MEETING OF THE TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE
OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM
January 11, 2006
Minutes
The Board of Trustees of the Houston Community College System held a Meeting of the
Technology Committee on Wednesday, January 11, 2006, at the System Administration
Building, Seminar Room A, Second Floor, 3100 Main, Houston, Texas.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT
Bruce A. Austin, Chair
Diane Olmos Guzman
COMMITTEE MEMBERS ABSENT
Abel Davila
OTHER BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT
Yolanda Navarro Flores
ADMINISTRATION
Bruce Leslie, Chancellor
Doretha Eason, Deputy to the Chancellor
Charles Cook, Vice Chancellor, Educational Development
Irene Porcarello, Vice Chancellor, Student Success
Gloria Walker, Vice Chancellor, Finance & Administration
Margaret Ford, President, Northeast College
Zachary Hodges, President, Northwest College
Willie Williams, Associate Vice Chancellor, Human Resources
Remmele Young, Director of Government Relations
Bill Meyer, Interim Director of Information Technology
OTHERS PRESENT
Jarvis Hollingsworth, System Counsel, Bracewell & Giuliani
David Wilcox, President, Faculty Senate
Gary Davis, Construction Program Management Consultant, PGAL
Deepak Sharma, Construction Program Management Consultant, PGAL
Lafayette Howell, Managing Partner, Execution Architects Inc.
Other administrators, citizens, and representatives of the news media
CALL TO ORDER
Mr. Austin called the meeting to order at 1:52 p.m. and declared the Committee convened to
consider matters pertaining to the Houston Community College System as listed on the duly
posted Meeting Notice.
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Technology Committee – January 11, 2006 – Page 2
HCC INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) ACTION PLAN
Bill Meyer and the IT team responded to questions submitted by the Board Technology
Committee through a discussion of the IT department’s action plans covering different
components of IT (operational, infrastructure, development, relationship to the CIP plan) from
both short and long-term perspectives.
Functional Analysis of the IT Component
The IT component includes Infrastructure and Systems Support, Enterprise Services and
Application Development. Application Development is responsible for analysis, design,
construction, deployment and maintenance in support of new applications, software upgrades,
and/or enhancements to existing applications. Business applications include PeopleSoft Student,
Finance and Human Resources modules.
Skill Set/Functional Needs Matrix & IT Organization Chart
The Trustees reviewed a matrix of skill sets rating job knowledge as “expert,” “very
knowledgeable, or “somewhat knowledgeable.” Mr. Meyer stated that HCC provides a service
level above industry standards; however, he noted that IT staff still performs many functions
typically performed by the end user in other organizations. He acknowledged the need for more
training in certain areas to keep up with technology.
Inventory of Contracts by Type
Mr. Meyer provided a list of IT contracts, including major acquisitions over $50,000, for the
fiscal year ended December 2005. The most significant expenditures involved hardware
purchases and professional/technical support services. The latter included contracts for
PeopleSoft 8 upgrades and the IT governance project, which were paid.
System and College CIP Plan Integration
Larry Wright, Director of Infrastructure & System Support, explained the four basic areas in
integration design including mobility of students, faculty and staff throughout the institution;
manageability; convergence including services, devices and networks; and security. The IT
group has worked closely with the construction program management team on integrating the
proposed design of upgrades to existing infrastructure with the proposed design of the capital
improvement program. A key piece of the planning process involved examination of the existing
infrastructure and technologies for the purpose of integration. Mr. Wright emphasized the
importance of developing standards for networking, wireless and voice/data/video technologies.
He felt the lack of central control over IT has made standardization more difficult. He has
proposed a project that would bring all HCC wireless networks up to standards and estimated it
would take 2-3 years to complete.
