-up communications equipment was upgraded, andthe administrative mainframe gateway capacity was doubled.Network management tools were added, including the deploymentof the Spectrum network management system, Internet Rovernetwork status monitoring, and an automated pager interfaceto Spectrum and e-mail for immediate notification ofpersonnel concerning network problems.

Training and user support were enhanced through theacquisition of CD-ROM reference resources for generalapplications support, WordPerfect product support, Microsoftproduct support, and IBM mainframe systems software. UNTenrolled in Novell's Internal Campus Training (ICT) programto train its campus network managers. Users were offeredadditional training programs for Microsoft Windows and newWordPerfect Corporation products. The number of short courseoffering by Academic Computing Services was increased to meetthe growing demand from the campus community.

Much progress was made in the microcomputer software

acquisition and distribution processes. Departments nowspend less time and money due to volume purchasing ofWordPerfect, Microsoft, IBM, and Claris software offerings,and site licensing of F-PROT, Pegasus Mail, ProComm,ZoomText, and Living Disaster Recovery Planning System(LDRPS) software, as well as volume purchase agreements forSPSS and SAS. Software distribution for many of theseproducts is streamlined by placing them on a server as acentral distribution point, from which authorized personnelcan install the products as needed.



Major On-going Information Resources Initiatives:

* Personal computers are being upgraded or replaced tosupport graphical user interface (such as Windows)applications.

* The communications network also continues to be upgradedand adjusted to support increasing traffic loads. Ethernetswitching is being implemented, and the data communicationsinfrastructure is being positioned for use of the newer,faster Asynchronous Transfer Mode. Development alsocontinues toward a more proactive approach to network trafficmanagement.

* UNT is just beginning the implementation of a new campus-wide e-mail, calendaring/scheduling system.

* Dial-up host access was recently expanded. Cheaper linesservicing the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex are now being used.Funding alternatives to meet exploding demand will beexplored.

* A videoconferencing system, connected to the Trans-Texas

Video Conference Network, is currently being installed at UNTand at the UNT Health Science Center in Fort Worth.

* The migration to 'enterprise networking,' which includesa major network operating system upgrade (NetWare 4.x),directory services, and other new standards, is under way.

* UNT continues to participate in additional microcomputer-based software purchasing/maintenance contracts, several ofwhich are available through the Texas Department ofInformation Resources. Local software distribution methodscontinue to improve.

* Implementation of a degree audit system is scheduled tobegin in Summer 1995.

* Faculty continue to be supported and encouraged to useinstructional technology to enhance their courses.

* UNT's Physical Plant and the Department of Geography'sCenter for Spatial Analysis and Mapping (CSAM) are creatingdigital databases useful for university facilities planning.Using Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Geographic InformationSystems (GIS), UNT blueprints and architectural drawings areconverted to digital format, and information specific to theUNT campus is added to digital spatial data obtained from the

City of Denton. This will provide an accurate and up-to-datedatabase that enables university planners to analyze,coordinate, and make decisions based on the combination ofmultiple data layers at a location. The result will beimproved planning and development of resources and facilitiesmanagement for the university.

Proposed Major New Information Resources Initiatives:

* Implement appropriate university-wide distance learning



programs that are coordinated with existing programs.

* Upgrade all hardware in a cost-effective manner.

* Upgrade classrooms to support presentations usinginstructional technology.

* Develop an Advanced Visualization Lab for use bystudents.

* Conduct a study to address ways to improve theUniversity's user support (people) infrastructure.

* Evaluate upgrades of both the academic and theadministrative mainframes. Consider combining academic andadministrative functions onto one machine.

* Conduct security awareness training for all employees.

Obstacles & Constraints:

* Staff Shortages - As we find new ways to use technologyto assist with shortages in staff and faculty positions, wefrequently also find that some additional staff is needed to

support the technology. New projects, new state and federalmandates, and increased software functionality also taxesstaff resources. Risk is increased as some skill sets areunique to only one staff member. The inability to addsufficient staff positions to support increasing growth anddemands continues to be a constraint for UNT informationtechnology providers.

* Training - In addition to staff shortages, existing staffare further constrained by the fact that time and funding fortraining is minimal. This training is more critical astechnology advances occur at an ever-increasing pace.

* Physical facilities - The lack of physical space oncampus continues as an obstacle for many UNT informationtechnology providers. Even though equipment size isgenerally decreasing, the number of systems and supportpeople needed is constant or increasing. The need forphysical security further compounds the problem.

* Support of Aging Technology - Deployment of enterprise-wide technologies is constrained by the fact that somedepartments cannot afford to replace aging equipment andsoftware. This situation also adds strain to support staff,who must remember the old tricks and traps while learningabout the newest technology. It is especially difficult when

staff turnover forces the hiring of people who are lesslikely to have experience with the older technology.

