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By Pat DeWees
Not many people have the opportunity to write a job description for the work they are doing. However, IU Southeast's Lawrence "Larry" R. Mand, interim executive director of integrated technology, is doing just that and enjoying the challenge.
When Mand took the interim two-year position in August 1996, a portion of the job advertisement called for him to "develop, with the Technology Planning and Advisory Committee, a position description for a permanent executive director of integrated technology."
Asked if, based on the job description he is writing, he would apply for the permanent post when it is available, he says he's "not far enough into the job" to decide whether he would take the next step and apply for the permanent position.
"Right now, I've been so busy tackling the tasks that required my immediate attention on campus that I haven't had a chance to really think that far ahead." Mand has received a leave of absence from his post as professor of computer science and business at Southeast. When it comes to technology, the Southeast campus has been recognized as one of the most advanced of the eight higher education institutions in the Louisville region.
The focus of Mand's new position is to evaluate the many rapid changes occurring in technology, initiate the process of reorganizing the delivery of technology throughout the Southeast campus and to formulate clearly defined roles for telecommunications, audio-visual services and computer services. Mand says his immediate goal is "to improve the computing resources of the campus, expand the range of information and services available at the IU Southeast Web site, and to improve and expand distance learning capabilities for the Southeast campus."
Mand and his staff have instituted significant changes since August to improve computing and telephone services at the campus.
The changes include infrastructure upgrades to Southeast's computer network that have provided a dramatic increase in capacity and reliability, installation of the most up-to-date software available in all the computer classrooms and labs across the campus, and the enhancement of Southeast's Web site to allow E-mail access across the Internet.
In addition to the two video-conferencing classrooms available on campus now, another such classroom will be opened and an upgrade of the campus' telecommunications system will be completed this spring.
"Our overall challenge is to provide state-of-the-art technology to students, faculty and staff, and thus advance the mission of the university as a quality center of learning," said Mand.