News 02-12-2002
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Alliance Formed to Open Scholarly Publishing Avenues
Eight research library organizations from around the world last week formed
an organization to collaborate with scholars and publishers to push for "equitable
access to scholarly and research publications." The group, dubbed the International
Scholarly Communications Alliance (ISCA), said it represents over 600 research
libraries worldwide and would use its clout and financial power to ensure open
and affordable access to scholarship across national boundaries. The group is
concerned that the spiralling cost of journal literature -- which it put at
226 percent in the last 15 years -- has affected the open flow of academic research.
The Alliance wants to "transform the scholarly communcations process"
by supporting alternatives to commercial journal titles and promoting public
access to library content.
For more information, visit: <http://www.arl.org/sparc>.
Syllabus Magazine Subscriptions
Subscribe to Syllabus magazine, the only monthly magazine dedicated exclusively
to technology in higher education. <<http://subscribe.101com.com/syllabus>>.
Bill Earmarks $880M for Higher Ed Security Work
The House of Representatives last week approved a bill that would strengthen
academic programs in information security, provide fellowships and grants, and
fund research. The legislation, sponsored by House Science Committee Chairman
Sherwood B'ehlert, (R-N.Y.), would provide $880 million over five years. The
Senate must also approve the measure. The bill calls for the National Science
Foundation to create cybersecurity research centers and provide grants and fellowships
to colleges. Also, the National Institute of Standards and Technology would
develop grant programs that team industry and universities on security projects
and encourage researchers in other fields to work on cybersecurity.
College Battles Network File-Sharing Traffic
Lees-McRae College purchased network management sofware to limit music and
video file-sharing traffic on campus, which was consuming 70 percent of the
North Carolina school's T-1 network capacity. Students had been back on campus
only a few weeks when access to the library's card catalog, hosted off campus,
became constricted. The school installed WiseWan, a bandwith management system
from NetReality Inc. to reduce P2P or file sharing traffic to 30 percent of
peak capacity. "It was important for us to not block P2P traffic entirely,"
said Russell Taylor, director of academic computing and IT. "We feel strongly
that whether to stop file sharing entirely is a decision for the courts."
For more information, visit: <http://www.lmc.edu>.
Syllabus Conference Survey Drawing - Winner Announced
Attendees from the Syllabus fall2001 conference in Boston who opted to take
part in an online survey evaluating the conference were entered in a prize drawing.
The winner was selected in a random drawing on February 1, after all responses
were tallied. Mark Decker, of the University of Texas-Austin won a free full
conference registration to a Syllabus conference in 2002. Congratulations, Mark!
For more information on Syllabus conferences, visit: <http://www.syllabus.com>.
SCT Buys Sallie Mae Student Info Systems Biz
SCT agreed last week to acquire Sallie Mae's student information systems business
for higher education. Under the terms of the deal, valued at $15.5 million,
SCT will acquire Sallie Mae's Exeter Student Suite and Perkins/Campus Loan Manager
product lines. SCT said components of the tecnology would be integrated into
SCT's Internet-based SCT Banner solution and the SCT Plus line. The deal gives
SCT a Microsoft-based student information solution. The two companies also announced
they would collaborate on marketing Sallie Mae's Net.Pay billing and payment
solution and on support for student loan processing for mutual customers.
Kansas Provide Online Billing and Payment Options
The University of Kansas has launched an online payment system that will enable
KU students and their parents or guardians to view consolidated statements for
tuition and fees and make payments securely on the Internet. The university
is using eBill and ePayment software from Chicago-based infiNet Solutions. William
Eakin, Kansas associate provost for support services, said the system enables
us to carry out a legislative mandate that KU's financials system allow tuition
payment by credit card." Infinet said its programs are designed for the
higher education market. The system provides access to billing and payment options
using an institution's existing authentication system.
Indiana to Automate Key Procurement Processes
Indiana University said it will acquire software to help it manage its procurements
and relationships with suppliers. The eight-campus university said its agreement
with HigherMarkets Inc., which develops procurement software solutions, would
allow it to create an integrated procurement system that streamlined the flow
of purchasing documentation with its key suppliers. HigherMarkets will host
the system, meaning Indiana will not need to license software or purchase hardware,
and the company will manage all upgrades and product changes.
Micron Unveils Alternative to Intel StrataFlash
Chipmaker Micron Technology, Inc. announced the industry availability of 32Mb
Q-Flash, the first offering in the Q-Flash family of high-density, even-sectored
Flash memory chips. Q-Flash memory is comparable to Intel's StrataFlash, targeting
applications such as set-top boxes, cellular base stations, and networking applications.
The comppany said the devices represent "one of the most competitive memory
solutions for applications needing both code and data storage."
Five Canadian Schools License Campus Pipeline
Five Canadian universities last week bought licenses to the Campus Pipeline
Web Platform to provide centralized Web access to campus information and services.
The schools include: Centennial College, Toronto, Ontario, Mount Royal College,
Calgary, Alberta, Okanagan University College, Kelowna, British Columbia, Saskatchewan
Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST), Saskatoon, Saskatchewan,
and Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), Calgary, Alberta. Campus
Pipeline Web Platform is enterprise integration software that that integrates
data, portals, calendars, and other campus technologies under a single online
roof.
Net Security Firm Forms Higher Ed Group
Network security software firm Okena Inc. said it would launch what it called
the Higher Education Security Consortium (HESC) and offer free intrusion prevention
security to colleges and universities that are accepted to the consortium before
July 1, 2002. The company said HESC was formed to promote proactive security
to higher education IT environments. Erich Baumgartner, vice president of Okena
sales, said the company is "collaborating with the nation's higher education
centers to ensure students, educators and IT administrators are all brought
up to speed on the latest methods of preventing attacks." The company said
HESC members receive $27,000 of Okena intrusion prevention software with a commitment
to pay only $1,650 in annual maintenance fees.
