OPINION

Should We Outsource?

By Linda L. Briggs

An institution core competencies are what make it unique and desirable-strengths that vary from school to school. Managing IT, however, may not always be one of them. That’s why institutions of higher education often look at ways to outsource some of their IT functions to outside experts.

At the University of Florida, for example, outsourcing certain IT-related projects has proved to be a smart decision. The university’s distance learning program serves up sophisticated video, text, animation, and simulation content via high-speed Internet connections to students at four campuses across Florida. Instead of trying to handle the complexity of supporting streaming video, the school decided four years ago to outsource the project to Nashville-based DigiScript, explains Bill Riffee, associate provost for Distance, Continuing, and Executive Education.

IT NEWS

Penn State and TelCover Partner

The Pennsylvania State University and TelCove, a leading provider of business critical telecommunications services to enterprise customers and carriers, have partnered on a joint fiber build between Penn State's University Park campus at State College and the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC).

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Sarah Lawrence College Expands Its Online Community

Sarah Lawrence College selected Jenzabar's Internet Campus Solution (JICS) 6.0 and Learning Management System (LMS) to expand the college's online community. Jenzabar Inc., the provider of Total Campus Management (TCM) solutions for higher education had previously created an online community for faculty and students through the Jenzabar EX Web product, and the migration to JICS will bring Web services to the college’s administrative staff as well.

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Ozarks Technical CC Implements Projector Technology

Ozarks Technical Community College (OTC) Media Services, along with the Information Technology (IT) Department, has spent the past year installing a projector network management system implementing Bitlogix NetControl projector control software.

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University of California Signs Multimillion Dollar Contract with Xerox

The University of California has selected Xerox Corp. to fulfill the document needs of its 10 statewide campuses, five medical centers, and three national laboratories. The five-year contract could involve nearly 3,000 Xerox digital copiers and office multifunction systems ordered over time.

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RESOURCES

New Gartner Magic Quadrant

Gartner Research's latest report on Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP) systems for higher education advances Campus Management Corporation's position in the "Magic Quadrant." The report encourages traditional institutions to follow the lead of the fast-growing career and online colleges, and to consider Campus Management when investigating new ERP systems. (Campus Management)

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DEALS, CONTRACTS, AWARDS

Chippewa Valley Technical College Gets $500k

Wisconsin’s Governor Jim Doyle has announced that Chippewa Valley Technical College will receive a $500,000 grant from the Department of Commerce to implement a nanotechnology incubator at its Gateway Campus in Eau Claire.

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