Emphasis One: Computing and Information Environment
Since the pioneering work of John Kemeny and colleagues in the 1960s, Dartmouth has a distinguished history of leadership in computing. Key aspects of "the Kemeny model" were development of a user-friendly campus-wide computing environment, accessibility without charge for faculty and students, and vigorous encouragement of faculty to develop innovative ways to use computing in instruction. In the 1980s, Dartmouth again assumed a leadership role by reinvigorating the Kemeny model, replacing time sharing with the first campus-wide data network and replacing terminals with personal computers for faculty and students ("strongly recommended" initially and, by 1991, required). Dartmouth again encouraged faculty to leverage the new computing environment to enhance instruction by making grants and technical support available. More recently, development of the Dartmouth College Information System has continued the tradition of pioneering campus-wide, easily accessible computing utilities.
Student surveys indicate widespread satisfaction with the Dartmouth computing environment, and faculty report similar satisfaction with the computing environment and instructional support. The Self-Study Report on the Computing and Information Environment makes telling note of this, stating that "Dartmouth's reputation as a leader in computing has been a significant factor in admissions, faculty and staff recruitment, and alumni relations."
The Self-Study Report calls for a bold strategy that builds on Dartmouth's unique strengths in order to retain a leadership position in information technology. The strategy recommends substantial investment in two areas: (1) increasing faculty billets in Computer Science and elsewhere to create a Center for Computational Science, and (2) upgrading the academic computing environment with the goal of substantially increasing the use of technology in teaching and learning. While it is suggested that these two initiatives are related, the points of synergy are not clear to us, and we suggest that each might best be assessed on its own merits.
The Computational Science component builds upon increased student interest in Computer Science, growing dependence on advanced computing approaches for research in numerous other fields, and the College's successful track record in interdisciplinary programs, including collaborations among Arts and Sciences, Business, Engineering, and Medicine. We encountered substantial faculty enthusiasm for a Computational Science initiative, although some faculty expressed concern that in the recent past they have been left to their own devices and grant writing success as regards support for research computing. We endorse the recommendation to develop a plan for this initiative, with the suggestion that special attention be paid to the initial and steady-state technical support costs as well as the opportunities for leveraging the services and technical expertise available in Computing Services. The costs of such an effort are likely to be considerable, however, and the College should not go forward unless it is prepared to follow through with appropriate faculty positions and other resources.
As regards the academic computing environment, seven recommendations are made to upgrade faculty support, four to enhance support for undergraduates, one for graduate students, one to upgrade the network, and one to develop an IT financial plan. While each of the recommendations seems reasonable, collectively they would appear to be quite costly in terms of space, capital equipment, and staffing resources. Moreover, the recommendations appear "additive," with no clear indication of how Dartmouth developed infrastructure or campus-wide access — two hallmarks of previous initiatives — will be leveraged. One suggestion in this regard is to assign a higher priority to the network upgrade, with particular emphasis on ubiquitous wireless access via mobile devices. This has the potential to create a bold "next generation" environment that will catalyze excitement and energy pending the success of the longer gestation and more difficult to assess curricular projects.