College Tech Officers Laid Off? - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Nov 30, 2005

College Tech Officers Laid Off?

Date: Nov 30, 2005

What is a College Tech Officer and what do they do?

Date: Nov 30, 2005

This is correct. The decision is coming down today and will be announced shortly after.

Date: Nov 30, 2005

Question wrote:

What is a College Tech Officer and what do they do?

The CTO is the person who manages technology within each college...sort of a liason between the college and iTech. Ours is pretty good, and the iTechers hardly ever have to come to our building. Another case of poor decision-making. My college has a new, apparently boondoggle-like "Coordinator of Alternative Learning" (wtf does that mean?) that it can afford to pay, but we can't keep our good tech guy.

Date: Nov 30, 2005

When you don't know squat about diddly, it's best not to show off your ignorance.

Date: Nov 30, 2005

The One Man Gang wrote:

Rumor has been circulating that all College Technology Officer positions will be cut. Colleges cannot pay for the positions, and Grimes apparently refuses to do so. Grimes' solution: all CTOs go to iTech and work for minimum wage. Merry Christmas, CTOs!

My understanding is that the Executive Board (SFT, VPs) over iTech demanded written documentation to explain what exactly the CTOs do in each college and the deans had until today to provide that. The deans had been trying to get the CTO salary lines placed in their colleges (they are paid by iTech even though they are answerable to their respective colleges/deans), but the Exec. Board wanted more information before allowing that. So, if the CTOs go back to working for iTech in some capacity, it is not likely that their salaries would necessarily change since they are already paid through iTech salary lines. Speaking for my college, no one on the faculty, to my knowledge, has any idea what our CTO does, as he doesn't interact with faculty at all. And the dean's office employs a separate web person to run an off-campus website.

Date: Nov 30, 2005

Patience, Grasshoppers wrote:

When you don't know squat about diddly, it's best not to show off your ignorance.

I heard this today straight from the mouth of one of these individuals, and that person was convinced that the situation was real. [edited]

Date: Nov 30, 2005

What's In Your Wallet? wrote:

I heard this today straight from the mouth of one of these individuals, and that person was convinced that the situation was real.[edited]

Touchy, touchy pal! Such nice talk. Your extrapolation from a little bit of truth is what displayed the ignorance to which I referred. Let's see how this plays out, shall we? Will you promise to eat your ugly words when it's all said and done?

Date: Nov 30, 2005

maybe if they move back to itech things will improve for the colleges.

Date: Nov 30, 2005

What's In Your Wallet? wrote:

My college has a new, apparently boondoggle-like "Coordinator of Alternative Learning" (wtf does that mean?) that it can afford to pay, but we can't keep our good tech guy.

Is that her title? I thought it was "Dean's Eye Candy."

Date: Nov 30, 2005

What a joke these positions are. USM is in full digital meltdown.

Date: Nov 30, 2005

what is the point in taking them out of the colleges?

Date: Dec 1, 2005

What is the point of keeping them in the college? I have not seen any benefit in my college.

Date: Dec 1, 2005

CII, What college are you in?

Date: Dec 1, 2005

CII makes a valid point, what difference does it make?

It would be difficult for one person to make a difference with so many technical challenges and more than a couple of challenging personalities at the university. Perhaps your College Tech Officer didn't have a positive impact on your college, but maybe he/she did. It would really depend on your expectations.

Mr. Coffman, the CIO, and all but two of the iTech directors/leadership (one of whom is now in the department of computer science) have worked against the CTO's from the beginning. From their unwillingness to make the iTech budget and processes transparent to subverting an IHL study, requested by Thomas Colbert I think, they are determined to remain unaccountable. The College Tech Officers put a lot of energy into making iTech more responsive and accountable to the academic departments. But without the backing of the faculty they were trying to help, it didn’t go very far. – That isn’t to say the faculty dropped the ball, but that it shouldn’t require a slice of the faculty’s time to have the university IT department do what it is supposed to do. That was one of the College Tech Officers’ most important roles. I suspect the administration, and Mr. Coffman, wished they would have taken that role from them sooner.

This last Tuesday we had a two and a half hour IT Advisory Board meeting in Union Room A. That meeting was a perfect example of what the College Tech Officers have endured for the past two years. The administration’s right arm of data collection, iTech, has no interest in responding to the requests or inquiries of the faculty. As far as they are concerned faculty get in the way of doing the administrations next pet project, or their own. They will you throw a bone now and again, and to the SGA, but its just, “Hair and lipstick,” to borrow one of Lisa M’s phrases.

All the College Tech Officers seem to be good people. The one’s I know personally, care about what happens at the university, including the challenging personalities among us.

