ITAC

April 11, 2000

I. Equipment Budget and Summer 2000 Projects.

This meeting was dedicated to continuing discussions about next year's equipment budget. Joe Fleming distributed updated documents with details about budget requests for academic facilities, faculty and administrative desktop computer pools, network and central systems needs, electronic classrooms, residence hall networking, special projects and academic department facilities.

Requests exceed $1.9 million; $800,000 has been allocated in the 2000-2001 budget for computing equipment. The four-year replacement program for equipment remains a top priority. Four-year replacements cost $757,200, leaving $42,800 for "new" equipment expenditures. Provost Anderson and Joe Fleming noted that our investments in technology in the past are driving the replacement costs. In past years, 20-25% of the equipment budget could be allocated to new projects, while this year, about 5% is available for new projects.

Professor Lipari asked IRAB to look at those requests that have the greatest impact on the academic enterprise. Provost Anderson asked the committee to move through the list, line by line, asking "What allocations are crucial to the academic mission?" In the following review of all the items in each of the cost areas, committee members discussed the tradeoffs involved in funding or not funding the major academic and administrative requests. The committee will continue the discussion of budget recommendations to the senior administration at the next meeting.