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USM Forum -- Message Board -> AAUP-USM MESSAGE BOARD -> News of Another Former iTech Administrator
Post Info TOPIC: News of Another Former iTech Administrator
oldtimer


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News of Another Former iTech Administrator
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Some of you may remember Horace Fleming's Chief Technology Officer, John McGowan, the self-proclaimed "smartest technology person on campus," and the administrator who combined all the campus information technology units into the Center for Technology Resources, precursor to iTech.


From the "Gazette" column of the August 4th issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education:


"John McGowan, vice president for information technology at Florida International U., to associate vice provost for information technology at U. of Texas at San Antonio."



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http://www.utsa.edu/today/2006/06/mcgowan.cfm

UTSA Today, 6/29/06

UTSA names IT associate vice provost and CIO

...McGowan's previous experience includes oversight of the technical components of multiple campuses including administration, academic and instructional computing systems, and networking. At one university, he implemented PeopleSoft software for student services, financial services and human resources....

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History


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At one university, he implemented PeopleSoft software for student services, financial services and human resources....


He forced the purchase of PeopleSoft.  The only implement he was familiar with, as it applied to people, was the "screw".  His tenure at USM was only to pad his resume.



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oldtimer


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History wrote:


He forced the purchase of PeopleSoft.  The only implement he was familiar with, as it applied to people, was the "screw".  His tenure at USM was only to pad his resume.




Isn't it amazing how certain activities can be 'sanitized' on the resumes of upward-mobility administrative weasels?  My own 'institutional memory' of the transition was the declaration by McGowan that the replacement of the Xerox Sigma-Nine mainframe was needed for financial reasons, and that "Year 2K compliance" meant that we also needed to revise all our software.  Other "expert" announcements from him to Faculty Senate and to the Technology Committee were that "USM can't make the Y2K software revisions with 'in-house' expertise," "every other university in Mississippi will also have to buy commercial software," and "the only alternative to PeopleSoft is Banner, and Banner software doesn't work." 


Of course, this was before Ole Miss and Mississippi State did indeed make their "software upgrades" without selling out to PeopleSoft; before the discovery of the $600K-plus "consultant slush fund" in addition to the exorbitant cost of the individual PeopleSoft program; before the discovery that every PeopleSoft 'module' added to our core programs required large amounts of paid consultant time to make it work; and the announcement from Horace Fleming that we were not able to stop buying twice-yearly 'slipstream upgrades' to the PeopleSoft modules.


Institutional memory - another casualty of the SFT presidency.



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Ironically, John's own wife was one of the people trying her darnedest to explain that PS couldn't handle Continuing Ed's various situations, not that anyone was listening. However, at the time, it was my understanding that Banner wasn't all that hot and MSU and UM were having their own problems. Maybe Invictus can fill us in.

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Coffeedrinker79


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LVN wrote:

Ironically, John's own wife was one of the people trying her darnedest to explain that PS couldn't handle Continuing Ed's various situations, not that anyone was listening. However, at the time, it was my understanding that Banner wasn't all that hot and MSU and UM were having their own problems. Maybe Invictus can fill us in.


MSU is using Banner and UM is using SAP.  Three years ago IHL hired a consulting firm to centralize all the Universities and Colleges under Banner.  IHL spent over $350,000 to determine that is was financially unfeasible and scraped the idea.  Now the state is trying to do the same with all state agencies using one ERP system.  ERP systems (Peoplesoft, Banner, SAP, Oracle and others) are essential for operations.  However, that are very complex and very expensive to maintain.  What John didn’t invest in was people.



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