* Remote Access Capacity - Another problem we currentlyface is that of providing sufficient remote access capacityto meet student demand. While we have doubled our dial-upline capacity in the last year, usage remains at 90% orgreater during prime-time hours. It is unlikely that UNT canafford enough lines and equipment to accommodate the rapidly-expanding student usage. The monthly expense of supporting





(FTE) increases is low, it is assumed that the University'sleadership will support the accomplishment of the moststrategic projects, allowing less critical projects to bedelayed or dropped.

Some of the more specific planning issues are listed below:

* Budget Issues: UNT will allocate monies based on need orstrategic vision. Monies available for capital acquisitionswill increase. UNT will dedicate sufficient resources tomaintain our infrastructure and keep it up-to-date.

While acquisition costs may drop, maintenance and operationcosts will continue to escalate as the degree of agencyautomation increases, and as the University's dependence uponthis automation increases.

* Service Issues: Users, represented by the InformationResources Council, will continue to set the strategicdirection for information technology at UNT.

Users will demand increased availability of informationresources, less bound by time of day and location of the useror resource.

Internet usage will continue to escalate, becoming a criticalresource in all academic disciplines.

* Staffing Issues: UNT will manage to retain some of itsmost talented information technology staff members.

The organizational structure of UNT's information technologyproviders will continue to evolve into a more flexible anddynamic organism, necessitated by the increasing pace ofchange within technology. Cross-organization teams will comeand go as necessary to accomplish projects of all kinds.

IV.GOALS, OBJECTIVES, STRATEGIES, AND ACTION ITEMS

The following Key Information Resources Strategies In Supportof UNT FY96 and FY97 Institutional Priorities were approvedby the UNT Information Resources Council on January 17, 1995.It should be noted that any strategies which requiresignificant funding or staffing commitments will be subjectto the normal budget approval process. To comply with theTexas Department of Information Resources strategic planninginstructions, the institutional priorities should beinterpreted as agency goals. [For further background, pleaserefer to Section II.]

In addition to supporting all agency goal/priorities, thesestrategies directly support state goals and objectives. Atable cross-referencing these is provided in Section VI,Subsection I.

A. INSTITUTIONAL PRIORITY: Increase faculty and staffsalaries by* winning legislative support for salary increases,



and/or* implementing new approaches to instruction and othercost-saving initiatives.

[Almost ALL of the Information Resources (IR) strategiesproposed in this document support this institutionalpriority, in that the IR strategies implement new approachesto instruction, or in that they save money. The strategiesare not repeated here; please see other institutionalpriorities.]

[Most IR strategies support multiple institutionalpriorities; however, strategies are listed only once forreadability.]

B. INSTITUTIONAL PRIORITY: Optimize[5] enrollment whilemaintaining quality and without adding faculty and staff.Central to this priority are* stronger retention efforts through improved advising,enhanced student support services, creative programsthat foster student-faculty interaction, the fosteringof articulation agreements and working relationshipswith area community and junior colleges, etc.,

* improved marketing of degree programs, innovative

scheduling of classes across a wider range of timeperiods in current and new markets,* a review of the requirements for degree completion,* reduction of time and distance as barriers toinstruction and learning through enhanced use ofdistance learning technology, and

* increased financial awards for qualified students.

Strategy B:Implement an appropriate university-wide DistanceLearning Program to support academic program offerings.

Action Items:

* Purchase, install, and maintain the VTEL link between UNTand the Health Science Center and additional links to theTexas A&M video-conference network.

* Designate a person to provide technical assistance tousers.

* Offer courses on how to use the VTEL Distance LearningSystem.

* Provide professional development opportunities forfaculty and staff.

* Develop policies for appropriate remuneration and reward.Seek external funding to fully support the Distance LearningProgram.

* Renovate facilities as needed to support the Program.

* Add interactive computer capabilities to the system.

* Provide adequate capabilities for enrollment studentsupport services at off-campus sites.



Strategy B:Enhance accessibility from remote sites to UNTlibrary services and information resources.

Action Items:

* Develop policies for appropriate use of dial-up services.

* Within funding limitations, increase the number of localand metro dial-up lines to accommodate increased usage.

* Upgrade the dial-up communications equipment to achievehigher baud rates, improved error-handling, and increasedremote management capability.

* Add dial-up services that enable utilization ofmicrocomputer network applications.

* Enhance our wide-area network link through UTD.

* Evaluate alternative funding schemes.

Strategy B:Implement a degree-audit-reporting system at theUniversity and make it available for use by area junior and

community colleges.Action Items:

* Participate in, and support activities of, the DegreeAudit System Implementation Committee (DASIC), which willresult in the implementation of a university-wide degreeaudit system.

* Determine how the existing Transfer Equivalency Systemwill fit with the new Degree Audit System and see whatchanges (if any) must be made.

* Get all transfer work into course record format (ratherthan block format).

* After Degree Audit System has been successfullyimplemented at UNT, evaluate possibilities of implementingfor use at area junior and community colleges.

