The Weber State University Information Technology (IT) Plan is the institution’s ongoing effort to anticipate, prepare for and orchestrate technological change. By making the plan available on the WSU’s Intranet, it is hoped that it will serve as a widely used guide and framework for implementing technology at the university. Periodic revisions to the preliminary sections will reflect changes in the basic assumptions and strategic vision underpinning the plan. Operational plans and evaluation reports for the specific units or committees charged with implementation will correspond to the annual information technology planning cycle and will serve as ongoing documentation of progress.

Unfortunately, the Fall 1996 Quarter marked the fourth straight year of declining enrollment at WSU and was accompanied by a decline in both student tuition and legislative appropriations for the 1996-97 academic year. The one bright spot in this otherwise gloomy scenario was the continued availability of Higher Education Technology Initiative (HETI) funding for a selected set of information technology priorities.

The allocation of the HETI funds is guided by an Information Technology Committee with statewide representation, including staff support from the Utah System of Higher Education Commissioner’s Office.  At left are links to the resulting HETI proposal and HETI report for 1996-97. 

In the preceding year (1995-96) budget process, the strategic and operational elements of the WSU IT Plan occurred in one phase, capitalizing on preliminary information technology planning efforts. Individual operational plans were to be integrated into an Institutional IT Plan which would be reviewed and approved by the Information Technology Planning Council (ITPC) before forwarding to the President’s Council for final approval.

Subsequently, the ITPC ceased to function and was ruled superfluous in the emerging IT Planning structure. In 1996-97 the ITPC was eliminated as an intermediate body and President’s Council agreed to give direct final approval to all future information technology plans.