THE TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE INITIATIVE

FACT SHEET

CSU faculty, students and staff must have access to the appropriate technology infrastructure by the year 2000 if the CSU and its universities are to be competitive. In keeping with this goal, CSU’s Integrated Technology Strategy was developed. One of the key components of this strategy was the formation of a public/private partnership to secure outside funding in a timely way.

Proposals from three major corporate teams were considered, and on Sept. 15, 1997, following a highly competitive process, the CSU selected one team with which to partner. This team, called CETI, is made up of GTE, Fujitsu, Hughes Communications and Microsoft. The team will work with the CSU to develop implementation plans and reach agreement on them by the end of December or the first of January, 1998. (CETI stands for California Education Technology Initiative.)

Faculty, students and staff, all of whom played an active role in the planning phase of this effort, advised the planning team that network connections, access to hardware, software, training and support must be the first needs addressed. This is how the effort is proceeding.

GOALS AND FISCAL IMPACT

· The ITS strategy is a comprehensive, long-range plan which begins with the near simultaneous introduction of needed technology at all CSU campuses. It is designed to provide all faculty, students and staff the competitive advantage of a technology-enhanced education by providing a more complete range of technology-related services.

· With ITS/TII in place, all CSU students, faculty and staff will be able to communicate with one another and interact with information resources from anywhere to anywhere at any time of the day or night.

· The CETI partnership is a combined public/private endeavor designed to help CSU become technologically competitive at a time when traditional state resources are not available to fund the large amount of capital needed for CSU’s technology needs.

· The CSU faces other serious funding gaps such as faculty salaries, deferred maintenance, capital improvement and enrollment funding. As a result, it was clear the $300 million cost of this effort could not be provided fully by the state.

· The private sector team included in its business proposal not only a major revenue component, but also projected cost savings realized by streamlining existing services. In order to pay for CETI, the private sector team will obtain information technology and services at below-market prices, gain cost savings by effective and efficient use of partnership-provided technology and services, and share externally-generated revenue from the partnership’s activities.

· CSU’s first negotiating principle made it clear that CSU staff will be retained by the CSU. The partners are eager to have CSU’s current, talented personnel as part of the team and foresee no near-term job losses within the CSU. Nevertheless, the wide use of technology will ultimately change job descriptions and assignments with or without a systemwide partnership.

· Some CSU campuses already possess the infrastructure needed to provide adequate (or better) access, support, or training to their students, faculty and staff. But, no one campus currently provides all three adequately. As a result, the CSU cannot make full use of its educational resources. This effort will bring access, support and training to all CSU students, faculty and staff, enhancing the educational resources of the campuses both individually and collectively.

· There is strength and economy of scale in numbers. Further, no campus will suffer "irreparable harm" from participating in the CETI partnership. If a campus believes it can accomplish the proposed objectives at a better price/performance than can the partnership, the partnership will be required to match or better the price/performance of the campus’ plan.

· The selected partnership must compete with other entities for the business of providing goods and services which lie outside the scope of the common environment.

· If the CETI partnership develops as planned, the ability of CSU campuses to generate gifts, donations and grants for a wide range of academic program needs will be enhanced. Donors today are seeking institutions with academic departments and faculty who already have the basic technology infrastructure capabilities locally and systemwide so they can invest in the development of applications using technology to advance learning and scholarship. In fact, donors tend to invest in the "the margin of excellence" rather than in basic needs.

CSU FACULTY/STAFF INVOLVEMENT

· CSU’s SIP Team held a series of meetings with Presidents and campus and system executive management and other constituencies including the Academic Senate, CSSA, Information Resource Management Program Designees, (IRM) and others seeking their input and active involvement in the development and implementation of this technology initiative.

· Each President and SIP representative has been asked to actively ensure that faculty, students and other stakeholders are frequently provided with timely information on partnership development.

· CSU will maintain a controlling interest in governing the partnership.

· CSU’s guidelines on intellectual property will remain in place. The CSU has made it clear it will NOT negotiate away any academic freedoms, choices or control of curriculum content.

THE BOTTOM LINE/QUANTIFIABLE RESULTS

· Both the CETI partners and the CSU are motivated to succeed by a desire to garner revenues to support their respective objectives. While the CSU does not share directly in the profit motive of the private sector partners, CSU and its campuses are increasingly required to generate alternative funding sources to sustain core programs and promote the CSU mission. CSU is accountable to its stakeholders for the tax revenues and student fees it receives while business is held accountable to stockholders for the "bottom line".

· The CSU will share in the CETI profits.

· The CSU and the private sector also share an understanding of the absolute need for a well-educated workforce. CSU is the supplier of the personnel who will be (or should be) the competitive edge for these companies in the future. Business understands that without CSU graduates they will be severely hampered in the future. This does not mean that the partners will forego their profit motive, but it does mean they will work with CSU to forge a mutually beneficial relationship.

· The success and benefits of this initiative will be measured by how well the partnership provides each and every CSU student, faculty and staff the appropriate inter- and intra-campus networking, and access to hardware/software, training and support to be individually and collectively productive in their respective roles.

Rev 11/3/97 OGA Legislative Version