Strategy B:Enhance student (new and prospective) ability tosend and retrieve information quickly and easily.

Action Items:

* Make ASSIST (Access Student Service Information System by

Technology) functions (including Admissions, Schedule ofClasses, and Financial Aid information) available fromworkstations in the General Access Labs.

* After ASSIST functions have been made available in theGeneral Access Labs, extend these services to Internet/CWISusers.

* Explore integration of remote access via informationkiosks, CWIS/Internet, WWW, (and possibly by other means),



for faculty, staff, prospective students, etc., to admissionsrecruitment, and retention-related information andpublications.

Strategy B:Improve Admissions Prospect System so that newprospect information is easily added and readily availableboth centrally and at the college level.

Action Items:

Explore the possibilities of:

* Client-server approach to real-time integration of theadmissions prospect system with AMS to support immediateaccess to applicant status and other pertinent informationfor display, for use by prospect follow-up processing, and tosupport automatic creation of AMS records.

* Integration of optical mark-read technology to theStudent Prospect System to support and expedite data entry.

* Development and implementation of an additionalinteractive voice response system that could be eitherincorporated into the existing ASSIST system, or established

as a separate application to support remote access torecruitment materials and University admission applicationstatus information via AMS.

* Development of centralized admissions prospect systemsupport for college and school recruitment efforts.

Strategy B:Upgrade, replace, or improve the computerizedregistration program so that it will block concurrentenrollment and check for prerequisites. (Note: The DegreeAudit System must be in production and adequate computerresources must be available in order to accommodate thiscompute-intensive function.)

Action Items:

* Implement the Advising Management System (allows academicdepartments to develop advising templates which can be usedto enforce course scheduling requirements) in a pilotorganization.

* Apply lessons learned from implementation of the AdvisingManagement System to implementation of Degree Audit System.

* Provide adequate computing resources to support fullprerequisite and concurrent enrollment checking.

* Replace or improve computerized registration program sothat it will block concurrent enrollment and check forprerequisites.

* Implement an automated system for request anddistribution of recruitment publications and other relatedinformation.

* Continue the review and development of computing



resources/solutions necessary to support/enhance systems forprospective student management/tracking and the centraldistribution of recruitment-related information andpublications.

* Make ASSIST functions (including course schedulinginformation) available from workstations in the GeneralAccess Computer Labs.

* After ASSIST functions have been made available in theGeneral Access Labs, extend these services to Internet/CWISusers.

* Explore possibility of providing student dial-up accessto appropriate student records information.

* Implement Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) to allowstudents to accept and receive awarded financial aid funds ina more timely and efficient manner without having to appearpersonally on campus.

Strategy B:Increase access to critical administrative andstudent support applications.

Action Items:* Address the challenge of providing increased computing

capacity.

* Investigate feasibility of upgrading existingadministrative mainframe to provide increased computingcapacity - primarily to better support workload ofadministrative functions (including registration activities)and to allow for support of anticipated client/serverapplications in which the administrative mainframe will actas the host (server), providing services to desktopworkstations (clients).

* Increase availability times of applications, nearer to 24hours/day.

* Investigate expanded use of Interactive Voice Response(IVR) technology to improve access to administrative data asappropriate.

* Upgrade voice server platform to support growth inInteractive Voice Response applications.

Strategy B:Identify and provide appropriate informationresources to meet needs of students at the new Advanced

Learning and Enrollment Services Center.

Strategy B:Implement the system for the electronic transferof transcripts (outgoing).

Action Items:

* Complete the testing of sending transcriptselectronically, working with pilot institution (TarrantCounty Junior College). Put this function into production as



soon as possible.

* Expand support to receive and send transcriptselectronically.

C. INSTITUTIONAL PRIORITY: Enhance the quality ofundergraduate and graduate instruction through* revised curricula and programs to help UNT graduatesbecome more competitive in the professions andworkforce,

* increased emphasis on teaching in the faculty rewardsystem as well as in the balance among teaching,research/creative, and service activities,

* increased use of technology to teach appropriatecourses,

* increased attention to undergraduate education thataddresses external expectations,

* increased use of tenured and tenure-track faculty,where appropriate, to teach lower-division and corecourses,

* wise use of HEAF and other monies to upgrade learningenvironments, and

* continued improvement of classrooms, laboratories, andinstructional facilities.

Strategy C:Provide graduate students with the advancedcomputing and other technological resources sufficient tosupport computing-intensive research needs.

Action Items:

* Design, build, and operate an Advanced Visualization Lab.

Strategy C:Provide state-of-the-art classrooms, seminarrooms, and laboratories.

Action Items:

* Properly equip ALL new and existing classrooms toaccommodate a minimum level of instructional technology.

* Equip and link selected classrooms and seminar rooms withstate-of-the-art instructional technology.

* Develop usage policies.