Other initiatives of the CIP plan integration included the following:
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•
•
•
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Upgrade HCC wide area and local area networks
Upgrade phone system to support CIP, voice over IP and network convergence
Converge voice and data wide area networks
Implement advanced systems diagnostics for network and server systems
Implement IP video conferencing
Houston Community College System
Technology Committee – January 11, 2006 – Page 3
Recommended Design of Systems and Subsystems
Dr. Leslie explained that the Board asked PGAL to assist in designing the IT infrastructure as
part of the CIP. Gary Davis with PGAL added that a number of changes to the IT infrastructure
were needed to support collaboration, mobility, security strategies and to refresh aging systems
that are nearing the end of manufacturer support. The team developed the following initiatives
to accomplish these changes. They are listed in order of implementation:
Infrastructure and System Support
• Identity Management and Managed Network – Active Directory Project, which is part of
the security structure of the System
•
Enhanced messaging services with collaboration – replacement of the existing Oracle
system
•
Upgrade HCC wide area and local area networks - provide content filtering capabilities to
prevent access to certain websites and increased bandwidth to support instructional
technology. Mr. Davis answered questions from Trustees regarding opportunities for
sharing information with other organizations with similar platforms.
•
Develop a comprehensive disaster recovery plan - Mr. Austin stated this should be a priority.
Dr. Leslie stated that administration presented a plan two years ago based on setting up
alternate components at Westgate Center. Administration decided this was not the best plan
and halted further work. There is currently a backup system in place although it is not as
thorough and comprehensive as it should be.
•
Implement secure network file storage – provide a reliable, secure location to store files
typically stored on the hard drive
•
Implement a student e-mail system – currently under consideration by the IT Governance
Council
•
Implement System wide, secure wireless to support student, faculty and staff mobility
Application Development
Fheryl Prestage, Director of Application Development, discussed PeopleSoft modules, subdepartments, and projects before the IT Governance Council for evaluation and prioritization.
Mr. Austin asked for a copy of the applications development component in a hierarchal format.
He also asked the Chancellor to look into implementing a technology skill assessment for new
employees to remedy deficiencies and improve employee retention.
Governance System
Lafayette Howell, IT consultant, characterized HCCS’ technology challenges as a “business
problem” instead of a technology problem. He cited declining enrollment, difficulty in doing
business with HCC and limited capital as the major business problems. He felt this was the case
because HCC operates in a support mode. In order to move from a support mode to a strategic
mode, a significant investment must be made to the infrastructure. Mr. Howell recommended a
Houston Community College System
Technology Committee – January 11, 2006 – Page 4
portal strategy to build capabilities and the implementation of a robust network infrastructure.
He presented a ten-year vision statement for consideration.
Six Key Elements of the Strategic Technology Roadmap (proposed by Mr. Howell):
1. Reinvigorate the network infrastructure
2. Lead and support continuous business process improvement
3. Transform the organization model of IT to an internal service company model
4. Provide access to educational opportunities that serve students anywhere/anytime
5. Develop human capital strategies to build skills quickly and effectively
6. Maximize the value of technology investment
There was further discussion on how to evaluate and select the best applications software. Mr.
Howell explained that the IT Governance Council was charged with identifying the right
opportunities at the right time and getting them done in the right way at the right amount of
money. Dr. Leslie added that the Council was composed of representatives from the colleges
and the System.
Mr. Austin felt that the IT leadership was the most significant obstacle to an effective IT
program. Mr. Howell added that the organizational culture prevented open discussion of ideas
for fear of reprisal. Ms. Olmos Guzman stated that the Board must set the example for the
System to follow. Dr. Leslie acknowledged there was an environment of fear in the IT
operation, which he sought to replace with a planning and innovation-based culture. He
remarked we now have a strategic plan for IT and the next step will be to prioritize the strategies
presented by Mr. Howell.
ADJOURNMENT
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 3:30 p.m.
Recorded and Submitted by:
Sharon Wright, Executive Administrative
Assistant, Board Services
Transcribed by:
Linda Gray, Records Officer
Board Services
Minutes Approved as Submitted:
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