News 02-05-2002
Higher Ed Partnership Builds E-Bridge to Feds
Several higher education organizations have formed a partnership to standardize
on technology for electronic transactions between universities and the federal
government. Under the auspices of the Higher Education Bridge Certification
Authority (HEBCA), university researchers will be able to securely submit documents
-- financial statements, student loan agreements, registration and attendance
for Internet-based distanced learning -- to federal agencies. The HEBCA partnership,
including Educause, the higher education technology association, the Federal
Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) Steering Committee, and the National Institutes
of Health, chose RSA Security's Keon digital certificate management software
to secure transactions.
For more information, visit: <http://www.educause.edu/>.
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Microsoft Piracy Recovery Seeds Education Project
Microsoft Corp. donated $350,000 to the UCLA School Management Program to support
a project to improve student achievement at Languna Nueva Elementary School
in Commerce, Calif., by connecting teachers, administrators, students and parents.
Dan Chernow, executive director of UCLA SMP, said it is helping create "a
school community that recognizes the power of technology to advance student
learning and increase family participation in education." The grant, together
with an earlier donation of $1 million, stems from Microsoft piracy case settlements
from Los Angeles software counterfeiters.
For more information, visit: <http://www.ucla.edu>.
Students to Pick Rooms, Roommates Via Web
Incoming freshmen at Kennesaw State University will use their personal computers
this week to make room and roommate assignments for the upcoming academic year
via the Internet. The school has turned to Atlanta-based WebRoomz.com, a web-based
roommate matching service that lets students examine online profiles and e-mail
potential roommates to find those matching their living habits and personality.
For more information, visit: <http://www.ksuhousing.com>.
OCLC Finishes Purchase of netLibrary eBooks
OCLC Online Computer Library Center, a nonprofit that provides computer-based
cataloguing, reference, and preservation services, has purchased the assets
of netLibrary, a provider of eBooks for academic and corporate libraries. The
sale includes the eBook division, which will become a division of OCLC, and
the MetaText eTextbook division, which will become a for-profit. Meanwhile,
MetaText, which has partnered with leading textbook publishers to place textbooks
online, unveiled a new e-textbook interface designed to make electronic texts
easier to use.
For more information, visit: <http://www.oclc.org>.
Duke Energy Gives $10M to UNC Tech Incubator
Duke Energy will invest $10 million in the University of North Carolina's Charlotte
Institute of Technology Innovation, established in 2000 to pursue technology
research relevant to the regional and state economies. Research will focus on
precision metrology, intelligent manufacturing, eBusiness technology and opt'electronics.
Rick Priory, chairman, president and CEO of Duke Energy, said "strengthening
the technology and research infrastructure in the Charlotte region through UNC
Charlotte is critical to long-term economic vitality."
For more information, visit: <www.duke-energy.com>.
Western Governors University Meeting Access Goals
The Western Governors University released its annual report, which said the
private, non-profit university, founded by 19 western governors, is achieving
its goals to expand access to higher education, especially for working adults.
WGU President Bob Mendenhall said, "the constraints on time due to work
and family commitments are access issues ... so the flexibility provided by
WGU's online, competency-based model is very appealing to a broad spectrum of
students." WGU currently has about 2,500 students enrolled, up from 500
students one year ago. The average WGU student is 40 years old, and over 90
percent work full-time.
For more information, visit: <http://www.wgu.edu>.
Computer Maker Distributes Economic Courseware
Compaq Corp is making content from the World Economic Forum (WEF), held in
New York last week, available to high schools, colleges and universities via
the Forbes.com website. The manufacturer is also producing dedicated Internet
programming focusing on economic issues of particular interest to developing
countries. Among the universities scheduled to receive the World Economic Forum
electronic library produced by Compaq are Oxford University, the London School
of Economics, UCLA, USC, Georgetown University, MIT, the University of Florida,
the University of Miami, Florida State University, Yale, Princeton and Northwestern
University.
For more information, visit <http://www.weforum.org>.
Software Helps U. Penn. Manage Healthcare Contracts
The University of Pennsylvania Health System is using a software application
that helps it manage its contracts with health plans, hospitals and healthcare
workers. The software, eHealthContract's Manager, supports the managed-care
contract cycle, from creation through contract analysis, negotiation and monitoring.
It aims to reduce the time and cost of managing relationships and to ensure
contract compliance. Mike Dandorph, vice president of managed care for the health
system, said the software would help it "... build efficiencies in our
daily work-flow and therefore enhance the overall revenue cycle."
Wharton, Rhode Island, Deliver Economic Data Via Web
The University of Pennsylvania's Wharton business school and a University of
Rhode Island market research team have struck a deal to give researchers access
via the Internet to URI's Pacific-Basin Capital Markets (PACAP) database, a
set of information about the Pacific-Basin region's economy and equity markets.
Researchers will tap the database through the Wharton Research Data Services
(WRDS), an Internet-based service that provides access to financial, accounting,
economic, management, marketing, and banking datasets.