* Improve the Facilities Scheduling System to achieve thebest use of these classrooms.

* Seek external funding to provide support and ongoing

maintenance/replacement for the equipment.

Strategy C:Establish a program designed to keep facultymembers informed about the latest developments in, and useof, information resources technology.

Action Items:

* Assist faculty in finding ways to use instructionaltechnology effectively, and, when appropriate, develop



software 'in-house' to meet course needs.

* Establish a Summer Enrichment Fellowship Program forfaculty to study the use of state-of-the-art technology inthe classroom.

* Develop policies for remuneration and reward, both forindividuals and departments.

D. INSTITUTIONAL PRIORITY: Make more efficient andproductive use of university human, physical, financial,and informational resources by* finding new ways to use technology to assist withshortages in staff and faculty positions while workingto preserve the human touch in dealing with students,

* eliminating unjustified duplication of servicesprograms, and course offerings,

* implementing a process that helps identify highpriority programs and services, and

* reducing administrative and support costs.

Strategy D:Continue ongoing operations that support theinformation technology UNT now depends upon to accomplish itsmission.

Action Items:

* Provide in-house maintenance on 'standard' microcomputerhardware.

* Provide technical support and operation servicesnecessary for the operation of the academic andadministrative mainframes. This includes, but is not limitedto, support for the IBM/MVS, and SoftwareAG/ADABAS/NATURAL/PREDICT/COM-PLETE suite of products.

* Provide instructional support services to faculty and

staff.

* Provide departmental file server management, labmanagement, and local user support.

* Provide central referral, backup support, and usertraining services.

* Provide central file server, data communications, andmicrocomputer support services.

* Provide system and software design, development, andimplementation services to administrative and academic

support departments to meet university, state and federalmandates.

* Develop our integrated Campus-wide Information System.

Strategy D:Implement compatible e-mail systems for faculty,staff and students by January 1996.

Action Items:



* Provide user accounts to students as needed.

* Upgrade host systems (if necessary) to accommodateincreased number of student user accounts.

* Develop project plan for implementation of NovellGroupWise in a primarily centrally-supported configuration.

* Establish directory services to enable users of supportedmail systems to find e-mail addresses of other users.

* Develop and conduct user training.

* Migrate selected colleges and departments to NovellGroupWise as a pilot project.

* Evaluate success of pilot project. Determine nextappropriate steps.

* Ensure that faculty and staff needing access to e-mailhave access to hardware that will run Novell GroupWise.

* Migrate faculty/staff e-mail systems from WordPerfectOffice 3.1 and Pegasus Mail to Novell GroupWise.

Strategy D:Provide and maintain an up-to-date baseline ofdesktop microcomputers for faculty and staff offices andstudent labs.

Action Items:

* By September 1995, replace computers (less capable than386SX with 2M RAM), or provide new computers (486DX266 orbetter), where necessary so that all faculty and staff whoneed to run Novell Groupwise can run at least the DOSversion. ('Replacement of computers' to also include Macs notcapable of running Novell Groupwise.)

* Establish a 'rolling minimum supported hardwarestandard.'

* Establish a 'rolling minimum new hardware purchasestandard.'

* Establish similar rolling minimums for other hardwareplatforms, such as Macintosh and Sun. * Provide central funding to accomplish the continual

upgrading of faculty/staff computers.

Strategy D:Establish a baseline level of staff support fordistributed computing.

Action Items:

* Conduct a study to evaluate methods for improving qualityof, and manpower utilization in support of, distributedcomputing platforms, including

* Organization of distributed support staff;* Training of technical and user support staff;



* Career development paths for technical and usersupport staff;

* Server consolidation;* Cross-training in, and backup of, support functions;and

* Software tools to facilitate network administrationand software management.

Strategy D:Replace the current academic mainframe with one ormore systems that provide same or better functionality andreduce operating cost.

Action Items:

* Investigate feasibility and cost-effectiveness ofcombining academic and administrative mainframes onto asingle, partitioned system.

* Gather information on various user group needs, availableoptions, and available budget.

* Choose the option that meets the most needs for the leastcost.

* Purchase and install.* Train users and assist with migration.

Strategy D:Continue to investigate ways to increase ourcapacity for processing and accessing administrativedatabases. This may include (but is not limited to):

* Investigate feasibility and cost-effectiveness ofcombining academic and administrative mainframes onto asingle, partitioned system.

* Upgrading the existing mainframe system;

* Replacing the mainframe environment with a true client-server environment;

* Purchasing a newer commercially-developed highereducation administrative software system and the necessaryassociated hardware;

* Developing a hybrid system consisting of a mainframe datawarehouse with client server applications used for most ofthe computer-intensive applications;

* Using newer application development productivity tools

such as Powerbuilder;

* Reengineering our current database and normalizing datawhen appropriate;

* Develop an extensive software reuse program to increaseprogrammer productivity; and

* Outsourcing components when it makes economic andstrategic sense to do so.





