Revised: January 2011 - For Tampa campus and USF System Only

• Background
• Guiding Principles
  
• Project Proposals
• Project Format
• Project Evaluation Process - Tampa Campus
• Project Evaluation Process - USF System
• Management of Project
• Management of Fees

Background

The fee is used to enhance the instructional technology resources.

The USF Board of Trustees (BOT) approved the technology fee at 5 percent of tuition beginning Fall semester 2009. Twenty-five percent of the money goes directly to system-wide initiatives, and the rest is distributed amongst the four member institutions and USF health proportional to the amount generated. In academic affairs on the Tampa Campus, ten percent is held back for contingencies and distributed later in the year, and an additional five percent is held in reserve for possible bad debt payments.

• The intent of the BOT approval is to fund large projects, whenever possible, that cannot be implemented under current funding practices.
• Each campus is responsible for their own guiding principles. 
• These guidelines apply only to the Tampa Campus and the USF System projects.

(The following is for the Tampa campus and USF System Proposals Only) 

 Proposals submitted for use of the Student Technology Fee funds shall be prioritized and recommended for funding based on the following proposed criteria:

• Technology that is directly "used to enhance instructional technology resources for students and faculty"
• Supports and aligns with the USF Strategic Plan
• Enhances student access across the institution
• Enhances the student experience and success
• Supports a high utilization rate for student constituent groups
• Provides enhanced technology resources for students and faculty with special needs or disabilities
• Provides enhanced training for student and faculty for use of technology
• Relative cost/rate of return on investment
• Organization’s ability to implement

Project proposals designed for the enhancement of individual courses, classrooms, laboratories, or other program-specific functions will receive low priority, because other fees usually provide support for these purposes.  Additionally, projects should not duplicate support structures but rather attempt to work within and enhance existing programs.

Project proposals shall include resource requirements, as appropriate, for:

• Hardware which meets standards established by the University Technology Standards Board
• Software which meets the standards established by the University Technology Standards Board
• Personnel - OPS and other time-limited appointments; salaries cannot be paid from these funds.

Project financials:

• Projects must be time-limited (up to three years).
• Projects must cover initial purchases and any ongoing costs during the term of the project.  
• Proposals must provide a plan for how the project will be handled at the end of the project period.  If the project requires ongoing support, a plan for sustainability must be provided.

Project proposals can originate from any source within USF, as they pertain to the USF Tampa Campus, including individuals, groups, and formal and informal bodies.  Proposals must be submitted electronically and will be posted to the Technology Fee web site so that they can be viewed by all.

• The deadline for project proposals is 5:00 p.m. on March 6th

Projects submitted at other times may be recommended for funding if evaluated favorably and money is still available. These interim projects should have a high return or provide great benefit from immediate implementation.

Projects and proposals must be submitted on the standard template (http://morpheus.gate.usf.edu:8088/techfeeproposal/default.aspx) and include descriptions of:

• Project details
• Project alignment with USF Strategic Plan
• Benefits provided
• Ways in which student access will be enhanced
• How the student experience will be enhanced
• Which and how many students will be impacted
• How students with special needs or disabilities would be helped
• How training of students and faculty in the use of technology would be enhanced
• Metrics on how success will be measured.
• Resources for the project and projected ongoing resource needs (total cost of ownership for the life of the project) including:

• Any hardware requirements (which comply with standards established by the UTSB)
• Any software requirements (which comply with standards established by the UTSB)
• Any personnel costs – OPS and other time-limited appointments

• Proposed timeline for the project with major milestones and project end dates
• Plan for sustainability of the project beyond the initial project period, if applicable
• Resource matching which might be provided by organizations with appropriate commitment authority documentation
• Organizations that will implement the project (to help determine any additional costs and resource restraints)

The general criteria used in making recommendations on which projects should be prioritized and/or funded include:

Tampa Campus

Four councils are involved in the decision-making (the Student Technology Advisory Council, the Chief Information Officer Council/University Technology Standards Board, the Council on Technology for Instruction and Research, and the Tampa Technology Fee Advisory Council). Each council shall establish criteria based upon these guiding principles to evaluate proposals and make recommendations for funding. The Tampa Technology Fee Advisory Council shall consider the recommendations of the three other committees before making its recommendations and forwarding these to the Vice President for Information Technology and the provost’s office for further consideration. 

Chief Information Officer (CIO) Council/University Technology Standards Board (UTSB)

This group will play an advisory role to the student advisory council and the Tampa Technology Fee Advisory Council (TTFAC) regarding the formulation and submission of proposals and it can also initiate project proposals. Projects which may be suggested by USF administrative personnel can be submitted through the appropriate CIO/UTSB member. The CIO Council/UTSB will assist with cost analysis of proposals and provide input on all proposals to the TTFAC.  The CIO/UTSB will develop a set of evaluation criteria, in concert with the Guiding Principles, which will be used in the process of reviewing proposals and providing recommendations on priorities.
It is expected that CIO/UTSB will forward its recommendations to the STAC and CTIR by March 20th each year. 

