Approved:       February 5, 2007        

Date

MINUTES OF THE HOUSE GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY AND TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE

The meeting was called to order by Chairman Jim Morrison at 3:30 P.M. on January 29, 2007, in Room 526-S of the Capitol.

All members were present except Representatives Ruiz, Wilk, Frownfelter, and Tafanelli, all of whom were excused.

Committee staff present:

Mary Galligan, Kansas Legislative Research

Tatiana Lin, Kansas Legislative Research

Renae Jefferies, Office of Revisor of Statutes

Gary Deeter, Committee Assistant

Conferees appearing before the committee:

Jerry Smith, Pittsburg State University

Jim Bingham, KU Medical Center

Ravi Pendse, Wichita State University

David Schmidt, Fort Hays State University

Sue Peterson, appearing for Beth Unger, Kansas State University

Denise Stephens, University of Kansas

Bruce Vieweg, Emporia State University

Others attending:

See attached list.

The minutes for January 24 were approved. (Motion, Representative Loganbill; second, Representative Sharp)

The Chair noted that a Calence study of the KAN-Ed, KANREN (Kansas Research and Education Network), and KANWIN (Kansas Wide-Area Information Network) networks is due March 1, a study which will assess duplication of services, inefficiencies, and opportunities for coordination.

The Chair expressed appreciation for the document provided by the Kansas Board of Regents CIOs (Chief Information Officers) dealing with collaboration among the Regents institutions (Attachment 1).

Jim Bingham, University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC), stated that the Regents Information Technology Council (RITC) is composed of the CIOs of each Regents institution and that members meet on a monthly basis to share ideas and collaborate on initiatives and programs. He noted that IT is driven by programs, not the inverse, and that IT facilitates collaboration. He cited the nurse-practitioner partnership among KUMC, Wichita State, Pittsburg State, and Fort Hays State, noting further the security officers who meet each month with the Executive Chief Information Technology Officer, Denise Moore.

Jerry Smith, Pittsburg State University, who organized the collaborative testimony, contrasted Regents institutions with a business model, observing that a business model often emphasizes competition, whereas the Regents emphasize cooperation and collaboration through peer relationships. He cited the document imaging system initiated by Wichita State which was then adopted by other universities.

A significant issue was identified during Committee discussion with the conferees: the need for more bandwidth at several universities. Ravi Pendse, Wichita State, noted that limited bandwidth is a barrier to building a back-up system. Denise Stephens, University of Kansas, said KU is approaching a saturation point, a problem that threatens to bring down the university IT system, since instruction is increasingly media-rich, students are increasingly computer-savvy, and research often requires transfer of large amounts of data. Mr. Smith added that costs inhibit expanding bandwidth, and sometimes connectivity is deterred because a larger data pipeline is inaccessible. Ms. Stephens commented that university bandwidth capacity is one factor in awarding research grants.

Members discussed the possibility of a central planning authority to deal with IT issues and considered a “supercomputer” system for central data processing and research. Mr. Smith replied that Kansas does not have one university with multiple campuses, but six different universities, each with a uniquely complex environment; centralizing could create inefficiencies. He cited KU’s use of PeopleSoft, which, if imposed on Pittsburg State, would complicate IT applications. Mr. Pendse cited collaboration between Wichita State and Emporia State in building a system that saved about $500,000 in costs. A member questioned whether any research had been done to establish the value of a central processing center; he requested that staff determine if a California proposal to centralize computing ever materialized.

Further discussion regarding bandwidth elicited comments from conferees that often the pipeline exists, but contractual limitations keep universities from accessing it. Committee members noted that perhaps the legislature could address the contractual issues to facilitate connectivity. Bruce Vieweg, Emporia State, observed that the Calence study may also offer solutions.

Responding to a member’s question, Mr. Bingham referenced Attachment 2, contrasting distributive systems with centralized systems, noting that centralized systems often cannot be integrated at the university level; he cited the KUMC system, which includes 100 custom modules and eleven interfaces with other systems that are specific to KUMC.

A member asked what was being done with VOIP (Voice-Over Internet Protocol). Mr. Vieweg (ESU), Mr. Pendse (WSU), and Ms. Stephens (KU) said it is being tested at their institutions. Mr. Bingham said KUMC is presently deploying it, a process to be completed within three to four years.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:05 p.m. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 30, 2007.