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HelpNew Funding Model for Data Network
FAQs (Revised 4/30/09)
Overview
UCSF’s Strategic Plan emphasizes the critical role of high-quality information technology (IT) systems in conducting UCSF’s four-fold mission and supporting its administrative activities. The strategic plan calls on the University to:
- Optimally deploy information technology for administrative, academic and clinical purposes, and
- Develop new mechanisms to fund needed investments in infrastructure, including technology.
The data network is a key part of UCSF’s infrastructure, yet the core of the network is aging and traditional methods of providing resources to sustain and update the network have not been sufficient to meet current future requirement for a high quality and reliable network. Therefore, in the fall of 2007, the Chancellor created the Data and Voice Services Advisory Committee (DVSAC) to define, assess, and make recommendations regarding future network services. The Huron Consulting Group was engaged by the Chancellor’s Office to assess UCSF’s overall funding structure; Huron developed a case study of network funding, which contributed to DVSAC’s deliberations and analyses.
Both DVSAC and the Huron group concluded that for UCSF to remain competitive and at the forefront of leading research, teaching, and health care institutions, changes would have to be made in the way network services are funded. In June 2008 in a letter to the Chancellor’s Executive Committee, DVSAC recommended that a recharge should be instituted to provide the revenue needed to sustain and improve the network. The Chancellor’s Executive Committee agreed with DVSAC’s recommendations, and appointed the Data Network Recharge Committee (DNRC) to specify the methods, timing, and amount of the recharge.
The DNRC assessed the specific methods to be used to implement a recharge, including the amount of the recharge; the ease of implementation; the population to be charged, including whether and under what circumstances there should be exceptions granted; and the recharge’s start date. In February 2009, DNRC made a series of recommendations to the Chancellor, some of which required UCSF’s leadership to make explicit choices regarding the amount of the recharge and other key issues.
In March 2009, the Chancellor’s Executive Budget Committee (EBC) unanimously approved a campus-wide recharge in support of UCSF’s data network, specified the amount of the recharge ($35 per month per full-time equivalent appointment), to whom the recharge would be applied (all employees paid through the campus payroll system), and the start date of November 1, 2009.
The funds derived from the recharge will be dedicated to replacing critical equipment and security components of the UCSF data network, provide for the expansion of wireless access to the network, and pay for upgrading and ongoing support of UCSF’s Exchange email and calendar system.
Network equipment is NOT included in the calculation of UCSF’s federal indirect cost rate, and the federal government allows these costs to be included as a direct cost on federal contracts and grants. Many of UCSF’s peer institutions (including UCLA, UCSD, other UC campuses, and many campuses nationwide) have implemented a similar recharge.
All UCSF campus employees will be included in the recharge, with very limited exceptions; for example, students will not be included. The recharge amount will be automatically charged to fund sources according to the percent time that an employee is paid from a particular source. UCSF Medical Center personnel will not be assessed the recharge at this time (the Medical Center pays the campus for connection to the Internet and other uses of the campus network).
Each year the Data Network Recharge Committee will review the services provided (as defined in a Service Level Agreement) and the cost basis of the recharge, and will recommend a recharge rate for the next fiscal year. The Chancellor’s Executive Committee will then review the recharge committee’s recommendation and decide on the rate to be applied in the next fiscal year.
The following documents provide additional information:
DVSAC Recommendation Letter (application/pdf, 389.1 kB, info)
Huron Report (application/pdf, 290.8 kB, info)
Service Level Agreement (SLA) (application/pdf, 27.2 kB, info)