A vision for Information Technology at Gainesville State College
The University System of Georgia is poised for a leading position in the nation's public universities and colleges. A unique convergence of forces brings together the resources, the desire, and the vision to revolutionize the role of our universities and colleges. Information Technology is a cornerstone in the new vision of what our University System will become. The utilization of technology serves as the leveraging force by which this System can emerge as a leader within this nation's learning institutions.
The Office of Information Technology at Gainesville State College commits itself to this new vision of the University System of Georgia. This office will coordinate and manage the computing, networking, and information resources of the College in a manner consistent with the vision statement for Gainesville State College and of the University System of Georgia. The following seven statements reflect our vision of Information Technology for Gainesville State College into the 21st Century:
Education of students is the primary mission of the College and will be the guiding force in all Information Technology decisions.
Advancements in computing technology will be closely followed to allow the college to make most appropriate use of these resources in teaching, administrative services and public services.
Gainesville State College will capitalize on the lead we currently hold in providing and utilizing Information Technology for teaching, administration and public service. Local schools and libraries should have access to global information resources.
Students at Gainesville State College should be exposed to current technology and incorporate it into their normal activities.
Information Technology resources that are in public use should represent the most current technology available. We realize that the image of Gainesville State College is closely tied to the first impression visitors have.
Safety of data and Information Technology resources will be a priority of this office.
Experimental use of technology for educational purposes will be encouraged.
SHARED VALUES
Decisions and direction taken by this office will be guided by the following values that we believe are timeless and fundamental:
Education of students is the primary mission of the College and will be the guiding force in all Information Technology decisions.
Hardware and software make things possible, but people make them happen. Continuous improvement of skills within the IT staff will be encouraged, facilitated and expected.
Innovative use of technology in teaching and learning will be promoted and facilitated.
Service to our customers is our primary job.
Everyone in our organization is empowered to make decisions. Experimentation is encouraged. There will be no punishment for failures that result from good faith attempts to improvise and experiment.
Tasks will be performed with quality, tasks that cannot be completed with quality will not be undertaken.
The IT staff believes in problem ownership, once we are introduced to a problem, we own the problem until it has been resolved.
Bureaucracy solves no problems; it is a problem. We should take every opportunity to dismantle arbitrary bureaucratic obstacles.
We do not subscribe to the limited success theory that teaches that for one group to succeed, another group must fail. This theory perpetuates the turf battles and interoffice rivalries that plague many organizations. Our belief is that our success is enhanced by facilitating the success of other groups.
We will embrace active participation with our community and schools, seeking to increase the level of access to information technology in these groups.