Sharing Key College Information Technology Services Through a Consortium

1. Associated Colleges of Central Kansas Sharing Key College Information Technology Services Through a Consortium A forty-five year history of working together to enhance service and reduce cost. Association for Consortium Leadership 2011 Annual Conference October 14, 2011 Jerry W. Smith Executive Director

2. ACCK Members Since 1966 Bethany College Lindsborg, KS  67456 785-227-3311 www.bethanylb.edu McPherson College McPherson, KS  67460 620-242-0400 www.mcpherson.edu Bethel College North Newton, KS  67117 316-283-2500 www.bethelks.edu Sterling College Sterling, KS  67579 620-278-2173 www.sterling.edu Kansas Wesleyan Univ. Salina, KS  67401 785-827-5541 www.kwu.edu Tabor College Hillsboro, KS  67063 620-947-3121 www.tabor.edu ACL 2011 Annual Conference Jerry W. Smith

3. The Associated Colleges of Central Kansas The Associated Colleges of Central Kansas (ACCK) is a consortium of six private colleges located within 40 miles of McPherson, Kansas. Over 4,000 students are enrolled. They are served by faculty and staff of over 800. ACL 2011 Annual Conference Jerry W. Smith

4. ACCK Mission The Associated Colleges of Central Kansas is established:  1)  To be a voluntary association of church-related colleges in close  geographical proximity that represents value-oriented, independent higher education; 2)  To benefit each institution through cooperation that provides economy and enrichment of academic programs, yet preserves individual identity through the unique emphasis of each institution; 3)  To encourage international and intercultural programming, thereby expanding the educational  opportunities available to the members of each college community; 4)  To enhance collegiality among disciplines and administrative offices and the quality of the academic offerings; and 5)  To provide technical assistance of a range and level of sophistication not possible as six separate institutions. ACL 2011 Annual Conference Jerry W. Smith

5. ACCK 2009 Special Education ACCK provides undergraduate endorsement in Special Education Special Education Staff Bev Schottler, Ed.D , Department Head and Assistant Professor Nellie Graber, Ed.S Assistant Professor Kim Smith, Academic Assistant ACL 2011 Annual Conference Jerry W. Smith

6. ACCK Athletic Training ACCK Athletic Training Education Program offers upper level athletic training courses that are taken once a week in McPherson, KS, through a partnership with our accredited member colleges. These courses along with general education, campus required courses and clinical experience prepare students for an entry-level career in athletic training. Students interested in physical therapy or other health care professions can benefit from the hands-on experience and take additional coursework, on their home campus, to prepare for graduate school programs. Russ Graber, Athletic Training Education Director ACL 2011 Annual Conference Jerry W. Smith

7. ACCK Secondary Methods Member institutions offer methods of teaching courses through ACCK as a part of the secondary education programs on each campus.  Courses are offered in the spring semester of each year for the content areas of Math, English, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Speech and Theater, and Foreign Language.  The focus of each course is to provide instruction and practice designed to prepare students for successful teaching at the secondary level.  Courses are taught in McPherson one evening a week and on-line.  Students enroll through any one of the ACCK member institutions.  ACL 2011 Annual Conference Jerry W. Smith

8. Shared Technology Services • Since 1970 ACCK has been providing shared technology services to the member colleges ACL 2011 Annual Conference Jerry W. Smith

9. ACCK Technology • Glen Wiebe was the Director of Computer Services for ACCK during the 1970’s. • This is the DEC PDP 8 timesharing computer. ACL 2011 Annual Conference Jerry W. Smith

10. ACCK Technology 1970’s • Sterling Bulletin 12/23/71 • “A student at Sterling College sits at a typewriter-like keyboard and hesitantly pecks out the word HELP. Instantaneously a computer 35 miles away answers him by means of a message typed out on the same terminal keyboard.” • “The computer is located at the ACCK Central Office in McPherson. Terminals on each of the 6 campuses are connected by regular telephone lines” ACL 2011 Annual Conference Jerry W. Smith

11. ACCK Technology 1970’s Photo by Tony Reed, Wichita Eagle • Wichita Eagle Beacon 12/11/71 article “Invisible Brains’ Challenge Collegians” • “ACCK is believed to be the only formal private consortium of schools to be linked by computer terminals on each campus” • “Some think the computer will be as essential to a college as a library within a few years”, according to Wiebe Haury tries end run around ACCK computer terminal. . . . Wiebe, Balster and Wedel See many uses in future ACL 2011 Annual Conference Jerry W. Smith

12. ACCK Technology 1976 ACCK into new quarters with new computer system • McPherson Sentinel 5/20/76 • The crane is hoisting $200,000 of computer equipment into the new ACCK building at 100 N. Main • “The six colleges will have remote terminals which will connect them to the ACCK computer. . [and] the computer system will be available to all six colleges day and night. .” ACL 2011 Annual Conference Jerry W. Smith

