A Public Institution at the Crosscurrent of East and West

The University of Guam is a fully accredited four-year U.S. university; it is about a four-hour flight from major Asian cities. The university must comply with standards of Western universities and United States federal funding agencies, while simultaneously expected to be culturally sensitive to a multi-ethnic mix of student body and a multi-cultural workforce. Guam emerged recently as an international Internet traffic hub in the Pacific, with investment interests from the top global telecommunication firms. This promoted the interests in the aggressive installation of advanced technological infrastructure in the region and the university. However, grants and federal agencies funded much of the technical progresses. The local community has been slow to support the ongoing deployment and development of the information systems.

The university invested on a campus-wide information system in early 1990. The purchase of a Data Management System (COLLEAGUE) for higher educational institute initiated the computerization of many internal operations. A computer center was established to handle the general system maintenance and technology acquisition. The registrar's office, business office, and financial aid office were among the first to computerize their operations. Some of the initial benefits include a telephone registration system, electronic payroll deposit, a text-based email system and the availability of many standardized management reports. In the mid-1990s, the installation of a campus-wide fiber optics communication backbone positioned the university as a major Internet Hub in the Western Pacific, and stimulated various data communication developments including Intranet capability, and distance education. In 1994, the Computer Center of the University took pride in obtaining a class B domain, establishing Guam as one of the first 100 countries in the Internet world. At the same time, the university continued its development on state-of-the-art information technology, while the campus faced great difficulties in finding data to evaluate its internal operations. Recently, the university was strongly criticized for the lack of planning data to support strategic planning in an increasing competitive higher educational industry.