* Ensure reliability of the SAA Gateway.

* Notify all faculty and staff that SAA Gateway will be theonly means of accessing the administrative mainframe afterSeptember 1995.

* Conduct SAA Gateway training.

* Remove cluster controllers from service in September1995.

* Encourage departments to surplus 3270 equipment.

* Eliminate use of '3270' equipment outside of theComputing Center, except where no suitable alternativesexist.

Strategy D:Enhance integration of campus computing resources.

Action Items:

* Migrate Novell LAN environment to NetWare 4.x withNetware Directory Services.

* Develop integrated cross-platform user-ID standards andmanagement system.

* Develop X.500 directory services.

E. INSTITUTIONAL PRIORITY: Enhance external funding insupport of university priorities by* more effectively telling the story of the Universityto the institution's constituencies and by marshallingthe support of influential individuals andorganizations,

* increasing funds from external sources, including

state appropriations and research funding sponsored bygovernmental and private sources, and* executing a plan for a successful second phase of thecapital campaign.

Strategy E:Equip faculty with advanced computing and othertechnological resources sufficient to support research andcreative needs.

Strategy E:Enhance and expand access to current informationdatabases to assist with the development of grants andcontracts.

Strategy E:Pursue establishment of UNT as an Internet ServiceProvider to support other organizations (cities, counties,school districts, etc.)

Strategy E:Provide tools to develop electronic databases andimprove accessibility of Development data to CollegeDevelopment Officers (CDOs), Development Office staff, andothers as deemed appropriate by Development.



V.SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

A.Organization and Personnel

The University maintains the personnel and skills necessaryto be essentially self-sufficient in planning, acquiring, andimplementing information resources technologies. In the caseof microcomputers, this includes hardware maintenance forselected items. An organization chart for UNT is found inFigure 1.

Overall policy, leadership, direction, and coordination forInformation Resources activities is provided through arepresentative committee structure:

* Information Resources Steering Committee: TheInformation Resources Steering Committee is chaired by theProvost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and iscomposed of the UNT Vice Presidents and the UNT HealthScience Center Vice President for Fiscal Affairs. TheInformation Resources Council reports to the SteeringCommittee. The Steering Committee may refer university-wideissues to the University Planning Council, which reports to

the Chancellor, or act directly as appropriate.* Information Resources Council: The Information Resources

Council (IRC) functions 'as an advisory body with respect toinformation resources (IR) policies, standards, services,physical facilities, and allocation of resources; its memberswill strive to communicate University IR requirements to theUniversity Information Resources Steering Committee; and itsmembers will strive to promote cooperation, coordination, andeffective use of information technology.' [6] The Council,which meets monthly, receives and considers matters referredto it for advisement. It also initiates recommendations asneeded regarding University IR policies, services, resources,

and facilities, which are of concern to the Universitycommunity.

* The IRC is organized into standing committees or groups:a Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) coordinates the effortsof Program Groups for Instruction, Research, Administration,Communications, and Standards & Cooperation. A diagram ofthis structure is found in Figure x (FIGURE NOT AVAILABLE INASCII VERSION).

Information technology services are provided by severalgroups distributed across the UNT organization:

* College, School, and Departmental ComputingOrganizations: Most colleges and schools have networkedgeneral access computer labs as well as equipment and labsconfigured and staffed to meet the particular instructionalneeds of their disciplines.

* Telecommunications: The Telecommunications Managerreports to the Physical Plant Business Manager who reports tothe Director of Physical Plant and Facilities Planning whoreports to the Vice President for Administrative Affairs.









megabytes of real ECC memory and an additional 400 megabytesof disk based virtual memory, and over 30 gigabytes of diskstorage. This system also serves as our Network Backup hostfor UNIX systems on campus and backs up over 75 gigabytes ofdata per week. Although this system still has room forexpansion, Solbourne has ceased production of new hardwarecomponents. Therefore, this system is slated to betransferred to use as a dedicated high-speed NFS server.Please refer to Figure 4 for system configuration of theSolbourne 6/904.

General Access UNIX Systems: A Sun SPARCserver 1000 multi-processor UNIX computer system (Figure 5) provides a cost-effective platform for servicing the general Internet needsof over 5000 students, faculty, and staff and is expected toexpand easily to meet the demands of our entire campuspopulation of over 30,000 potential users. The system iscurrently configured with four (of a possible eight) Sun 50-Mhz SuperSPARC RISC CPU's, 256 megabytes of RAM of a futuretotal of 2 gigabytes, 414 megabytes of disk based virtualmemory, and over 21 gigabytes of disk storage. This systemis intended to be expanded to its full complement of 8processors, 2 gigabytes of RAM, and an estimated 64 gigabytesof disk. There is a potential of clustering this UNIX system

with other units for additional processing power.UNIX & Network Support Systems: A Solbourne S4000DX (Figure6) with a 40-Mhz SPARC CPU, 32 megabytes of memory, and 3gigabytes of disk storage serves as our central campus E-Mailrouter for the unt.edu domain, Primary Domain Name Server forthe unt.edu domain, Primary BOOTP server for the unt.edudomain, Backup E-Mail-To-Text-Pager Gateway, our centralcampus ftp site, and the Math Department's Gopher/WWW serverfor the Electronic Journal of Differential Equations.