13. ACCK Technology 1980’s • System: S200 Processor with VULCAN Virtual Memory Operating System, 22 ports and leased lines into each of the schools • “All of us. . Believe we have just touched the tip of the iceberg [with] academic computing” (Wiebe, October 1978) 10/81 Computer in a Bethany College classroom ACL 2011 Annual Conference Jerry W. Smith

14. Current Technology Services • ACCK provides Consulting, Training and Help Desk services in support of the ERP • Each College supports its own LAN/WAN and Desktops • Each Campus also has its own campus applications • The ACCK Datacenter hosts the equivalent of 17 servers in a VMware (Windows) virtual and an HP Unix environment. ACL 2011 Annual Conference Jerry W. Smith

15. Current Technology Services (cont.) • ACCK hosts and supports a shared ERP (administrative system) for the 6 member colleges • Jenzabar CX system • Each College has its own database instance (like it’s own system) • There is shared source code but each college has many customizations and individual configurations of the system • All data is housed and managed by ACCK ACL 2011 Annual Conference Jerry W. Smith

16. ERP Modules and Services • The Jenzabar System provides support for all major administrative functions: • Recruiting and Admissions • Registrar (Student Information System) • Housing and Student Life • Business Operations • Learning Management System (e-Racer / Moodle) • Advancement ACL 2011 Annual Conference Jerry W. Smith

17. ERP Modules and Services (cont.) • ACCK provides a range of services and activities supporting the system • Central Help Desk • Liaison to Jenzabar for major problems • Training and Training Coordination • Project management and implementation of upgrades • System administration and DBA functions ACL 2011 Annual Conference Jerry W. Smith

18. ACCK Technology Organization Valerie McDowell Senior Programmer/Analyst (Academic Records) Jesse DeWeese Programmer/Analyst (Academic Records/LMS) James Allen Programmer/Analyst (Advancement/Admissions/Alumni) Kevin Samuelson Programmer/Analyst/Trainer (Advancement/Admissions/Alumni) Russ Francis Systems Analyst/Programmer (Financial) Rita Ownbey Analyst/Trainer (Financial) Randi Gotti Analyst/Trainer (Cognos Report Trainer) • The technology center is staffed by seven analysts. • Each analyst is responsible for the support, implementation and training of users in a functional area of the colleges. ACL 2011 Annual Conference Jerry W. Smith

19. Technology Challenges • Moving from Burger King to McDonalds • ACCK has a history of providing each college with modifications (custom code) to adjust system functionality to preferred process at each college – A “have it your way” approach. • This worked well 15 years ago when there were limited modules and users, and code changed much less frequently. • Today this approach has created major issues in system updating, testing and on-going support. ACL 2011 Annual Conference Jerry W. Smith

20. Technology Challenges (Cont.) • Moving from Burger King to McDonalds • ACCK is in the process of moving to a “consensus” approach. Where the colleges agree to common processes • More of the McDonalds approach focused on consistency and quality. ACL 2011 Annual Conference Jerry W. Smith

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22. Relationship Challenges • ACCK Board (College President’s) are all relatively new in their positions. • Not sure how their future is tied to the other colleges or ACCK • Significant turnover in college staff creates many issues. • Loss of institutional knowledge • Constant need for training • Cautious about investing in individuals • Not a clear vision of the role of ACCK ACL 2011 Annual Conference Jerry W. Smith

23. Organizational & Staffing Challenges • Current level of staffing does not meet service expectations of the colleges • No Service Level Agreement drives high expectations of service, but low levels of ownership. • Current central (off campus) location of staff creates a “distance” issue. • Priorities of staff are hard to establish – the same person doing consulting and training is also doing help desk tickets. ACL 2011 Annual Conference Jerry W. Smith

24. Current Technology Related Activities • Conducting an outside evaluation of the deployment and use of the ERP at each campus • Planning to leverage a new major release of the Jenzabar system as an opportunity to re-set both code and processes • Long – Term ACCK planning meeting has been scheduled with the Board to start the development of a long-range vision and plan • Proposals for new models of staffing and SLA development are underway ACL 2011 Annual Conference Jerry W. Smith

25. Current Technology Related Activities (cont.) • An opportunity to add Associate Members to the consortium is being considered – moving away from the “one-size fits all” model • Looking at other models of consortium organization, such as the ACL members to gain input. ACL 2011 Annual Conference Jerry W. Smith

26. Questions and Comments • Contact Information Jerry Smith Associated Colleges of Central Kansas 210 South Main Street McPherson, Kansas 67460 Voice: (620) 241 – 5150 Fax: (620) 241- 5153 Email: jerry.smith@mail.acck.edu Web:www.acck.edu ACL 2011 Annual Conference Jerry W. Smith