Several years ago I left a small private university IT position for just the reasons you suggest. Most of the administrative and academic staff did not understand the nature of the problem or wanted to. They just wanted it to work with no responsibility for having it work. Even people within the IT department engaged in dangerous if not unlawful activity with respect to IT policy and law. It was at that point I decided enough was enough. Instead of being on the receiving end of these problems I would strike out and do something else.

Today academics and administrators tend to be more sensitive to the issue but why did it take so long to get there. I know of people in the campus IT department that are just getting it, and there the technically savvy ones.

One challenge certainly remains and that is to maintain the academic exploration ideas without building a Gestapo like IT infrastructure. To that end I wish all higher education IT personnel good luck.

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