Just when campus technologists think they've got a handle on daily campus IT needs, demands to develop smart classrooms come along and spoil everything. Between admissions officers demanding smart classrooms in order to prove to prospective families that the institution is up to speed, and professors asking for smart classrooms so that they can teach like their colleagues at higher tech institutions, many CIOs are now under pressure to add all sorts of media equipment to classrooms and lecture halls as soon as possible. But often, these directives come without checks attached, or without any clear understanding of the best way to go about spending that money when it does materialize. Pondering some issues up front may make all the difference. This article presents some suggestions from CIOs and other experts who have been through smart classroom campaigns.