A Solbourne S4000 (Figure 7) with a 33-Mhz SPARC CPU, 16megabytes of memory, and 733 megabytes of disk storage serves

as Academic Computing Services' NIS master server andcontrols the entire user-ID base for both the Research UNIXSystems and the General Access UNIX Systems.

A CompuAdd SS2 (Figure 8) with a 40Mhz SPARC CPU, 32MegaBytes of memory, and 4.6 gigabytes of disk storage servesas our primary campus USENET News server, UNIX SystemsPrinter Server, WWW server for unt.edu, gopher server forunt.edu, and gopher server for the City of Denton in a co-operative pilot project to demonstrate the Internet'susefulness to the City community and government. This systemalso serves as the Internet point of contact for the DallasMuseum of Art. A Sun SPARCstation 20 Model 50 and a Sun

SPARCstation LX serve as administrative workstations forsystems management, monitoring, and auditing.

Network Operations Center: A Sun SPARCstation 10, Model 41,is used by the Computing Center to remotely manage most ofUNT's critical data communications devices. Cabletron'sSpectrum software provides a graphical interface to devicessupporting SNMP and RMON protocols. The Network OperationsCenter also provides an interface between e-mail and pagerscarried by computer support personnel, and serves as the



Secondary Domain Name Server for the unt.edu domain.

Computer Science/Physics: A Sequent Symmetry computer system(Figure 9) is shared by the Departments of Computer Scienceand Physics. It contains 16 processors and 16 floating pointaccelerators to provide 72 MIPS (expandable to 135 MIPS).180 megabytes of ECC memory are installed (expandable to 240megabytes). The system has a high-speed bus and includesseparate file and network processors allowing virtually allof the computing power to be utilized.

Other Academic UNIX Systems: Several other UNIX systems areused by various UNT departments to support academic andresearch functions. Systems include Sun workstations, HP9000's, a Masscomp, and a Silicon Graphics workstation.These are used primarily by science departments, such as theInstitute of Applied Sciences, the Center for Network NeuroScience, and Departments of Geography, Mathematics,Engineering Technology, Physics, and Chemistry.

Library HP 3000: The Library uses a Hewlett Packard 3000(Figure 10) to run its Bibliographic and Circulation ControlSystem.

Academic VAX Computer System: The VAX 6310 is rated at 3.8VUPS, has 64 megabytes of memory and 4.4 gigabytes of diskstorage. This system will be decommissioned in May 1995.

Academic Mainframe: The academic mainframe (Figure 11) is anIBM-compatible HDS 8083 dual processor, 16 MIPS, 32 channel,system with 64 megabytes of memory and 45 gigabytes of diskstorage.

Voice Response System: A voice response system (Figure 12)(FIGURE NOT AVAILABLE IN ASCII VERSION) provides telephoneaccess for teleregistration, financial aid, and otheradministrative applications. The voice response system has a

current capacity of 112 lines, with expansion capability to192.

Administrative Mainframe: An IBM ES 9000, Model 440,administrative mainframe (Figure 13) is rated at 30 MIPS witha memory of 128 megabytes (FIGURE NOT AVAILABLE IN ASCIIVERSION).

E.Telecommunications Infrastructure

Voice Communications: The University entered into a seven-year Centranet contract with GTE-Central in May 1990.Enhanced features and call processing abilities, along with a

significant rate reduction were a part of the contract.Fully integrated Voice Messaging (Voice Mail) using a CentralOffice based system was implemented in May 1992.

The voice network utilizes a GTD #5 Digital Central Officeswitching system, in a Centrex arrangement called Centranet,provided by General Telephone Central. Currently, there are3400 academic/administrative stations, 2200 residence hallstations and 600 voice mail boxes. Service is providedthrough a Custom Assembly Tariff, written specifically for









* Pell Grant Recipient Data Exchange (currently usemagnetic tape)

* United Student Aid Funds

* Internal Revenue Service (currently use matnetic tape forsubmission of W-2 information)

* Information being sent to micro fiche/film vendor(currently send magnetic tapes)

* Electronic Funds Transfer for financial aid

* National Institute for the Humanities (state andnational)

* National Science Foundation (state and national)

* Department of Education (state and national)

* Health and Human Services (state and national)

* Texas Department of Commerce and any other state agencies

dealing with economic matters* Texas Department of Aging

* National Institute of Health

* Administration on Aging

* Federal Emergency Management Association (local andnational)

* State of Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, Austin, TX

* State of Texas Department of Health, Austin, TX

* Texas Hotel and Motel Association, Austin, TX

* Texas Restaurant Association, Austin, TX

* Texas Department of Criminal Justice (local, regional,and state)

* Texas Rehabilitation Commission

* Texas Commission for the Blind

* Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse

G.Databases

Please see Section H also. All applications described inSection H are data base applications. They are not includedin this section since none of those databases has a GIS DataClassification.