Date: Dec 2, 2005

The CTOs have been told they will have to apply for an existing job opening in iTech or they have no job - they will no longer work in the colleges. This, on top of the physical plant outsourcing, makes for a not-so-cheerful Christmas for many in the USM family.

Date: Dec 2, 2005

What's In Your Wallet? wrote:

Question wrote: What is a College Tech Officer and what do they do? The CTO is the person who manages technology within each college...sort of a liason between the college and iTech. Ours is pretty good, and the iTechers hardly ever have to come to our building. Another case of poor decision-making. My college has a new, apparently boondoggle-like "Coordinator of Alternative Learning" (wtf does that mean?) that it can afford to pay, but we can't keep our good tech guy.

As I understand it, a "coordinator of alternative learning" in each college was the transferrence of the old continuing education duties regarding online classes, et al. to each college. Somebody has to do it.

I have heard, though, that the colleges (deans) will NOT be getting the money they were told they would get in order to run alternative learning. I also heard that Lassen told the deans that if they don't have the money they shouldn't offer the classes.

I posted this elsewhere, but I also understand that the continuing ed money is being funnelled into the "learning enhancement center" that is now Dr. Cynthia Moore's pet project. Maybe a learning enhancement center is a good thing, I don't know, but I do know that deans need to have control over reasonable budgets. I get the distinct impression that Thames doesn't believe that the deans are doing such a great job with their budgets or with determining who gets raises in their colleges or with making faculty work hard(er) etc. I wonder how much more punishment the deans can take.

Amy Young

Date: Dec 2, 2005

Amy Young wrote:

As I understand it, a "coordinator of alternative learning" in each college was the transferrence of the old continuing education duties regarding online classes, et al. to each college. Somebody has to do it.
I have heard, though, that the colleges (deans) will NOT be getting the money they were told they would get in order to run alternative learning. I also heard that Lassen told the deans that if they don't have the money they shouldn't offer the classes.
I posted this elsewhere, but I also understand that the continuing ed money is being funnelled into the "learning enhancement center" that is now Dr. Cynthia Moore's pet project. Maybe a learning enhancement center is a good thing, I don't know, but I do know that deans need to have control over reasonable budgets. I get the distinct impression that Thames doesn't believe that the deans are doing such a great job with their budgets or with determining who gets raises in their colleges or with making faculty work hard(er) etc. I wonder how much more punishment the deans can take.
Amy Young

If the colleges don't get money to run alternative learning and if the colleges can't get that money in addition to the money it takes to keep the traditional college environment afloat, then "alternative learning" should go on hiatus. In my college, the decision has been made to hire a Coordinator of Alternative Learning (CAL), and we don't even offer much in the way of alternative learning. However, the CAL is being paid with money that could be used to pay the CTO, who is about to be laid off. So I ask: Which is more important, alternative learning that benefits a relative few or tech support that makes teaching, research, and service possible?

There are some whose hearts bleed for alternative learning, but our primary focus is learning here on campus, and I'm not quite sure why we are willing to mortgage the on-campus learning so that we can offer online, correspondence, or other methods of instruction. It's like building a house on a poor foundation...it will collapse.

Whether or not the LEC is getting money from other budgetary areas is just another Thamesian activity. The deans have stopped standing up to Thames and are giving him his way all the time now. Why? He's a lame duck. I thought lame ducks had reduced power, not increased power, but our deans apparently feel the need to kowtow to him at a much more frequent rate than before.

If Thames is in fact doing some of this stuff, I'd bet that Meredith would like to know about it, and I'd also bet that Meredith would have a thing or two to say about how Thames is doing all of this stuff. It's amazing to me just how full of venom this board was while fighting Thames, but now that he's in check, there's almost an attitude of appeasement until his term is over.

Date: Dec 2, 2005

Where are you seeing an attitude of appeasement on this board? What you may be seeing is instead a combination of exhaustion, realignment of priorities (getting a roof back on one's house, or indeed a house back on one's slab) as well as three year's attrition of Thames' foes. Many of the strongest voices are gone.

Date: Dec 2, 2005

WIYW, I agree with almost everything you say except that Thames is a lame duck with no power. Obviously everything from the awarding of super raises to his favorite higher (and already highly paid) administrators, to shoving "alternative learning" down our throats, to cutting the rug out from under deans, argues against the powerless ducky Thames.

What I meant to imply was that in actuality, nobody really seems to be in charge or has the ability to make decisions (including to outsource physical plant) but Thames.

I love your nom!

Amy Young

Date: Dec 2, 2005

I posted this elsewhere, but I also understand that the continuing ed money is being funnelled into the "learning enhancement center" that is now Dr. Cynthia Moore's pet project.

