The records of the Information Technology Division measure 23.5 linear feet and date from 1976 to 1998; the bulk of the material represents the years 1985 to 1997. The records consist of correspondence, meeting minutes, electronic mail, newspaper clippings, and reports. They document the administration of ITD, the development of computing on campus, UM's role in the development and management of local, regional, and national computer networks, and ITD's participation, largely in the person of Douglas Van Houweling, in a number of computing organizations, most notably EDUCOM and CIESIN (Consortium for International Earth Science Information Network).
The ITD record group is divided into fourteen series including Central Files, Divisions, Networks, University Files, Vendors, Organizations, Deputy Vice-Provost for Information Technology, Vice-Provost for Information Technology, Virginia Rezmerski Files, Computer Sales Program, Computing Sites, Dean's Partnership Program, Software, and Photographs.
Early in 1985, Douglas Van Houweling was appointed to the new position of Vice Provost for Information Technology. Later that year he was named head of a newly formed unit, Information Technology Division (ITD), consolidating academic and administrative computing services at the University of Michigan. By the end of the 1990s, ITD's function had evolved into managing complex computer networking and telecommunication systems while providing leadership in the innovative application of information technology in higher education.
The management of computing resources at the university and the structure of ITD underwent a number of changes and reorganizations through the years concurrent with, and in response to, rapidly changing technology. Prior to 1985, oversight of campus computing activities fell under several jurisdictions. The Academic Computing Center reported to the Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA) while the Data Systems Center was a unit of the Office of Administrative Systems under the Vice President for Finance. The University Committee on Computer Policy and Utilization (UCCPU), established in 1965, was the primary advisory committee to the VPAA on computing issues. The committee coordinated policy among the units and also reviewed all significant computer acquisitions. With the creation of ITD, the UCCPU was disbanded in 1985.
The Computing Policy Committee (CPC), originally proposed in 1984, was established in 1985 as the primary advisory committee to the Vice Provost for Information Technology. Its function was to recommend and review long-range policies for computing, in the broadest sense and covering all parts of the university, and to review budget allocations for computing and information technology. The committee was chaired by the VP for Information Technology; members included the deputy vice provost and director of the computing center, director of administrative systems, director of the University Library, associate director of the University Hospital, eight faculty, two administrators, and (later) two students.
In 1987 it was determined that a single committee could not effectively address both planning and policy issues. The Computing Policy Committee was disbanded and its planning and policy functions divided between the newly created Information Technology General Council (ITGC) and the Information Technology Policies Committee (ITPC). An Executive Computing Committee, comprised of the Vice Provost for Information Technology, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, and Vice President for Research, was made responsible for overall supervision of information technology on campus.
ITD's administrative structure by 1994 included a number of divisions: Computing Center, Office of Administrative Systems (both of which predated ITD), Center for Information Technology Integration, Consulting and Support Services, Instructional Technology Systems, Network Systems, Research Systems, Resource Administration, and University Information Systems.
The Computing Center, established in 1959 as the Academic Computing Center, managed the mainframe computers and provided users with tutorial support and access to terminals, microcomputers, line and laser printers, electronic mail and conferencing systems, network access, and other advanced information technology. In the mid-1960s, Computing Center research staff developed the Michigan Terminal System (MTS) as the operating system on the International Business Machines (IBM) system 360 model 66m, the first university computer with online capabilities. MTS provided a high quality, centralized, interactive facility for time-shared computing that formed the foundation of campus computing activity for two decades.
During the 1980s, two major trends in computing emerged at the university that required a reevaluation of the university's computing resources. First, there was a shift away from mainframe computing to distributed computing, and second, the number of new computer users within the university community increased dramatically. In response to the demands of these new users, the Computing Center introduced new services and equipment, such as public workstations, applications software, and microcomputer education, and began exploring new operating systems as possible alternatives to MTS.
The Office of Administrative Systems (OAS) was divided into five subdivisions: the Data Systems Center, Information Systems Services, Telecommunications Systems, Administrative Support, and Systems Security. The OAS was responsible for "providing information systems containing university data, providing large-scale integrated databases for central administrative functions, and assisting units and individuals with the creation and use of their own systems for administrative computing." The two major projects of the OAS in the mid 1980s were the design and implementation of a new, centralized online admissions system, and the development of UMTel, a new university telecommunications system. The Research Systems, Center for Information Technology Integration, and Instructional Technology divisions undertook significant in-house and collaborative research including software development and testing, educational applications, and development of the Institutional File System.
