Vision 2010 = Vision 1995

How can SJSU expect to get students with vision like Trippi and Scoble in the future?
After reading Professor Greene's guest blogotorial/email I take back all my thoughts about our university's "Vision 2010." [Link to PDF file] When I first read this document I thought it contained a pretty short sighted view of technology when it said this:

6.4  Developed an effective, efficient, technological infrastructure (hardware, software,  processes and services) that supports administrative functions in the following areas:

• Student Administrative Systems.
• Human Resources Systems. 
  
• Finance Systems. 
  
• Email Communications. 
  
• Desktop Computing.

When I first read this document I thought, Email, Desktop Computing? Give me a break?!

Shouldn't we be talking about technologies like Voice over IP, Blogging, Podcasting, Video Casting, TabletPC, RSS, SMS messaging, social networking, web 2.0, wireless, and especially portable hand held devices like Greene's phone?

While our university falls further behind in technology, our university's plan for the future is to, by 2010, have "developed an effective, efficient, technological infrastructure" that will better support the technologies of the last century.

Professor Greene's blogotorial/email tells me a few other things:

1. Email is broken (I already knew that)
2. Desktop computers are becoming obsolete (ditto)
3. We are so far behind it is almost to the point where somebody should put us out of our misery
4. In my opinion we lack the will, the vision or the leadership to change

Perhaps the truth is we are so far behind we need to catch up with the end of the last century and can't even think about this one?

In conclusion, like the anchorman in "Network," I am mad as hell about the state of technology at this great university. Even though this blog is read by almost nobody, this is my window to the world! I cannot not say what I so fervently believe, even though I continue to pay a great professional price for saying what I, in my heart and head, know is the truth. This is my blog, no university PR BS here!

San Jose State University is the university that brought the world Joe Trippi and Robert Scoble and so very many others. If keep up the path we are now on the young versions of these great visionaries will be laughing at us. They won't want to come here because the future students and their peers will be saying, "SJSU Sucks."

Unrelated factoid: A Google search of "SJSU Sucks" turned up 131 hits. Perhaps someone in our administration should do a PubSub of "SJSU Sucks" as a way to keep abreast of what folks are saying about us.

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