In the middle of a fiscal crisis, a decision by the University of Massachusetts at Amherst to spend $50,000 to send nearly 30 information-technology staff members to a software-training meeting in California has created a backlash on the campus.
The trip, coming on the heels of a 15-percent hike in student charges, is seen by some as wasteful, reports The Republican. The university is also seeking federal stimulus money to avoid program cuts or layoffs, the newspaper says. UMass recently notified 60 nontenured faculty members that they would not be reappointed next year as the institution struggles with a projected $46-million deficit, The Chronicle reported last week.
But campus officials say the trip is the most cost-effective way to prepare staff members for a coming universitywide software change. UMass is about to upgrade its student-information systems using Oracle software. The vast program affects just about every aspect of student life at the university, from admissions to billing to student advising. The trip is to Alliance 2009, a giant conference of higher-education and public-sector Oracle users.
The $50,000 figure includes plane fare and $650 registration fees. John F. Dubach, chief information officer at the Amherst campus, told the newspaper that other methods of training would cost the university “tens of thousands” of dollars more than this one-shot deal will. —Josh Fischman
