News 01-15-2002
Blackboard to Acquire Prometheus from GW University
Blackboard Inc. said it would take over the Prometheus course management system
from its developer, George Washington University. The agreement provides Prometheus,
which had grown into a free-standing software development business at GWU, expanded
resources to service partner universities and staff. The partners noted that
about 30 percent of Prometheus' 65 university licensees run one of the three
systems in Blackboard's e-Education suite -- Blackboard 5: Learning System;
Blackboard 5: Community Portal System; and Blackboard: Transaction System. Blackboard
was founded in 1997 at Cornell University and has become the largest e-education
enterprise software company in the market.
Economist Art Laffer Joins Internet University Faculty
Economist Arthur B. Laffer will return to college teaching via an Internet-delivered
course at Yorktownuniversity.com. Laffer, who held appointments in the Nixon
and Reagan administrations, will teach a course on Supply Side Economics. The
16-week-long course, Econ103, Supply Side Economics, will be designed primarily
for adults. It will be made up of lectures in digital stereo recorded by Laffer,
asynchronous discussions, and a telephone conference with Laffer and students.
"The convenience of the Web works both ways," said Laffer. "My
students can take my course without disrupting their lives, and I can teach
online while fulfilling my responsibilities to my clients and my family."
For more information, visit: <http://yorktownuniversity.com>.
Monster.com Parent Launches Web Enrollment Service
Monster.com parent company TMP Worldwide launched what it calls the first Web-based
enrollment solution for higher education. Delivered via an application service
provider method, Collegeware enables colleges and universities to manage enrollment
operations and information via the Web. By automating both online and offline
enrollment operations, including voice mail, email, letters and enclosures,
the service allows schools to better communicate with and manage their "prospect
and inquiry'' pool of applicants. The company said the University of Dayton
will be the first college to use Collegeware as part of its enrollment operations.
For more information, visit: <http://www.udayton.edu>.
SMU, BU Join To Offer Project Management Training
TrainingTrack, Boston University's training network, said it would join forces
with Southern Methodist University's Advanced Computer Education Centers to
offer project management training in the Houston, Texas area. The TrainingTrack
network, which is composed of regional training companies and schools that distribute
and market Boston University's IT and management training programs, will provide
area professionals with daytime and evening project management training beginning
this month. Tom Bonesteel, director of SMU's training centers, said affiliating
with BU's program will give the SMU subsidiary a turnkey project management
offering that's flexible enough for area professionals.
For more information, visit: <http://www.engr.smu.edu/s'e_acec.html>.
Online Enrollment Nearly Triples for Commercial College
Corinthian Colleges, Inc., a for-profit, post-secondary education company,
said registrations for its online courses for the quarter ending in December,
2001, rose 171 percent compared to the same quarter last year. Course registrations
for the fall term increased to 3,456, setting a company record. The company
also said it added 14 new online courses in accounting and criminal justice
for the January term in response to rising demand. In addition, two new campuses
started offering online courses during the January term, bringing the total
number of locations to 19. Currently, the company offers 80 courses online.
Corinthian's chairman David Moore said the growth "reflects the increasing
popularity of this flexible learning alternative as well as the quality of our
curricula and dedication of our faculty."
Other Deals, Contracts, Awards, in Higher Education
Department of Education/Ratheon Co.
The U.S. Department of Education awarded Raytheon Co. a contract extension
for the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS), a comprehensive database
of selected federal financial aid history information on recipients of student
assistance. The contract extension is valued at $16.8 million and will extend
the period of performance through fiscal year 2003. The system contains 3 billion
records for more than 140 million student loans and 33 million grants received
by more than 45 million recipients. As the central collection point for student
load data, NSLDS has prevented more than $4 billion in loans and grants from
being received by ineligible applicants.
Youngstown State University/Jacada Inc.
Youngstown State University picked Jacada Ltd. to put its Student On-Line Registration
application on the Internet as part of the school's Electronic Campus Infrastructure
Technology Project. In December, the Ohio Controlling Board unanimously agreed
to release funds to support the University's recommendation to award the software
contract to Jacada, which provides interface and workflow solutions in the enterprise.
YSU's Electronic Campus Infrastructure Technology Project will begin by making
its student registration system available on-line with a graphical, point-and-click
interface. Future plans call for developing the university's mainframe applications
accessible over the Internet.
Quinnipiac University/Ingeniux Corp.
New York-based Quinnipiac University picked XPower, a content management and
publishing system from Ingeniux Corp., to expand and manage the content on its
Internet and intranet website. The XML-based system will help the university
enforce a consistent look and feel throughout its site as well as enable non-technical
faculty, staff and students to create, update and manage massive amounts of
content. "The focus for Quinnipiac in choosing a content management system
is a simple, easy-to-use interface that allows for collaborative Web publishing,"
said Christian Drucker, director of web management at the school. "We needed
to be able to repurpose content based on specific campus audiences."
