News 11-1-2002

Educause, Cornell, Partner on Computer Law Institute

Educause, the association for information technology in higher education, and Cornell University have formed the Educause/Cornell Institute for Computer Policy and Law (ICPL). The ICPL will join Educause's policy initiatives, online resources, and professional development with Cornell's six-year-old Computer Policy and Law program. Polley Ann McClure, Cornell's vice president for information technologies, said the partners "can accomplish more by working together than either of us could working alone." Policies and analyses that derive from the work of the ICPL will be disseminated via workshops and seminars coordinated with Educause's national and regional conferences.

For more information, visit: www.educause.edu/icpl/

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Calif. Candidate Survey Keys on Tech Readiness

A nonpartisan survey of political candidates in California shows a growing awareness that the state must address the technology gap facing its youth in order to maintain a competitive public education system and a prosperous economic base. The survey, sent to 450 candidates running for state and federal office in California, showed that most candidates agree that computers and the Internet are essential educational tools for advancing the skills of youth. "Until recently, youth and technology readiness has not been a major public policy issue in California," said Josh Kirschenbaum, who leads the technology initiative at PolicyLink. "This survey, however, shows that growing numbers of candidates understand and are concerned about the significant technology gap that is threatening the future viability of low-income communities."

A summary of the responses along with full survey results can be reviewed at www.techpolicybank.org/candidateresponses.html

Grant Funds Berlin Demographic Knowledge Hub

The Demography Department of Berlin's Humboldt University plans to develop a data management system to give Berliners access to a rich knowledge base of socio-demographic information via the Web. The project is being underwritten by a $55,000 grant from Intergraph Mapping and GIS Solutions as part of an education program to encourage applied geospatial research. The proposed Web site will include information such as what areas of the city have the most population losses and largest influx of new inhabitants, and the demographic characteristics of neighborhoods with the greatest social vulnerabilities. The system, using Integraph's GeoMedia technology, will be used to help prevent the city's vulnerable areas from further decay while providing public service agencies with up-to-date, reliable information for better decision making.

Sixteen Midwest Colleges Tap Web for Job Fair

Sixteen two- and four-year colleges in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan, which together make up the Collegiate Employ-Net consortium, are tapping the Web to help coordinate a massive job fair that will take place on the University of Toledo campus, Feb. 5, 2003. The organizers of the fair are using an application service provider (ASP), the College Central Network, to provide a Web presence for the event and to automate billing, employer registration, and reporting. "The logistics of running a job fair for students from 16 different colleges and for over 100 employers can be quite daunting," said Joanna Wiseley, chairman of Collegiate Employ-Net and director of the Hillsdale College Career Planning Office. She said using an ASP made the project "easier to manage" and helped students "better prepare for the job fair by aiding them in identifying potential employers and conducting advanced research before the day of the event."

Awards, Deals, Contracts, in Higher Education

Course Management Systems—eLearning software developer Jenzabar Inc. said eight colleges adopted its Internet Campus Solution, a Web-based software suite that integrates campus information systems supporting students, administrators, and faculty. The colleges include Seton Hill University, Florida Southern College, Pamona College, Columbia College Chicago, Ranken Technical College, Shorter College, Capital College, and Berry College.

Library Services—Alacritude LLC, publisher of eLibrary.com and Encyclopedia.com, announced an agreement with interactive marketing agency All Effort Inc. and Inktomi Corp., to index the full text of two million eLibrary documents on the Internet. Through Inktomi Index Connect, eLibrary content will be available on portals and sites, such as MSN, About.com, Overture, Looksmart, and HotBot.

Hospital Services—The Ohio State University Medical Center (OSUMC), a large, academic medical center in Columbus, Ohio, has entered into an agreement with McKesson Automation Inc. for its MedCarousel product. A vertical medication storage and retrieval system for hospital pharmacies, MedCarousel automates the dispensing of medications through the use of bar code scanning and pick-to-light technologies, comprehensive workflow software and rotating shelves. Built on the foundation of McKesson's ROBOT-Rx automated dispensing technology, the MedCarousel system uses barcode verification to reduce the potential for errors during the dispensing process.

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