Information systems are becoming more than computer systems, with new equipment and techniques combining with data processing to form a new field called information technology. The emerging discipline of systems engineering is discussed along with nine systems engineering techniques. An organization chart of an information services department is…

Distributed computer processing, increasingly common on campuses, brings the convenience of open and broad access to information but must be combined with well-planned and regularly reviewed security measures. Ethical codes must be defined and followed, and a combination of security components required to gain access should be used when possible.…

A procedure called "Services/Requirements Analysis" is proposed as a means of improving input to institutional management information systems. The procedure profiles the office's information needs and limitations and identifies benefit groups, all according to user perceptions and not the assumptions of the technological community. (MSE)

Issues and considerations likely to be confronted in designing and constructing longitudinal institutional databases or studies are examined, including operational definitions of retention and attrition. The intent is to reduce current limitations in dropout research. (MSE)

A student information system, repository of most essential customer information and registration data, is especially vulnerable to data corruption because of its many different users. A hypothetical case illustrates how service to a college applicant can be compromised by inattention in system use. Specific areas of system vulnerability are noted,…