It is my understanding the the grant funding for the LEC runs out in June. They need to find another source of funding on campus or else they will go the way of Physical plant. I am not sure if this money is being funnelled into the learning enhancement center at this time.

So I am sure CM is trying to find sources of funding, possibly even CTO funds or savings from outsourcing Physical plant, to keep the Learning Enhancement Center here.

Date: Dec 2, 2005

Amy Young wrote "the deans have stopped standing up to Thames...

The deans have stood up, sat down, turned cartwheels, made appeals, provided data, gone public, argued in private....Shelby has never listened to one word they've said. What are they supposed to do? He and the rest of the crew are a stone wall. He's no lame duck, but it has nothing to do with what the deans do, or don't say. He feels free to do whatever he wants.

Date: Dec 2, 2005

If the deans disagree with Shelby and he does not listen to them. Maybe they should step-down or walk in protest. Do nothing empowers Shelby. Your argument is that the deans have no spine.

Date: Dec 2, 2005

Integrity wrote:

If the deans disagree with Shelby and he does not listen to them. Maybe they should step-down or walk in protest. Do nothing empowers Shelby. Your argument is that the deans have no spine.

Integrity,

Your logic is impecable! I can't argue with that, although my dean has tried to assure me in the past that he worked "behind the scenes" and one day he'll tell me the details. I wonder, though, if you meant that the deans have no spine or the deans have no spineS? Maybe they are actually kinda like the borg (spelled correctly) from star trek and they collectively make up an organism that may or may not have a spine?

At this point, either the deans agree with the methods of the president or they should make a collective statement about it, especially given the latest finger-pointing letter sent to the deans from the provost on Monday, essentially blaming the deans for not following the faculty handbook for the last round of raises.

Amy Young

Date: Dec 2, 2005

According to huh?

Amy Young wrote "the deans have stopped standing up to Thames...

huh? then responded: The deans have stood up, sat down, turned cartwheels, made appeals, provided data, gone public, argued in private....Shelby has never listened to one word they've said. What are they supposed to do? He and the rest of the crew are a stone wall. He's no lame duck, but it has nothing to do with what the deans do, or don't say. He feels free to do whatever he wants.

Was it really Amy Young who said that?

Date: Dec 2, 2005

If ever I said the "the deans had stopped standing up to Thames" it would have been about the time they locked Gary and Frank out of their offices.

Amy Young

Date: Dec 3, 2005

A big thank you to everyone! I have made many friends here, and appreciate you one and all.

I wonder. Have so many appalling things happened that we are all a bit numb? Under more normal circumstances would people be outraged about what happens around here?

Just wondering.

Take care, be well, and have a most wonderful break!

-Brandon

Date: Dec 3, 2005

-Brandon wrote:

Have so many appalling things happened that we are all a bit numb? Under more normal circumstances would people be outraged about what happens around here?

I observed appalling things here when I first arrived. If I'd had my wits about me I would have left at the end of the semester.

Date: Dec 3, 2005

I have friends who were/are CTOs and I think they are very useful to the colleges, even if not everyone in the colleges sees them. (Frankly, can you ever say you see everyone in your respective colleges?)

Part of what the CTOs have been doing is making sure technology-related things get done. That could be something as big as a new server or as small as a web site bookmark that got lost. Not that a CTO wants to deal with lost bookmarks each day, but they are technology-laden people who are *devoted* to a single college rather than having assignments thrown to them willy-nilly, campus wide, as an average iTech tech. In some cases they handle problems by themselves, in others they may rely upon iTech support. But, they could get to know the needs of the college as a whole as well as the people within it, and could be FAR more efficient in meeting the needs of that college than anyone else could be.

I think that the battle over the CTOs is nothing more than a battle over money and pride. Plain and simple. The CTO position is a good invention. Now that their salaries are coveted and their control is also coveted, well, they are falling into disfavor with some. The iTech operation is bleeding horribly and cannot support this university as of right now, and to cut the CTOs from the operation is to further hurt this university's ability to acquire and implement technology.

Knowing that, what a bonehead move it is to do anything harmful to the CTOs... but, since logic goes out the window at USM each morning around 8:00, it will probably happen. It's a very sad thing to see a good idea get trashed like this. And let there be no doubt, the folks who are/were CTOs are very, very good people and need to be kept here, not thrown out. It's a horrible tragedy to do so - one of USM's worst moments, should it occur.

Date: Dec 3, 2005

ah, yes! Golf claps all around for the Pileum CTO invention.....(let's give credit where credit is due).....golf claps!!! Technology at USM will be going to heck in a handbasket without the CTOs!!