The “4-D” World of Higher Education: A New Context for Student Support Services
Not long ago, one might have thought that student services and information technologies were only marginally related. The former was humanistic and personal, the latter technical and impersonal. This article will suggest that the digital revolution in the university and in the culture as a whole mandates the widespread adoption of technology in all facets of student support services. In exchange for developing new skills, one can also discover powerful new tools for meeting student needs.
Contributor Notes
Tom West, coauthor, and Robert Heterick, current president of Educom, have had a good-natured habit of borrowing ideas, phrases, and slogans from one another for many years. The practice has reached a point where neither can remember where or by whom the notion of a 4-D environment was first introduced. Therefore, they have agreed to take equal credit—or blame.
Thomas W. West is the Assistant Vice Chancel/or for Information Resources and Technology for the 23 campuses of the California State University system. He is responsible for the overall strategic planning, coordination, implementation, and management of the system's library, instructional technology, media, academic and administrative computing, and telecommunications services. In reference to his presentation or this article, he can be reached at twest@calstate.edu.
Stephen L. Daigle is Senior Research Associate in Information Technology Planning and Analysis. His responsibilities include research and position papers to support system, statewide, and national technology initiatives of the CSU. For information about this article or his reasearch, he can be reached at steved@calstate.edu.
