IT Services
Student Technology Fee

FY06 Technology Fee Management Plan
December 2004

PURPOSE

The general computer technology fee approved by the Board of Education at the March 18, 2002 meeting created a new source of revenue for the college. The FY05 plan is intended to provide general information about the technology fee, specific management guidelines and instructions for applying for funding. 

FUND MANAGEMENT

The AVP for Information Technology, with TACT as the advisory board, manages the fund for the college. During the first three years of operation the principal fund objectives were clarified. In order of priority, they are:

• Adequately maintain existing technology
• Provide increased student access to existing technology
• Establish a student technology reserve fund
• Fund new technology

CRITERIA

Requests for funding with the general computer technology fee will be ranked using these criteria:

• Technology that impacts students

This criterion gives priority to uses that provide the greatest benefit to the greatest number of students.

• Alignment with college plans

This criterion gives priority to uses that support college plans and initiatives like the Technology Vision and Guiding Principles , the LASR project or SLI initiatives regarding technology that impacts students.  

• Other resources available to the requesting unit

This criterion recognizes that some units have multiple sources of funding available. It gives priority to units without other funding sources.

FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY

TACT reserves a portion of each year's revenue to maintain the fiscal stability of the fund. For FY05 TACT reserved 4.5% for bad debt, 0% for a student technology reserve fund and 7.5% for contingency.

The bad debt reserve percentage is fixed by the college, TACT re-evaluates the other percentages each year. The reserve fund reached acceptable levels during FY04, therefore TACT did not recommend adding to it in FY05. The contingency will be used to fund requests received during the 2004-05 academic year.

PROCESS

The AVP for Information Technology, in consultation with TACT, will manage the funding process.

Annual funding process:

• This process coincides with the college budgeting cycle.
• Requests for FY06 are submitted as part of the Unit Plan.
• Multiple requests from one department must be ranked by priority
• A contact person must be included with each request in case additional information is required.
• Requests will be reviewed by the AVP for IT and TACT.
• Decision on funding requests will be made by May 15.

Contingency funding process, similar to the annual funding process, except:

• Contingency requests may be submitted at any time during the year.
• Requests must be submitted by a departmental manager.
• Multiple requests from one department must be ranked by priority.
• The AVP for IT will review and approve contingency requests as appropriate

FUND GUIDELINES

Some guidelines that TACT has established:

• Funds are applied to instructional computer technology uses (as opposed to, for example, automotive technology).
• Funds may be used for hourly lab assistants, but cannot be used to fund any salaried positions.
• All expenditures must remain in the technology fund (that is, the FUND code used on all expenses must be 926500).
• Any department funding allocation remaining at the end of each fiscal year will be returned into the technology fund (that is, there is no departmental carryover).
• Any expenditure in excess of the approved allocation is the responsibility of the department.
• Collaborative initiatives are encouraged.