he world economy we are preparing our students for is driven by high-speed cycles of change and adaptation.

New and important forms of information communication are invented with stunning regularity--blogs, wikis, and podcasting to name just three that have emerged since the turn of the 21st century. Personal digital devices of every description have been woven into the fabric of our lives.

The challenge for the University of South Carolina is daunting. We must:

• bring to bear the efficiencies of information technology to manage the University's $864-million-per-year enterprise in a professional manner that is both cost effective and responsive to business and customer needs

• ensure that our students, faculty, and staff continue to have access to rapidly evolving information tools and resources everywhere--in class-rooms, laboratories, libraries, dining halls, recreational and open spaces, and residences.

We plan to meet those challenges by judiciously investing some $60 million annually for the next five years in new technology, facilities, infrastructure, services, software, and people.

Specifically, we will complete the OneCarolina project, which will reengineer improved business processes on all eight campuses. We'll also expand digital resources in the libraries and continue development of enriched distance education courses, create an S.C. research and education telecommunications network, and actively collaborate with the Medical University of South Carolina and other institutions in the development of a common information technology infrastructure.

Several phases of a wireless network across the University campus have been completed, allowing wireless access in nearly every building and in wide swaths of campus green space. Discussions to make the entire USC Columbia campus wireless are underway.