Campus Briefs
:: NEWS
RICE PRESSES ON DIGITALLY. After a 10-year-long print publishing hiatus, Rice University (TX) will
reestablish its university press in exclusively digital format, promoting Rice University Press as the first fully digital university
press in the US. Using the existing Connexions open source electronic platform, the venture will foster
publishing in fields that have been impacted by high costs or difficult distribution models and explore new models of
peer-reviewed scholarship.
ONE MORE COOK IN THE KITCHEN. The University of California has joined
the Kuali Foundation. Three of the campuses—Davis, Irvine, and Santa Barbara—along with the Office
of the President will invest resources in the ongoing development of the Kuali Financial System, the first in what is hoped
will be an entire suite of administrative software programs based on open standards.
VIRTUALLY HIGH-TOUCH.
One of the largest distance ed programs in the world, UMassOnline, will integrate live audio, video,
application sharing, and content display into its CMS, the Blackboard Learning System-Vista Enterprise. The synchronous platform, Horizon Wimba’s Live Classroom, will support live interaction
in many of UMassOnline’s professional programs.
A NEW DEPTH OF STUDY. The Victoria Experimental
Network Under the Sea, a project led by the University of Victoria (BC), has opened an interactive,
real-time portal to the ocean floor. The $10.3 million facility connects an underwater fiber-optic network of cables and
instruments to the internet as well as to a centralized data management and archive system for recorded observations. Data
will be shared with the larger North-East Pacific Time-Series Undersea Networked Experiments Canada seafloor observatory, also led by the university.
MORE FAST TRACKING. Babson College (MA) has
developed a new Portland, OR-area “Fast Track MBA,” which opens this fall and is offered in a blended
learning format for experienced, working professionals. Based on a program designed for Intel employees, the popular program has been expanded to include cohorts on campus as well
as corporate students.
IT KEY IN REORG. In a bold realignment of academic programs, the
University of Minnesota begins its academic year with 17 colleges instead of 20. In a process that
began a year ago, U of M’s IT organization reinvented the way it works with the reorganized collegiate
units, while the colleges planned improved use of IT resources to maximize competitive edge.
:: PEOPLE
TULANE TO WWU: Lawson takes
Western Washington vice provost/CIO post.
LAWSON NOW AT WWU. On August 15, John Lawson took up his new post as
Western Washington University’s vice provost for IT and CIO. Lawson most recently served as CIO
at Tulane University (LA). He succeeds Jerry Boles, who is retiring as WWU’s vice provost.
Share your success! We want to know about recent promotions, changes, and hires in your campus technology
community. Forward the individual’s name; title; institution and location information; and any relevant
educational and occupational background to [email protected], with the subject line “Campus Briefs.”