Becker then called for approval of the minutes of the 1995 directors meeting, held at the ICIS meeting in Amsterdam. Rudy Hirschheim moved approval of the minutes and Michael Bieber seconded the motion. The minutes were approved unanimously.

The results from the survey of IS/IT directors were discussed next. Several results from these discussions are noted:

1. Because of the perceived value of this annual meeting, many centers expressed a willingness to assist in funding of future director's breakfast ($200 level of support). Centers which have expressed a willingness to support the next directors' breakfast meeting at the Atlanta ICIS meeting will be contacted. Any other centers, please contact Dr. Becker directly.
   
2. It was recommended that centers be asked to provide nominal support ($25/year per center) to maintain their presence on the Academic IS/IT Research Centers website (http://www-lan.unt.edu/isitrc/); Annual maintenance expenses for this site are estimated at approximately $2,500.
   
3. There was an almost unanimous lack of support for developing financial support for ICIS doctoral scholarships, ICIS doctoral consortium support, and AIS doctoral student membership fee reductions.

For the remaining portion of the breakfast meeting, each center director was asked to share the one or two of their center's "Best Practices." What actually were presented as so-called "best practices" is more appropriately characterized as the most important or successful activities that each center performed. A summary of each director's comments is attached below as part of these minutes. Three general best practices/activities for IT/IS Research Centers which emerged were: 1) The development of business connections to the educational institution; 2) the efforts to bring focus to research which is both relevant and practical in nature; and 3) the ability to stimulate inter-disciplinary involvement in research initiatives.

The meeting adjourned at 8:05 am.

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1996 Information Systems / Information Technology Research Centers Annual Breakfast Meeting - Directors' "Best Practices" Comments

Jack Becker, Information Systems Research Center, University of North Texas

The UNT ISRC's best practices included: 1) conducting world class programs and seminars which the ISRC member firms attend, 2) developing an empowered Board of Directors, drawn from senior-level managers of the member firms, 3) awarding a $10,000 Research Grant on a competitive basis, with the grant recipient selected by members of the ISRC's Board of Directors, and 4) conducting events which allow the member firms to interact with BCIS / CSCI students including a student night and career fair.

Al Lederer, Kentucky Initiative for Knowledge Management, University of Kentucky

The two best practices shared were: 1) ongoing support for doctoral candidates dissertation research and 2) maintaining a strong Working Papers series.

Paul Cheney, Institute for Information Systems Management, University of South Florida

Dr. Cheney's comments were inadvertently not recorded.

Don McCubbrey, Center for Electronic Commerce, University of Denver (Check on this one)

Shared three important best practices - 1) helping to keep educational programs technologically current, 2) maintaining a research mission which is compatible with the university's mission, and 3) developing industry support for the center.

Richard Welke, Georgia State University

Maintaining close contacts with the 32 member firms from a dispersed variety of industries was the best practice employed at their center through their research colloquia/CIO round tables.

Jack Rockart, CISR, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

CISR focuses on three key best practices. 1) Believing that the sponsoring business firms are the most important component of CISR, 2) developing a seminar on the 21st Century Business Initiative, and 3) conducting research projects in the field with the sponsoring firms.

Dale Goodhue, End User Computing Research Center, University of Georgia

Their best practices were: 1) maintaining a strong link with the sponsoring businesses, 2) taking advantage of the companies' interest in students, and 3) developing a course sponsorship program where business firms are encouraged to "sponsor" specific course in the IS curriculum which will entail assistance in planning and developing these courses.

Ted Stohr, New York University

Several initiatives were mentioned, including: 1) conducting a CIO round table each semester on topics of current interest, 2) conducting two placement events each year with sponsoring firms and students, 3) developing special interest groups from within the member firms to encourage additional interaction between members, and 4) trying to expand the center to become a school-wide research center rather than an IS-centric research center.

