According to the 2008 National Survey of Information Technology in U.S. Higher Education, IT departments at colleges and universities across the country continue to dedicate resources to emergency notification planning and capacity, despite widespread budget cuts.
“Given recent campus tragedies and natural disasters, campus officials have come to recognize that technology is an essential component of a comprehensive crisis management strategy,” said Kenneth C. Green, founding director of The Campus Computing Project.
IT budgets at higher education institutions have felt the effect of the current financial crisis, with more than two-fifths of public universities reporting cuts. However, “the demand for technology resources and services continues to rise, even as the dollars supporting these resources, services and IT staff are cut from institutional budgets,” the study reported.
“Colleges are continuing their commitment to campus security and mass notification initiatives in the face of budget cuts,” said Berkly Trumbo, Director of Emergency Communication Systems at Inova Solutions. “It is a positive step forward that can not be delayed, no matter the economic climate.”
Source: The Campus Computing Project, October 2008, www.campuscomputing.net