Application Name:DRASTIC











update and query.Application Description:This system is used to gather

information from the various university departments on courseofferings. This information is used to create a schedule ofclasses bulletin for student use. As the title implies, theapplication includes a "Room Booking" sub-system whichprovides automated assistance in locating and assigning space(i.e., rooms) for classes and special events.

Application Name:Transfer Equivalency SystemSoftware:NATURAL, ADABAS, COM-PLETEHardware:IBM ES-9000 MainframeLocation:UNT Computing CenterBatch/On-Line Status:Batch functions support mass update

and reporting, on-line functions available for individualupdate and query.

Application Description:Provides automated support fordetermining the transferability of course work from otherinstitutions (whose courses have been evaluated) to determinethe UNT equivalent. Currently this includes allcommunity/junior colleges in Texas and selected senior-leveluniversities. Classes from other institutions for whichcourse equivalencies have been established can be evaluatedto determine the applicability of those courses toward a UNT

degree. Course data for individual students are either inputthrough a computer terminal or received electronically overthe AHE Electronic Transcript Network. Transcripts/reportsare then produced showing the equivalency of the course work.

Application Name:Capital Equipment Account TrackingSystem (CEATS)

Software:NATURAL, ADABAS, COM-PLETEHardware:IBM ES-9000 MainframeLocation:UNT Computing CenterBatch/On-Line Status:On-line updating and individual

inquiry. Large reports are produced using batch processing.Application Description:Collects, maintains, and reports

detail property information about individual items ofcapital/controlled equipment, including purchase date andcost, current location, general ledger data, acquiringaccount, person with inventory responsibility for theequipment, etc. System is interfaced to the StateComptroller's State Property Accounting (SPA) to provide thatsystem with data mandated by the State Comptroller.

Application Name:Facilities Inventory SystemSoftware:IBM OS/VS Cobol, ADABASHardware:IBM ES-9000 MainframeLocation:UNT Computing CenterBatch/On-Line Status:Batch functions support mass update

and reporting, on-line functions available for individualupdate and query.Application Description:Collects, maintains, and reports

detail information about the University's buildings androoms.

Application Name:Telephone Information System (TIMS)Software:IBM OS/VS Cobol, NATURAL, ADABAS, COM-PLETEHardware:IBM ES-9000 MainframeLocation:UNT Computing Center



Batch/On-Line Status:Batch functions support mass updateand reporting, on-line functions available for individualupdate and query.

Application Description:Collects, maintains, and reportsdetail information about university telephones (location,characteristics, etc.) and usage for long-distance calls.Receives long-distance call information from local telephonecompany (GTE), produces statements (bills), andelectronically passes information to the General LedgerAccounting System (GLAS).

Application Name:Library Circulation Control System(Virginia Tech Library System)

Software:CobolHardware:HP-3000 Series 948Location:HP Mini-Mainframe computer is located in the

UNT Computing Center area, but is maintained and operated bythe Library staff.

Batch/On-Line Status:Batch functions support mass updateand reporting, on-line functions available for individualupdate and query.

Application Description:Provides on-line access tobibliographic information for UNT Library holdings andcontrols circulation. System is accessible to on-campus

users via local (on-campus) network and to off-campus usersvia dial-up and Internet access.

Application Name:Housing Information System (HIS)Software:Oracle, MS-Dos, Novell NetwareHardware:Ethernet LAN, File Server, Data ServerLocation:Housing DepartmentBatch/On-Line Status:Batch functions for Mainframe (SRS)

update; on-line functions for record update, reporting andad-hoc query.

Application Description:Collects, maintains, and reportsassignment and financial information for residentialstudents. Generates accounts receivable transactions,

student bills and payment receipts. Data are available toresidential system. Demographic data passed to StudentRecord System each semester for update and comparativepurposes.

Application Name:Access Control Information SystemSoftware:Unix, ProprietaryHardware:HP 9000 data server, proprietary communications

server, Telco supplied data line distribution network.Location:ID Card OfficeBatch/On-Line Status:Batch functions for demographic

information update. Transaction readers on-line via telcodata lines, administrative terminals on-line via telco data

lines. Application Description:Remote access from vendorsupplied authorization terminals updates statistical andcustomer data and provides authorization for transactions.Administrative access for fixed format and ad-hoc reporting.