Student Technology Advisory Council (STAC)

The Student Technology Advisory Council is comprised of students recruited from across the Tampa campus. The Council will provide a review of proposals and make recommendations on how to move proposals forward. The Council will schedule its own meeting timeframes in order to meet proposal deadlines. The Council will develop its own evaluation criteria and make recommendations on funding and priorities for the submitted proposals.
It is expected that STAC will forward its recommendations to the TTFAC by April 4th each year.

Council on Technology for Instruction and Research (CTIR)

The Council on Technology for Instruction and Research is a USF Tampa Faculty Senate council comprised of faculty, students and staff. It is responsible for advising the USF Tampa Faculty Senate and the Provost on all matters pertaining to the function, policies, and requirements regarding the use of technology in instruction and research. The Council will provide a review of proposals and make recommendations on how to move proposals forward. The Council will schedule its own meeting timeframes in order to meet proposal deadlines. The Council will develop its own evaluation criteria and make recommendations on funding and priorities for the submitted proposals.
It is expected that CTIR will forward its recommendations to the Tampa Technology Fee Advisory Council by April 4th each year. 

Tampa Technology Fee Advisory Council (TTFAC)

The TTFAC, comprised of 19 members, includes students, faculty and administrators recruited from across the Tampa campus. The TTFAC will develop its evaluation criteria, in concert with the Guiding Principles, which will be used in the development of proposal recommendations and prioritization. The TTFAC will make the recommendations regarding funding, taking into account the recommendations of the STAC, CIO/UTSB and the CTIR.
It is expected that TTFAC will complete its evaluations and forward the recommendations to the Provost and Vice President of IT by April 20th each year.

Two councils are involved in the decision-making (the Student Technology Advisory Council and the Chief Information Office Council/University Technology Standards Board).  Each council shall establish criteria based upon these guiding principles to evaluation proposals and make recommendations for funding. 

Chief Information Officer (CIO) Council/University Technology Standards Board (UTSB)

This group will play an advisory role to the student advisory council and the System Vice President of Information Technology (VP of IT) regarding the formulation and submission of proposals and it can also initiate project proposals. Projects which may be suggested by USF administrative personnel can be submitted through the appropriate CIO/UTSB member. The CIO Council/UTSB will assist with cost analysis of proposals and provide input on all proposals to the VP of IT.  The CIO/UTSB will develop a set of evaluation criteria, in concert with the Guiding Principles, which will be used in the process of reviewing proposals and providing recommendations on priorities.
It is expected that CIO/UTSB will forward its recommendations to the STAC  by March 20th each year. 

Student Technology Advisory Council (STAC)

The Student Technology Advisory Council is comprised of students recruited from across the USF system. The Council will provide a review of proposals and make recommendations on how to move proposals forward. The Council will schedule its own meeting timeframes in order to meet proposal deadlines. The Council will develop its own evaluation criteria and make recommendations on funding and priorities for the submitted proposals.
It is expected that STAC will forward its recommendations to the VP of IT by April 20th each year.

Faculty Input

Faculty input should be formulated through existing regional faculty advisory boards.  The input should then be provided to the respective members of the CIO/UTSB or STAC for consideration during their prioritization processes.  Regional faculty advisory board will need to determine how best to move recommendations on proposals forward and need to schedule their timeframes in order to meet proposal process deadlines.

(For Tampa and USF System Projects)

Project management:

• The Division of Information Technology will provide oversight on all projects.
• An Information Technology Director will be responsible and accountable for each project which is approved for funding.
• The project preparer (PI) in conjunction with the IT Director for the project shall be responsible and accountable for all project components, including scale/scope, monitoring, maintaining and metric measurements.
• Cost monitoring must be maintained.
• Project changes that necessitate increased costs must be approved by the TTFAC and/or the Vice President for IT before proceeding.
• Project reporting is required quarterly, mapping actual to identified success criteria (metrics).
• A final project report is required.
• Projects will be closed out with all accounting entries.
• An appropriate level of project management will be applied by the implementing organization.

The following principles will apply to management of the fees collected:

• Funds from the Technology Fee should not be used to offset reductions in technology organization budgets.
• Fees will be collected and maintained in a dedicated account and all expenditures for projects funded from the account will be approved and paid from that account.
• Allocations of funding will be made at approximately 75 percent of collected fees for the year and 15 percent being maintained for interim cycle projects and contingencies.
• In the interim cycle, the TTFAC may recommend projects for funding to the Vice President for IT which are time-sensitive or less than $50,000. Projects exceeding these thresholds shall go before the four standing committees (STAC, CIO/UTSB, CTIR, and TTFAC) for recommendation.
• The Technology Fee has been exempted from administrative overhead assessment.  Actual costs expended for administrative oversight of funded projects (including project management, reporting, account reconciliation, and other fiscal responsibilities) may be reimbursed or expended from the Technology Fee.  All costs for administrative oversight will be included in the quarterly reporting.
• An objective cost review will be conducted in order to assure accurate estimates.
• Reports on project expenditures will be made by IT Financial Management on a periodic basis.
• Unused funding for projects will be returned to the fund for other projects.

Guiding Principles Document - Tampa

Guiding Principles Document - USF System