OPINION

Bring Data

By Kenneth C. Green

Campus investments in IT play a critical role in the new world order of assessment and outcome mandates.

In discussing the Bush Administration’s efforts at education assessment and reform at the annual meeting of the American Council on Education last February, newly appointed Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings told the assembled college presidents, “In God we trust; all others bring data.”

Eleven days later, Spellings, a former senior advisor to then-Texas governor George W. Bush, even personalized the statement when speaking at the annual convention of the National Association of Secondary School Principals: “Back in Texas,” she said, “we like to joke: In God we trust; all others bring data!”

It’s a line that Spellings used a number of times during her inaugural tour following her January 2005 investiture as the nation’s senior education official. Public records (the transcripts of her prepared remarks released by the Department of Education, or news reports filed after her conference presentations and meetings) reveal the Secretary used the “bring data” admonition with several groups, including the Council for American Private Education, the American Association of Community Colleges, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, and the Maryland Governor’s Commission on Quality Education

Give Sec. Spellings (characterized in some news reports as a “self-described education hawk”) credit for successfully encapsulating the key theme of the Bush Administration’s education program into a tightly crafted (and yes, somewhat disarming) message about educational accountability, assessment, and reform: “In God we trust; all others bring data!” The statement is sharp, clear, and compelling; moreover, it seems original. Bring data! Well, it is sharp and clear, but it is not original. A Google search of the phrase reveals that the quip, “In God We Trust; all others bring data!” originates with W. Edwards Deming, the American quality guru whose work on statistical quality control had a profound impact on manufacturing in the United States during the Second World War, and later, the Japanese economy.

IT NEWS

Salt Lake Community College E-Campus

This community college is part of a wave of community colleges that are pushing hard this summer to enroll working students in summer classes online. (Salt Lake Community College Globe) Read more

Apple, Intel to Become Partners

For five years a secret team has been working inside a building on the Apple campus, ensuring--among other things--that each new Mac OS X is class-platform by design and could run on Intel chips "just in case." (San Francisco Chronicle)
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Identity Thieves Spark Review of College Computer Security

"The two-year college was about 90 percent finished tucking its computer system safely behind a new firewall when someone externally accessed information, including encrypted Social Security numbers, from one of the remaining computers." (Toledo Blade) Read more

Wireless Usage at Purdue Doubled in 2004

The school's nearly complete full-campus wireless coverage brought it recognition recently when Intel named Purdue (IN) as one of the best wireless systems among American college campuses. (The Exponent) Read more

RESOURCES

Fighting Infringement on Campus Peer-to-Peer Networks

This article from the Electronic Frontier Foundation offers a white paper titled "When Push Comes to Shove: A Hype-Free Guide to Evaluating Technical Solutions to Copyright on Campus." (EFF) Read more

DEALS, CONTRACTS, AWARDS

Dell Wins Three 'Academy Awards'; U.S. Military, Air Force and Naval Academies Select Dell Systems for Class of 2009

They're getting pretty nice machines, including external 160GB(b) drives, complete warranty service, and As part of a comprehensive solution to help ensure uptime for the incoming Class of 2009 at each academy, and onsite spare parts kits for basic repairs, including spare notebooks to be used as loaners during service. (BusinessWire) Read more

Morehead State Selects Datatel

Datatel, Inc. this week announced that Morehead State University (KY), selected Datatel Colleague and LiquidMatrix ActiveAdmissions products for its campus-wide business requirements. (Datatel) Read more

CDW-G Wins Contracts with Two Higher Ed Organizations

CDW Government, Inc. announced two higher education contracts: a multimedia equipment contract with the Massachusetts Higher Education Consortium (MHEC) and a multiple participation award contract with the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. (Yahoo Business)
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Oklahoma Wesleyan Chooses SunGard SCT Technology for Adult Ed and Student Services

SunGard SCT announced this week that Oklahoma Wesleyan University selected its technology products with plans to create a Unified Digital Campus. The goal is to “improve campus processes,” expand adult education, and offer better online services to its 900 students. (SunGard SCT)
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