Three years have passed since individual University departments and colleges have been able to apply for discipline-specific grants funded by the Student Technology Fee.
Around $1 million of the $4 million the tech fee generates annually were allocated every fiscal year for discipline-specific spending until the 2010 fiscal year, when that money was shifted to support University Information Technology Services amid budget concerns. Discipline-specific grants were awarded to departments that requested tech fee money to purchase materials that would benefit their students in specific areas of study.
At a meeting on Sept. 24, the Student Technology Fee Oversight Committee discussed the possibility of opening up $350,000 of currently uncommitted tech fee funds to discipline-specific projects this fiscal year. Committee members expressed hope that discipline-specific funding will be reintroduced next fiscal year.
Honors College Assistant Dean Michael Blandino said discipline-specific awards enabled the Honors College to purchase basic instructional technologies like projectors. The Honors College’s special classrooms are not covered by general classroom outfitting funds allocated in the tech fee budget, he said.
Tech fee approvals for the 2010 fiscal year show the Honors College was given $7,299 to replace an audio/visual cart Blandino said was about 10 years old. He said there is now more aging equipment that needs replacing in the Honors College, but that may be difficult to accomplish without discipline-specific funds.
“This source is really our only means to do that,” Blandino said.
He said the French House, the Honors College’s headquarters, is scheduled for renovation next year. He said the Honors College would like to outfit the updated building with more collaborative spaces with work stations but may be unable to do so.
“We may be plugging back in the equipment we have now once that’s done if there’s no means for us to propose for replacement of that,” Blandino said.
Dean of the College of Music and Dramatic Arts Laurence Kaptain said being able to keep up with new technologies is essential to academic success.
“The iPhone wasn’t invented until five years ago,” he said. “So if you’re looking at how that’s changed things and how people expect to be able to interact with professors and do some of their learning through mobile technology, that’s too long without an update.”
Kaptain said since creative people are often on the cutting edge of technology, it is important for CMDA to keep up to date as well. Learning how to use relevant technologies while at college is essential because much of the work done in music- and arts-related careers is now computerized, he said.
“We really want our students … if they go to graduate school or to a job to be the leaders where they’re at,” Kaptain said. “And that helps everyone because then that makes their degree more valuable when they’re perceived as coming from LSU and really being advanced at things.”
In 2009, CMDA was able to purchase items like light panels, microphones and podcasting kits with tech fee funds. The listing of tech fee approvals for that fiscal year shows CMDA was awarded about $76,000 for “replacing and remaining technology in the CMDA.”
Kaptain said the $76,000 received in 2009 led to millions of dollars in benefits because of the money CMDA generates through its programs.
Because discipline-specific grants were cut out, CMDA has used leftover teaching funds, donations and ticket income from concerts and plays to purchase equipment. Kaptain said this money would normally pay for scholarships and travel expenses.
Like the Honors College, CMDA faces a need to replace outdated equipment but lacks the tech fee grants that paid for the original items. One potential purchase Kaptain mentioned was new pianos, which he said would benefit all music undergraduate students because of a requirement to take a piano class.
Kaptain also said he would like to introduce degree programs in sound recording and music writing for moving images, both of which would require modern technological equipment. If discipline-specific funding becomes available again, these programs would be more feasible, he said.
Kaptain said the music writing for moving images degree is of particular interest for Louisiana due to its growing film industry.
“If we’re training people to support the film industry, then we’re supporting our students here, our faculty and our citizens who will benefit from the creative economy,” Kaptain said.
Part of these and other CMDA endeavors involves reaching out to grade school students, Kaptain said. He pointed out that many local schools do not offer arts education, which CMDA could provide through distance learning programs if awarded a discipline-specific grant.
“Rather than talk about buying equipment, I would talk about what would give us the chance to change lives,” he said.