The Computing Center and ITD were involved early in the development and operation of computer networks. The Merit Computer Network, based at the University of Michigan, was initiated as an educational, inter-university network linking several of Michigan's public universities. Proposals for a network linking the state's major universities were first made in 1964. In 1966, Wayne State, Michigan State, and University of Michigan formed Merit Inc., a non-profit corporation, to develop and manage the network. Development funds were obtained in 1969 from a state appropriation and a National Science Foundation Grant; the network became operational in 1972. Since that time, numerous public and private institutions joined the network. In 1984/1985, the Merit staff and the communications staff of the Computing Center, which oversaw UMNet (the local branch of Merit), were merged. Douglas Van Houweling was named chairman of the Board of Directors of Merit, and Bertram Herzog was selected as the first director in 1968. Eric Aupperle succeeded him in 1974. In 1987 Merit, in partnership with IBM and MCI, won the contract to develop and operate the National Science Foundation's national network backbone, NSFNET, connecting the six NSF supercomputing sites and numerous regional networks and university computing centers. ITD also hosted CICNet, a network linking members of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation, essentially the Big Ten universities and the University of Chicago.
Phase out of MTS, the heart of the university's academic computing system for more than two decades, began in the late 1980s. ITD was redefined to focus on network development and orienting users to a networked environment, while further integrating academic and administrative computing on campus. Gregory Marks, as deputy vice provost for information technology, managed much of the overall internal administration of this evolution from the mid 1980s through the mid 1990s. Van Houweling, functioning as vice provost for information technology and named in 1995 to the newly created post of dean for academic outreach, continued to be involved in a broad array of organizations at the national level, serving on numbers of government, corporate and academic advisory boards and panels.
In 1996, Van Houweling left ITD to become president and chief executive officer of the University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development (UCAID), a consortium of more then 100 universities working with corporate partners and federal agencies to develop Internet2. Jose(-Marie Griffiths was named executive director of ITD and chief information officer for the university. Early in her leadership, she reduced mid-level management and targeted ITD's focus on areas involving direct interaction with customers. In 1999, Griffiths was appointed to the National Research Council (NRC) Computer Science and Telecommunications Board's project on information technology strategy for the Library of Congress. In the same year, she announced the creation of a "'federation' of university information technology organizations to better plan and manage the University's information technology infrastructure and services.1" Griffith charged the newly formed Federation Executive Committee with the responsibility of identifying resources and needs across the university. Griffith's tenure as the second chief information officer ended in 2001. Her departure closed the door on the position of the chief information officer at the university. Instead, two newly formed organizations, Michigan Administrative Information Services (MAIS) and Information Technology Central Services (ITCS) have the responsibility for all aspects of computing at the university. MAIS reports to the office of the executive vice president and chief financial officer and has five core functions, management of three administrative systems Financial, Human Resources, and Student Administration; Integrated Information Delivery; Technical Infrastructure Operation; and User Consulting. Information Technology Central Services reports to the associate provost for academic, information and instructional technology affairs and supports five core divisions, Information Technology Communications Services (ITCS), University of Michigan Computing Environment (UMCE), User Advocate, User Services, and Web Applications, Technologies, and Solutions (WATS).
Commonly Used Acronyms in the Information Technology Division Record Group
- CAEN -- Computer Aided Engineering Network
- CITI -- Center for Information Technology Integration
- ECC -- Executive Computing Committee
- FCE -- Future Computing Environment
- FTP -- File Transfer Protocol
- IFS -- Institutional File System
- ITPC -- Information Technology Policies Committee
- ITAC -- Information Technology Architecture Committee
- ITGC -- Information Technology General Counsel
- MERIT -- Michigan Education and Research Information Triad
- MPP -- Massively Parallel Processing
- MTS -- Michigan Terminal System
- NUBS -- North University Building Station
- OSF -- Open Software Foundation
- ResComp -- Residential Hall Computing
- TQM -- Total Quality Management
- SIGLABS -- Special Interest Group in Labs
- UNYN -- Michigan Union Computing Site
