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Academic IT Budget Request Information for Department Chairs and Program Directors: 2008-2009 Budget Call

As academic departments and programs prepare their 2008-2009 budget requests, DoIT and DTLT would like to offer the following guidance and resources.

General Information

As you are preparing your budget requests, please keep the following things in mind:

  • If you require assistance with costing or specifying any academic IT requests, please email or call Martha Burtis (x1355; mburtis@umw.edu) or Jerry Slezak (x2118; jslezak@umw.edu). We will make every effort to have someone in DTLT work with you prior to the budget call deadline.
  • Requests for replacement systems or new software/hardware should be included on a standard budget request form (in the section marked "Nonpersonal Services).
  • If your department makes use of discipline-specific software, you should consider whether you need to request funds for upgrades or renewals in 2008-2009. You can review DTLT's current inventory of discipline-specific software for further information.
  • Requests for classroom installations/upgrades must be submitted using the separate Classroom Upgrade Request Form.

Requests for Replacement Computers

As you may already know, last spring User Services oversaw a major physical inventory of computing equipment at the University. The data from that inventory is being used to plan for desktop, classroom, and lab computer replacements, with the expectation that older systems will receive the highest priority.

Unfortunately, over the last six months, the University has seen even deeper cuts to the budget used to replace computing systems. As a result, the desktop computer replacement freeze that went into effect in Fall 2006 remains in place. Budget money has been allocated (and is being used) to replace older systems in classrooms and labs (which are not affected by the freeze).

If a department detects urgent replacement needs for the upcoming academic year
(to support, for example, a particular faculty member's upcoming activities), it may explicitly request upgrades as part of the 2008-2009 budget call. We urge departments to focus these requests on urgent, high-priority replacement needs. At the same time, DoIT is continuing to work on a plan to address some portion of the highest-priority replacements with the limited funds available in the 2007-2008 budget.

If you do decide to request replacement computer systems as part of your budget requests, please review our current computer pricing and specifications. These will give you a general sense of the quality and cost of systems that we are currently ordering. Budget requests should reflect these prices. If you believe you need a system that exceeds the specifications outlined on this page, you may contact Martha Burtis or Jerry Slezak to seek further consultation on pricing and specifications.

If you are planning on requesting replacement computers for classrooms or labs, please review our list of recently completed and planned upgrades (for this spring). You may find that some rooms you were planning on submitting a request for are already slated to receive a replacement system.

Requests for Classroom Multimedia Installs/Upgrades

This year, departments are being encouraged to submit individual requests for classroom installations and upgrades. These requests must be submitted using the Classroom Upgrade Request Form. Instructions are included on the form.

Keep in mind that, for these installs/upgrades, you are not likely to be requesting capacities that are new to the University, just new to the location you have in mind. In these times of severe budget constraint, the academic leadership will be considering whether the University is already making full use of similarly outfitted classrooms before proposing more of them.

New Initiatives

If you are proposing a new budget initiative, and you need consultation on any IT-related items, please feel free to contact Martha Burtis or Jerry Slezak for additional assistance. We will make every effort to have someone in DTLT work with you prior to the budget call deadline.