News 10-11-2002

School Launches Latin Pan Regional Network

A company that earned its reputation in outer space technology said it will supply the University of San Martin, in Bogotá, Columbia, a flexible, pan-regional network that integrates broadband Internet access, videoconferencing, telephony and data transfer for campuses throughout Colombia, Peru, Panama, Aruba and Brazil. CyberStar, a subsidiary of Loral Space & Communications, will integrate a very small aperture terminal (VSAT) system that will provide voice, data and video services -- and a flexible one-way or two-way connection to the Internet backbone. Mariano Alvear Sofan, President of San Martin said the technology will give it the ability to "offer high-quality instruction and facilities everywhere, not just at the home campus in Bogotá."

Sponsor: Early Bird Deadline for Syllabus fall2002 Extended to 10/11

There's still time to receive the substantial 15% early bird registration discount for Syllabus fall2002, the Fourth Annual Boston area conference on Education Technology presented by Syllabus magazine. Held November 3-5 at the Boston Marriott Newton Hotel, Syllabus fall2002 offers thought-provoking speakers and sessions where administrators, IT professionals and faculty can learn about the latest in technology for higher education institutions in a collegial atmosphere. Keynote speakers are James Oliverio of the University of Florida and Gerard Hanley, California State University. Inspire your thinking and expand your knowledge on technology trends at Syllabus fall2002. Register at http://www.syllabus.com/fall2002. Don't delay! The 15% early registration discount expires October 11 -- sign up today.

Tulane, Xavier Awarded GeoMedia Grants

The Center for Bi'environmental Research, a joint venture of Tulane and Xavier Universities in New Orleans, received a GeoMedia research grant totaling $55K from mapping and GIS technology firm Intergraph Corp. The gift, which includes $5K in cash and a $50K software donation, is designed to encourage scientists to collaborate on environmental problems. The Center - known for its research on aquatic ecosystem health - will use the grant to update its data access and integration capabilities. The award will also enable departments at Tulane and Xavier to have a desktop GIS that will serve as a universal geographic client. CBR plans to immediately implement GeoMedia technology in three projects, including the Citizens Comments Database, the Long-Term Estuary Research Group, and the Louisiana Arbovirus Database.

For more information, visit http://www.teamgeomedia.com/rrl/default.asp

Online Subs Edge Print at Ohio State Paper

A company specializing in providing technology and marketing services to the college media market says a web-based subscription program it instituted at Ohio State University's has doubled the total circulation of the student newspaper. The Lantern, serving a student population of 50,000, started using the subscription model from College Publisher Inc. in Jan. 2002. Since then, "we've experienced more than a 100 percent increase in average monthly page views," said Ray Catalino, business manager for The Lantern, who added that at the height of the publishing cycle combined monthly page views and emails served reached 1,000,000. The subscription model operates much like the New York Times' online service, whereby visitors must register to gain full access to the newspaper's site.

Chicago Schools Collaborate on Virtual Job Fair

A consortium of eight Chicago colleges will hold a virtual job fair to benefit a combined student body of 38,000. The group has partnered with New York-based College Central Network to present the JobQuest Virtual Job Fair, which is being co-sponsored by UPS and the local Daily Southtown and Star newspapers. The fair will enable employers to post an unlimited number of job openings -- and search resumes -- for $300. The fee will cover a virtual ad running for the six-week duration of the fair, as well as an ad in the Daily Southtown. Students from the eight consortium schools will be able to post resumes and search through registered employer information free of charge.

For more information, visit: http://www.collegecentral.com/jobquest/.

Research Web Site Launched for Study Abroad

Foreign universities are seeing a rise in the number of applicants from the U.S., according college administrators. The increase may be due in part to media coverage of former First Daughter Chelsea Clinton on campus at Oxford, or because foreign schools can be a high-quality but lower-cost alternative to U.S. schools, or that the schools offer a base from which to pursue international cultural or business studies. To take advantage of the rise, a web site has been launched as a resource for researching four-year college programs overseas. CollegeAbroad.com offers U.S. students the opportunity to research 550 four-year programs throughout Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland. In addition, the site offers international universities and colleges a targeted way to market to U.S. students.

Awards, Deals, Contracts in Higher Education

*Data Storage -- Dell Computer Corp. said a series of big awards it won for storage solutions at U.S. universities is part of a trend toward greater demand for large data storage systems and connectivity across campuses. The wins include:

-- Case Western Reserve is installing a 5 terabyte Storage Area Network (SAN) valued at more than $1 million, as well network attached storage (NAS) and a tape backup management solution for the 16,000 users at the university.

-- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro recently completed a storage-consolidation project involving installation of a SAN valued at nearly $670,000. The storage area network will provide faculty, staff and students with two-and-a-half terabytes of storage.

-- Houston Community College System (HCCS), the nation's second largest community college system, has installed Dell servers across its 19 locations. The systems are used for aiding instructors in training City of Houston paramedics through HCCS' Emergency Medical Services Program.

Featured

  • UMGC Officially Adopts InScribe's Student Community Platform

    The University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC), an offshoot of the University System of Maryland that focuses on hybrid and virtual courses for adult and military students, is officially committing to a university-wide rollout of InScribe's student networking platform.

  • group of college students looking at large screen of data visualizations

    Scalable Cloud Strategies: Values for Higher Education

    From a massive, 23-campus cloud-and-security transformation, to a small college's "lift and shift" entry into the public cloud, Unisys Higher Education Strategist Christopher Wessells knows how higher education leverages the cloud. Here, he examines some of the values scalable cloud strategies offer our institutions.

  • happy woman sitting in front of computer

    Delightful Progress: Kuali's Legacy of Community and Leadership

    CEO Joel Dehlin updates us on Kuali today, and how it has thrived as a software company that succeeds in the tech marketplace while maintaining the community values envisioned in higher education years ago.

  • a glowing gaming controller, a digital tree structure, and an open book

    Report: Use of Game Engines Expands Beyond Gaming

    Game development technology is increasingly being utilized beyond its traditional gaming roots, according to the recently released annual "State of Game Development" report from development and DevOps solutions provider Perforce Software.