Mats Lundeberg, Institute for Business Process Development, Stockholm School of Economics

1) Publications, such as the book length study, Advancing Your Business (copies distributed at meeting); 2) attending conferences such as ICIS and attending sessions such as this directors' meeting.

Kalle Lyytinen, University of Jyväskylä, Finland

The two best practices from this Scandinavian center were: 1) maintaining a focus on practical research with member firms and 2) developing close connections with regional firms.

David Feeny, Oxford Institute of Information Management, Oxford University

The center identifies research which is highly relevant to area businesses. The center then attempts to attract research funding by developing research proposals and presenting them to business.

Bob Galliers, Information Systems Research Unit, Warwick Business School

The best practices shared from this center were: 1) the development of cross-discipline collaborative research projects and 2) showing the relevance of Information Systems to other disciplines within the School.

H. G. Sol, Systems Engineering Policy Analysis and Management, Delft University of Technology

All of the programs at this center are closely allied with businesses by developing a direct sponsor relationship with these firms.

Joze Gri ar, University of Maribor, Slovenia

This center started with an exclusive focus on electronic data interchange, but it has now expanded its focus to include electronic commerce. Research is conducted within labs in the Information Systems program. Results are shared with businesses and/or used for developing prototypes.

Rudy Hirschheim, Information Systems Research Center, University of Houston

The best practice shared was hiring a retiring Information Technology executive as a Executive Professor. This practice results in great industry contacts for the center and great, direct feedback on center initiatives from the Executive Professor.

David Paradice, Texas A&M

The best practice shared by Dr. Paradice was the coverage of emerging technologies issues in the university's curriculum by including a active component of industry involvement in these courses.

Brian Janz, Federal Express Center for Cycle Time Research, University of Memphis

The two practices which were shared were; 1) the development of a cross-disciplinary focus for the research center, and 2) hosting conferences in order to determine which research ideas were relevant.

Dennis Viehland, Center for Information Systems Research and Development, Massey University Centre

The best practice shared from this New Zealand center was the development of courses for specific professional organizations, such as a recent course on electronic commerce.

Burt Swanson, ISRP, University of California - Los Angeles

The two practices shared from this center were 1) splitting the duties for the center director into two separate positions - one externally focused, responsible for developing industry contacts and fund-raising, the other internally focused on the management of the center and its research initiatives, and 2) developing an executive committee of industry executives who are closely involved in the center's operations.

Christine Soh, Information Management Research Center, Nanyang Technological University

Two practices were shared from this Singapore-based research center: 1) Developing strong international links by extending these links into the center's advisory board, and 2) building an "Asian perspective" for information systems management.

Michael Bieber, Institute for Integrated Systems Research, New Jersey Institute of Technology

The best practice shared was the center's focus on partnership with industry for sponsored research.

Melissa Glynn, Center for the Management of Information, University of Arizona

1) The development of a cross-disciplinary research diversification with other departments including Education and Psychology and 2) an aggressive marketing program for the research center by developing high quality videos.

Patty Golden, MISRC, University of Minnesota

This is a large operation with many outstanding activities: 1) World-class seminars; 2) Working paper series; 3) MIS Quarterly Journal to mention a few.

Rob Kling, Center for Social Informatics, Indiana University

1) Programs and seminars.

Barbara Finney, Systems Research Center, Boston University

The center has defined itself based on a highly focused research agenda. They have developed four specific themes for research, with each theme being coordinated by a senior faculty member. All of the center's research efforts then fit into one of these four themes.

Jim Ware, Fisher Center for Information Technology Management, University of California - Berkeley

Sponsoring events, which brought end user companies together with CIOs of Silicon Valley software firms.

Mike Shaw, DSS Research Center, University of Illinois

The best practice shared was the center's focus on developing cross-disciplinary links for its research initiatives.

Donna Stoddard, Center for Information Management Studies, Babson College

1) Seminars

Ryan Nelson (in absentia), Center for Management of Information Technology, University of Virginia

1) Seminars and programs; 2) research projects.

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