Technology Fee Operation 2011 - 2012

TECHNOLOGY FEE COMMITTEE

By September 1 of each year, the Technology Fee Committee (10 members) will be formed.  Committee appointment terms begin on September 1 and end August 31. 

• The Vice President of Academic Affairs and the Chief Information Officer  will co-chair the committee
• The Vice President of Academic Affairs will nominate 3 University employees to the Committee.
• SGA will nominate 4 undergraduate students.
• Graduate Student Council will nominate 1 graduate student.

On the first meeting of the Tech Fee Committee, the CIO will present the Technology Fee Budget (First Monday in September).

GUIDELINES FOR FUNDING REQUESTS

The Student Technology Fee is a required fee each semester for all enrolled students.  The primary objective of the technology fee is to provide necessary equipment to meet the projected technology needs for enhanced learning for students.  By Board of Regents standards, technology fees are not to be used to replace current levels of Armstrong Atlantic State University budget allocations for technology expenditures.  The focus of the use of technology fees should be on academic and instructional technology that will directly benefit students.   Examples of fee expenditures includes providing computers, printers, scanners and multimedia equipment for computer labs, purchasing software, improving data network connectivity for student labs and residence halls, and paying for student technical support. 
 
The focus of funding requests should be on academic or instructional technology and distinctions should be drawn between expenditures for administrative applications or scientific and laboratory equipment, and academic or instructional technology. The fees should provide added value to the educational experiences of students. We defined this value to be oriented toward instructional and not oriented toward other services such as housing, registration, advising, record keeping, etc.  Priority will be given to requests that impact the maximum number of students, that improve the quality and availability of resources, aid in the integration of current technology into student learning, and promote interdisciplinary applications of technology.
 
All proposals must meet the requirements of the Technology Fee policy.
 
USG BOR Technology Fee Policy
Armstrong Atlantic State University Technology Fee Policy
 
Proposals for funding requests are accepted from any Armstrong Atlantic State University program, department or student group.  Only proposals that meet the guidelines and schedule established by the TFC and have appropriate endorsement will be considered for funding.  Proposals must not have unresolved obstacles at the time of submission, for example, non-availability of space, unfunded space renovation costs, or technology that cannot be supported by IT Services. 
 
Proposals must account for ongoing and recurring maintenance costs.  IT Services will assist with establishing the potential costs and required maintenance for technology. 
 
 While there is no set cap on the funds that can be requested in a proposal, the requested funds cannot exceed the yearly Technology Fee Committee budget allocation.

SCHEDULE FOR TECHNOLOGY FEE PROPOSALS

Proposal submission begins July 1 and concludes April 1.  It is encouraged that proposals begin the submission process as early as possible in order to ensure that appropriate attention is given by IT Services, the Vice Presidents, and the President’s Cabinet to ensure that it meets criteria. 

Step 1: Technical Verification
All proposals must first be submitted to IT Services (the CIO) for technical verification (see proposal form).  IT Services is available to assist with the formation of the proposal before it reaches the formal application stage.  :

• All proposals should be submitted directly to the CIO.
• IT Services will verify pricing and fit with the current operating environment.
• If a bid is necessary IT Services will assist with the bid process and will plan for a May/June purchase date.
• Emergency or Maintenance related proposals may be processed as early as September.
• All costs should be identified based on 1,2,3,4, or 5 year pricing models.

Step 2:  Prioritization by the Vice Presidents and President’s Cabinet.

• After the proposals are returned from IT Services, they are then submitted to the appropriate Vice President.
• Student Proposals are submitted with either an endorsement of a Faculty Member or SGA and are then submitted to the Vice President of Student Affairs.
• Once submitted, the Vice President will assign a priority 1, 2, or 3 (1 = highest priority and 3 = lowest priority). 
• The VP will forward the proposal to the President’s Cabinet.  The President’s Cabinet will finalize the priorities. The President’s Cabinet will then submit those proposals to IT Services (the CIO).
• IT Services will then post the proposal to the Technology Fee Website and share those proposals with the Technology Fee Committee. 

 Step 3:  Technology Fee Committee Review:

• Verify proposals meet policy guidelines.
• Make recommendations to CIO on purchasing options.
• Proposal Review Dates:
  • Emergency support related proposals may begin as early as September for repairs to existing classroom technology in order to ensure that they remain in working order. All other proposals will be reviewed beginning in March.
  • March (First working Tuesday at noon).
  • April (First working Monday at noon).
  • May (First working Tuesday at noon).
  • June (First working Monday at noon if necessary).

Step 4: Technology Fee Committee Purchase Recommendations:

• Most purchases from this process will be made during May/June timeframe.
• Documentation of all funding requests and their outcome will be made publicly available on the Technology Fee website by the last working day of June.  

All proposals will expire on the last working day of June.