A persistent increase in student, faculty, and administrative demand for information technology has resulted in a sharp rise in the total cost of computing services to universities. In response, universities must develop long-term strategic planning processes and policies to establish priorities for information technology investments, determine known costs and cost trends, and prepare budget alternatives that provide the flexibility necessary to respond to the rapid pace of technological change. A financial growth model that depicts typical growth patterns in the demand for information technology funding and establishes its general cost structure and its changes over time may be used to suggest how cost control measures can be identified and structured into the funding process. Three readily identifiable funding sources to consider are tuition, external funds, and internal operating budget reallocations; a fourth option, revenues from the sale or licensing of software products and electronic information services, is unlikely to produce significant income. Strategic planning of this nature will allow the university community to realize the goal of self-sustaining academic computing. Graphic representations of the funding model are included, and sources are identified in nine references. (KM)