Survey--Technology Directors in the Liberal Arts

I am studying attitudes of IT directors at liberal arts colleges. I wish to determine if the liberal arts philosophies of people's institutions influences how they manage their technology departments. I'm using this short survey to help me identify topics of further investigation.

Please fill out this survey if you are a technology director or equivalent role at a liberal arts college or university who has responsibility for such things as computing services, helpdesk, administrative computing, networking, telecommunications, PC support, et. al. If you primarily deal with faculty computing, instructional technology, and other direct curricular support, I also ask you to fill out the survey, since I'm attempting to determine if there is a difference in attitudes between instructional technology directors and IT directors without direct curricular responsibilities.

What do I mean by "liberal arts college"? I'd suggest going by your Carnegie Classification, although I'd be interested in any small (< 5,000 FTE) college or university with some emphasis on the liberal arts. Or a distinct liberal arts college within a larger institution. Use your judgement and tell me where you're from so I can assess the relevance.

This survey should take 5-10 minutes to complete. If you have any additional comments or feedback please email me at mrichich@drew.edu.

Thank you for your time!

Mike Richichi
Director of Computing and Network Services
Drew University

Years working in current position:

Highest level of education attained:

High school diploma Some college Associate's degree Bachelor's degree Some graduate work Master's degree

 

Areas of responsibility (check all that apply):

Helpdesk Servers (Windows, Linux, Unix, etc.) Storage/backup infrastructure Telecommunications
PC Repair/Support E-mail Instructional Computing Media Resources
Training

Attitudes about technology management

For each of these questions, answer on the scale of 1-5, where 1 is "disagree strongly", 2 is "disagree somewhat", 3 is "neither agree nor disagree", 4 is "agree somewhat", and 5 is "agree strongly". Use "N/A or Don't Know" if the response is not applicable to you or you are otherwise unable to answer.

Question
1
2
3
4
5

N/A or Don't Know
1. My institution has a clearly defined liberal arts mission
2. Directors and administrators are encouraged to leverage the University mission in their duties
3. My areas of responsibilty are seen as critical to the liberal arts mission
4. My areas of responsibility are seen as "plumbing" or "utilities"
5. I am encouraged to partake in professional development activities besides technical training
6. I am encouraged to participate in faculty meetings, university senate, etc.
7. I am part of a cross-constituency technology committee with strategic planning responsibilities
8. I regularly meet with high-level administrators besides my supervisor to discuss technology needs and strategy
9. I formally or informally discuss technology concepts and values with faculty and administrators
10. I am seen by the faculty more as a colleague than as a provider of basic services
11. I consider a conceptual understanding of technology a part of students' overall education

 

Managment skills and philosophy

Question
1
2
3
4
5
N/A or Don't Know
12. I evaluate employees on their conceptual understanding of issues
13. I encourage exploration and analysis of systems and concepts when working on a project
14. I want employees to concentrate on technical documentation for internal use
15. I expect employees to regularly contribute back to the professional community with papers and presentations
16. I emphasize knowing what commands to type and specific programs to run on specific systems
17. I regularly engage in high-level, conceptual technical discussions with my employees
18. I have an "open door" policy
19. Ideas can come from any member of my department, and staff shares in the implementation
20. I expect mid-level employees to be able to present concepts to faculty and administrators
21. I value a liberal arts background and philosophy
22. I provide time or expect employees to openly explore new technologies
23.I value technical certifications and degrees
24. I have firm standards concerning what specific systems, vendors, languages, and technologies are used
25. Completing a task on deadline and to specifications is my most important priority
26. Technical training is the core of my staff's professional development strategy

Other information

Do you believe the liberal arts mission of your institution informs your management and organizational style? Briefly explain how or how not.

 

Are there any other comments you'd like to add?

 

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