Application Name:Reimbursements/Disbursement ManagementSystem

Software:ADABAS, COM-PLETE, NATURALHardware: IBM ES-9000 Mainframe





Application Name:Student Record Microfilm and ComputerAssisted Retrieval System (Proprietary Kodak KAR 6500 System)

Software:PIC Operating System, Proprietary ApplicationSoftware from Kodak

Hardware:Kodak proprietary server with attachedplanetary camera, terminals, printer, 9-track tape drive, andretrieval units.

Location:Registrar's OfficeBatch/Online Status:Batch functions support mass

updating and reporting, on-line support provided forretrievals.

Application Description:Provides for filming, storing,indexing, and retrieving admission applications, permanentUNT academic records, and transfer transcripts for all UNTstudents. Information for over 300,000 students dating backto 1890 are currently maintained in the system.

Application Name: Admissions Prospect SystemSoftware:SPEED II (4GL Application Development Product

from APPX Software, Inc., Release 06.01.07), Wang VSOperating System Version 07.32.02. (Note: SPEED II isavailable for both the Wang VS and UNIX platforms.)

Hardware:Wang VS/5000 Mini Computer with four WorkStations, four printers, and streaming tape drive (for backup

purposes).Location: Admissions OfficeBatch/On-Line Status:Batch functions for mass update and

reporting and for mainframe (AMS) update; on-line functionsfor individual record update, display and ad-hoc query.TCP/IP communications for electronic transmittal ofprospective student information requests for centralizedprocessing and distribution.

Application Description:Collects, maintains, and reportsinformation about prospective applicants. This informationpotentially comes from a variety of sources, includingAdmissions Office staff recruiting visits to high schools andjunior/community colleges. Student information accompanying

admissions exam scores processed on the mainframe is alsodownloaded to the Prospect System, creating prospect records.The system produces personalized reply letters and labels formailing requested materials, including Catalogs and Schedulesof Classes. If the prospect has requested an application forhousing, financial aid, or information from a specific schoolor college, mailing labels are forwarded to the appropriateunit for mailing the requested materials. Periodically theprospect records contained in the Prospect System are matchedagainst the records contained in the Admissions ManagementSystem (AMS) on the administrative mainframe. Prospectrecords which contain essential identifying information cancreate a new record in the mainframe based AMS if no record

exists there for the person. For matching records,information from AMS is added to the Prospect System toprovide a more complete and current record. The ProspectSystem supports and tracks follow-up contacts withprospective students over an extended period of time, in somecases for years, depending upon an individualÕsclassification, or year in school, at the time of initialinquiry into UNT. The Prospect System was substantiallyenhanced in 1994 to support electronic transmittal of studentinformation requests to Printing Services via the new



Recruitment Materials Distribution System (RMDS).

Application Name:Recruitment Materials DistributionSystem (RMDS)

Software:UNIX, Novell Netware, MS-DOS/WindowsHardware:Ethernet LAN, File Server, Desktop Work Station

(PC), SUN Sparcserver 1000, HP LaserJet 4si laser printer andBryce BOS12K high speed ink jet printer

Location:Admissions Office, UNT Computing Center,Printing Services

Batch/On-Line Status:BatchApplication Description:Contact information and requests

for materials are received by the Admissions Office andentered into the Admissions Prospect System. This system(RMDS) is interfaced with the Prospect System such thatinformation from these requests is automatically downloaded(i.e., no manual action required) via the network to thePrinting Services machine at preselected intervals. PrintingServices collects, packages, and mails the materials.Optionally, a copy of the prospect information, or justsummary counts, or both of these types of feedback is alsoelectronically forwarded (via the network) to the respectiveadministrative and academic units who want the opportunity tosend additional materials specific to their own area(s).

I.Relationship of UNT Information Resources Strategies toState Information Resources Goals and Objectives

The State Strategic Plan for Information ResourcesManagement, November 1995, 'Appendix C: Metrics Chart'provides a cross-reference of state goals, objectives, andmeasurements related to agency information resourcesstrategic planning. For each agency strategic plan-relatedmeasure, the primary UNT supporting strategies are listed:

FOOTNOTES

[1] Vision Statement from UNT VISION FOR THE ROLE OFINFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, developed by the UNT InformationResources Council, Fall 1993.

[2] Approved by the University of North Texas Board ofRegents, December 3, 1993.

[3] Hurley, Alfred F. Memo from the Chancellor to AllFaculty and Staff, University of North Texas, December 8,1994.

[4] DRAFT PROGRESS REPORT on the University of North TexasInformation Resources Strategic Plan '93-'97, Submitted tothe Information Resources Council's Strategic PlanningCommittee by the Computing Center, September 27, 1997,Revised September 29, 1994.

[5] The term "optimize" is used to emphasize that futureenrollment efforts must respond to changes in economicconditions and in demographics, with particular attention to



the need to diversify further the student body.

[6] UNT Policy: UNIVERSITY INFORMATION RESOURCES COUNCIL,Revised July 20, 1994.

Documents

Information Resources Strategic Plan 1995-99 (166164795)