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Student Affairs Technology Budget Planning

Spring is in the air and for some of you it also means budget planning season for the next fiscal year. As you (or those above you) think about where available budget money should go, I have some recommendations on a “Student Affairs Technology Wish List” that you all should consider as new initiatives or updates to current ones. Big Picture: As you begin your planning, break up your budget line items into the following categories: 1. Hardware: What are some of the technology related items (not on an automatic refresh cycle) that you want to invest in next year? This may include peripherals, media gear (e.g. digital video and photo cameras), and other related items. 2. Software: What are some software licenses (not available already through your University) that you need in order help do your job more efficiently? What specialized software do you need to get your office’s story told (e.g. Adobe Creative Suite). What third-party solutions have you seen demos of that could help not just your department, but others cross-divisionally or cross-campus? Most importantly, do those third-party solutions integrate well with your existing legacy systems (e.g. Banner). 3. Online Services: What are some online services that can help you do your job more efficiently that your campus doesn’t already offer? Are there yearly or monthly fees associated with them? Are you prepared to troubleshoot them when there are issues or challenges? 4. Peripherals: These are items you add to your current computers, laptops, or tablets that help enhance productivity and functionality. While some may consider these “extras”, I think this is the year they should be part of your technology tool belt. Connect With Your I.T. Partners: Have lunch with some of your university Information Technology colleagues before submitting your request and share with them your purchasing ideas. Connecting with folks from your web team, I.T. networking, and educational technology (just to name a few areas) go a long way in gathering big picture information on what already is out there for your to use and where you may be able to partner with other offices on. Take it even a step further by connecting with colleagues in your division who are thinking about similar purchases! Detailed Picture Once you determine your need and how all of the technology will help you be more efficient in your work, communicate effectively to the University Community, and tell your story, work with your staff and make decisions on what you specifically need. Here are just some examples! 1. Your Desktop Computer (Full Productivity) If your desktop computer is up for replacement this year, consider a: - Laptop: While work/life balance continues to be a challenge in a 21st century work environment, it may be nice to be able to have all your software, settings and files with you when you are on the go. Certainly, one can create this in the cloud, but having a mobile office (beyond a smart phone or tablet) at your disposal, may help free your time in the office for more interactions with students, staff, and faculty. Make sure you that you have a minimum of 4GB or RAM (and could expand to 6 or 8 GB if you had to) when you purchase a laptop. If you can splurge, go MacBook Pro with the addition of Parallels software to run Windows when you absolutely need to. - Desktop: If you plan to get a new desktop, make sure that you have a lot of RAM (I recommend 4 GB, even though only 1 is required). You really won’t notice too much speed difference with a faster processor, but with at least 2 GB or RAM, you’ll be able to multitask like crazy. The size of your hard drive really only matters if you plan to store a lot of media (pictures, videos, etc.) on your local drive. If you can splurge, go iMac with the addition of Parallels software to run Windows when you absolutely need to. - Tablets: While I am still not sold on tablet computers like iPads or Android Tablets being powerful enough for full productivity, your office may still want to use it for other purposes like data collection, space management, and digital record keeping. Our office uses an iPad (with the FileMaker Go App) as our “On Duty” log for managing the Campus Center, but we also use Dropbox, Evernote, and video chatting services (Facetime, Skype, and Google Plus) when needed. The built in camera also helps to report damages as well! 2. Peripherals (Additional Productivity) As you upgrade your technology gear, you may want to invest the following additions to what you already have: - Webcam: In 2013, there is absolutely no reason why you should not have a webcam attached to all your computers and laptops. For as little as $20, you can add them to almost any computer or laptop and instantly be able to host online meetings and conversations over Google Plus, GoToMeeting, or even Skype. - External Hard Drives: If your Higher Education work involves creating large media files, an external hard drive may be the best way to secure those files. One Terabyte usually does the trick and also can serve as a great backup to your computer. Western Digital and Seagate are two of my favorite brands (just remember that if you have two move data between PC’s and Mac’s that the hardrive can do that, as most are formatted for one system or the other!) - Secondary Monitor: Without a doubt, the addition of a second monitor at my work desk has helped increase my productivity. Many I.T. offices have extra monitors and if you ask for one, you may just get it due to surplus on your campus. If not, then add it as an addition to your budget for you and as many staff members as you can, especially those who work with spreadsheets a lot! - ID Card Reader: If you’re like me, gathering data on who is attending your events is important. Whether you wanted to use a laptop USB reader or an iPad / Android Tablet scanner, work with your I.T. folks to find out what type would work best with your existing systems, especially if you can integrate it with legacy systems like Banner. Make sure the reader can read 2 or 3 tracks on the ID’s magnetic strip. 3. Software / Online Services After identifying your needs, research these tools (and their possible academic pricing discounts). Some examples of the services I use include Hootsuite (Social Media Dashboard), Dropbox (Cloud File Storage), SlideShare (Cloud Presentation Archive Service), SurveyMonkey (Online Assessment Tool), MailChimp (Email Marketing), Facebook Ads (Social Advertising), etc.) If you need the “pro” versions of these services, add them to your budget request with proper justification. Final Thought: Education / Training Whether you already have some or all of these technology items, consider sending folks to events and conferences where they can grow their acumen. Whether the event is in Student Affairs or not, asking our staff to “teach themselves” these technologies isn’t enough. If it is more cost efficient for your division to bring someone (like me ) in for a one or two day training so more members of your division can benefit, I recommend it is well! By adding budget money for these educational opportunities, you will see an immediate benefit not only for your office, but your division as well. Please, make the investment! What other pieces of technology are you asking for this year? What types of education and training are needed in Student Affairs to maximize the technology that we already have? Tweet This! Share this on Facebook Share this on LinkedIn Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Digg this! Email this to a friend? Email this via Gmail Get Shareaholic

Ed Cabellon

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Technology

Featured Content

Student Affairs Technology Budget Planning

May 2013 Stats

College Confidential

Free Facebook Office Hours for Admissions Offices This Summer

Responsive Design Resources

Higher Education Gets Flattened at #UBtech

CPT-onomies Update: Version 1.3 (MULTISITE!)

Planetary Masses

Other Galaxies