Fall 1997 Request for Proposals

To all UAF students, staff, and faculty members:

Last spring, the Board of Regents instituted a "technology fee," to be paid by all students at the three main University of Alaska campuses. The fee is a $5.00 per credit-hour surcharge on all classes up to twelve twelve credits per student, for a maximum fee of $60.00/semester per student. The fee was assessed for the first time this September, and approximately $215,000 was collected at UAF.

The Board of Regents mandated that there be strong student input into how this money was spent. Therefore, an advisory board was established composed of five students and four faculty and staff members. The purpose of the Technology Advisory Board (TAB) is to determine the best ways to spend the revenues from the technology fee, and make recommendations to the Chancellor.

TAB met over the summer and allocated approximately $60,000. Our working budget for the fall funding session is $155,000.

TAB will accept proposals from October 1, 1997 through October 31, for funding through June 30. Any granted money not used during FY 1997 will be redistributed during subsequent funding sessions. Proposals should be written according to the guidelines contained herein, and should reflect the criteria we have established for eligible projects.

All proposals must be supported by a recognized UAF department, which will accept responsibility for oversight. Recognized departments include ASUAF, Student Activities office, Department of Computing and Communication, Academic Departments, etc.

All proposals must contain the cover sheet provided with this solicitation. The cover sheet must be filled out completely, including a signature from the director of the responsible department. Only the department to which funds are allocated will be eligible to collect those funds.

TAB will be considering proposals in four areas this fall, as outlined below. Please indicate the category in which you want your proposal to be included.

The proposals will be evaluated according to the criteria provided. Please try to answer all questions accurately. Please don't inflate or deflate numbers to increase the attractiveness of your proposal.

Good luck to everyone. Proposals must be received by noon on October 31, 1997. They should be addressed to:
 
Technology Advisory Board
  ASUAF Offices
  Wood Center, UAF
 

 The Technology Advisory Board (TAB) will consider proposals in the following categories:

1) Computer Laboratory support, service, maintenance, and creation:
Proposals presented in this category would seek funds for use in existing computer labs, or the creation of new computer labs. All computer lab funding will fall under this category.

2) Non-laboratory computing:
All direct computing related funding requests except those for computer labs fall under this category. Items in this category could include increased communication systems for computer use, support for class room computing, and all other computing related items.

3) Non-computer related:
Items that are not computer-dependent, but that enhance student  access to technology and/or give them the "technological edge" fall under this category.

4) Recurring allocations:
Funding that would be asked for on a regular basis will be addressed under this heading.

The proposals should state the category under which the author wishes it to be considered. They should include a description of the proposed technological enhancement, with all pertinent information, particularly in reference to the thirteen criteria we have established. A breakdown of expenses is required, however listing of micro-budgetary expenses is not necessary.

All proposals must answer the the following questions:

1. What is the group served?
2. What is the size of the serviced group?
3. What is the educational impact of the proposed technology?
4. In what way is the proposed technology novel?
5. Does the technology target a group that is previously under-served?
6. In what way is the need and/or the demand for the technology demonstrated?
7. In what way does the proposal capitalize on existing facilities,capabilities,and instructional initiatives?
8. Explain any quantitative benefit of the technological enhancement.
9. What is the primary implementation date of the proposal?
10. What is the expected longevity of the technology?
11. How will the technology be maintained, and how much will maintenance cost?
    1. What staffing requirements and other costs are associated with the proposal?
12. What, if any, user restrictions and/or fees are associated with the proposal?

Each proposal will be reviewed by a subcommittee and rated according to the above criteria. The subcommittees will report to the full Board on November 11. The board members will then take two weeks to review the proposals recommended by the four subcommittees. The proposals in debate will be made public, and written comments will be accepted and considered. On November 25, the Board will meet and decide which proposals to fund. Our final recommendations will be sent to the Chancellor on December 2.

In addition to this calendar, we will have a working meeting on October 14, at which people can make comments regarding allocation of funds should be spent, ask us questions about the proposal-writing process, and introduce us to their particular proposal.

Any questions can be directed to one of the members of the Technology Advisory Board at the following addresses: