Student Technology Fee
The Proposal and Ranking
All proposals must be submitted online via the web-based tool. All proposals should be completed in their entirety as incomplete proposals may prohibit committees from making award decisions. Some proposed initiatives may require collaboration with Facilities or Information Systems and Technology’s (IS&T) staff to ensure that projects are in compliance with the university’s facilities and technology guidelines. Any recommendations, standards, and costs for services should be used in the development of your proposal and its budget justification. For assistance in determining Facilities and IS&T related costs, contact us at techfee@gsu.edu.
Step 1: Complete the entire proposal form and budget justifications utilizing the web-based tool by the deadline.
Step 2: Deans and Vice Presidents rank all proposals for their specific college or administrative unit. Tech Fee Unit Coordinators enter rankings into the web-based tool by the proposal deadline.
Granting Awards
During the award-granting phase, colleges and administrative units evaluate all of their proposals and their accompanying rankings. This effort is led by the Unit Coordinator role. An award recommendation is determined and submitted to IS&T. IS&T reviews all award recommendations and makes a final award granting recommendation to the Fiscal Advisory Council to the President (FACP) on behalf of all colleges and administrative offices. For a list of Unit Coordinators for the current fiscal year, use the “People” link in the left menu bar of this page.
Step 3: Unit Coordinators lead colleges and administrative offices in evaluating all proposals for their given unit and documenting an award recommendation to IS&T.
Step 4: IS&T reviews all award recommendations and makes a final award recommendation to the FACP.
Step 5: FACP approves or declines approval of final award recommendations from the Tech Fee Sub-committee.
Post Award
Spending
Spending is one of the most lucrative stages in the tech fee process; the benefit being the educational enhancements our students receive from the implementation of technology throughout the university.
Once you have been notified that your proposal has been funded, it is imperative that you follow all spending guidelines, as outline in your award letter, prior to the spending deadline. Award letters are sent late spring; however, budgets are not available for spending until the start of the fiscal year, July 1. The deadline to spend funds is the same every year, January 31st.
Step 6: Implement your project(s) using the funds awarded by the January spending deadline.
Project Status Report
Project status reports are a requirement of the post award stage. Status reports allow university executives as well as auditors, governing associations and other university constituents the opportunity to see what progress was made with technology fees. As an educational institution, we are proud of our successes; this is an opportunity to share that success. Status reports are due each year the last Friday in July. For a list of all deadlines, use the “Important Dates” link under “Proposal Process” in the left menu bar.
Step 7: Submit your project status reports to techfee@gsu.edu by the deadline July.
GSU Proposal Guidelines
These apply to new standard proposals ONLY.
- Technology Fees should be used primarily to benefit student learning. Innovation and high student impact are encouraged.
- Technology Fees may be used to assure there are sufficient campus licenses for primary productivity software.
- Technology fees may be used for hardware and network related expenditures.
- Technology Fee Revenues may be used for training of students, staff and faculty.
- Technology fee revenues may be used for new temporary staffing. Staffing must significantly improve the viability and successful implementation of the project. Provision must be made for sustaining staffing if it is needed at the project’s conclusion. Funding ongoing staffing is strongly discouraged.
- In almost no cases should tech fee revenues be used for administrative software or administrative software implementation.
- Tech fee revenues may be used for research equipment that primarily benefits student learning.
- Tech fee revenue may be used with caution for space renovation and/or furniture. Renovation must be in direct support of the technology in the project.
- Funding for one year does not guarantee funding in any subsequent years.
BoR Appropriate Use
There are two basic principles governing use of student technology fees: Student technology fees should be used to support, not supplant, normal levels of technology spending. Institutions should be able to provide evidence that overall institution technology expenditures clearly reflect that expenditures based upon fee revenues are above and beyond normal levels. The focus of student technology fees should be on academic or instructional technology. Distinctions should be drawn between expenditures for administrative applications or scientific and laboratory equipment, and instructional technology. Technology fee revenues should be used for the primary benefit of students by:
- Directing expenses to assist students in meeting educational objectives of their academic programs
- Ensuring that there are sufficient campus software licenses, so that students have easy access to “technological” tools needed in their chosen disciplines
- Ensuring that “computer” labs used by students are adequately equipped and have sufficient network bandwidth and appropriate internet access
- Providing training for students in the use of computing and networking resources, when needed. Generally faculty and staff training should be paid for from general operating funds, but faculty and staff may avail themselves of student training sessions if space permits
- Leveraging with other funds to yield greater resources for students; (Technology fee revenues may be combined with another fund source(s) to make purchases that will enhance technological resources provided to students)
- Providing new staffing only when it will clearly add documented value for students. Under no circumstances can technology fees be used to fund existing positions that would otherwise be cut from an operational budget, nor should fees be used to fund general computing and networking positions that have a significant administrative or research support component
DATE |
APPLIES TO |
EVENT |
| March 1, 2013 | FY 2013 Award Recipients | Final Project Status Report for FY 2013 awards due. Dept. Coordinators should e-mail final reports to techfee@gsu.edu. | FY2013 Final Report |
| March 1, 2013 | Unit Coordinators | Proposals, rankings, and award recommendations (complete with budgets) due |
| March 1 - March 25 |
IS&T | Final IS&T and Facilites Total Cost / Impact Advisement |
| April 1, 2013 | Unit Coordinators | Final ranking and submission of proposals |
| April 1 – April 11 | IS&T | IS&T Review Period |
| April 11 | IS&T | IS&T Review and Recommendation for FACP |
| April 17 | FACP | FACP Review |
| June 15, 2013 | IS&T | Final Awards Announced |
| July 1, 2013 – January 31, 2014 | FY 2014 Award Recipiants | FY2014 Spending; Deadline Jan 31, 2014 |
| March 1, 2014 | FY 2014 Award Recipiants | Project Status Reports Due for FY 2014 awards |
Proposal Log In
Directions:
Using the Proposal Web Tool [PDF]
Upcoming Deadlines
-
April 1, 2013
Unit Coordinators: Final ranking and submission of proposals
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