News 04-04-2003
Sponsor: hp MP1200 digital projector with warranty
Want your school's money to go far? Buy the reliable and mobile HP MP1200 Digital
projector and you'll get a three-year warranty that even includes unlimited
bulb replacements (a value of at least $600). No other manufacturer offers this
extended warranty support. So act now, visit http://info.101com.com/default.asp?id=970
Finalists for Best Collegiate Software Programmer Named
Sun Microsystems Inc. and TopCoder Inc., a company that specializes in finding
computer programming talent, announced 16 finalists, including five regional
champions, to compete in the upcoming final rounds of their 2003 tournament
to name the top university software programmer. The tournament will award a
total purse of $100,000, with the winner receiving $50,000. The five Regional
Champions are:
- Northeast: Bogdan Stanescu (George Mason University)
- Southeast: David Arthur (Duke University)
- Midwest: Tony Chang (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign)
- West: Benjamin Mathews (California Institute of Technology)
- International: Jiazhi Wu (Zhejiang University in China)
There are 12 wildcard finalists. The semifinal and championship rounds will
be today, April 4, and tomorrow, April 5, at the University Park Hotel at MIT
in Cambridge, Mass.
Make Plans Now to Attend Syllabus2003: July 27-31
Syllabus2003 is celebrating its 10th annual summer conference for education
technology professionals with five days of don't-miss keynotes, general sessions,
break-outs and more. Monday, July 28, will be spent at Stanford University where
you'll see and experience the latest education technology in action. Four days
of high-level programming at the San Jose Marriott feature five new tracks on
topics of strategic importance. Plus, you'll enjoy networking and exhibits in
Syllabus' traditional collegial atmosphere. Don't miss out. Early Bird registration
in effect until June 27--Save up to $200 on the Gold Package and attend all
five days. For details and to register go to: http://info.101com.com/default.asp?id=827
http://info.101com.com/default.asp?id=827
IUPUI Develops Electronic Portfolios for Higher Ed
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis will complete its first version
of an electronic portfolio software system this month, which it is marketing
to college faculty and students. The Purdue School of Engineering & Technology
at IUPUI developed the software system, called Epsilen Portfolios, in December
2001. It is designed to enable users to develop a personal Web-based portfolio,
with resume, bios, papers, presentations, a learning matrix, movies and other
multimedia pieces. Starting next fall, incoming freshmen at Bowling Green State
University and University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire will be among the first group
of students to use the Epsilen Portfolios system. Those schools, together with
Maricopa Community Colleges, Penn State, and UCLA, are part of a new consortium
directed by IUPUI to further define, design, and develop the framework and compatibility
of the software system.
U. New Orleans Designs Engineering Management Curriculum
The University of New Orleans (UNO) is teaming with two IT management and business
consulting firms to develop a methodology for business process engineering that
will form the basis of a curriculum in the engineering management program at
the university’s School of Engineering. The two companies are IDS Scheer Inc.
and PMOLink Inc. The team will create a business process "competency" based
on the ARIS (ARchitecture of Integrated Information Systems) framework, a solution
for designing business process improvements. UNO's faculty is currently undergoing
training on ARIS and plans to roll out curriculum this fall.
New Products: Mobile Solution for Higher Ed Admissions
SCT announced this week the PocketRecruiter, a new software application that
works with wireless technology and Pocket PCs to help higher education admissions
staff work from the road. PocketRecruiter uses Pocket PCs and SCT Banner or
SCT PowerCAMPUS administrative system, to provide mobile access to data on current
admissions prospects. SCT says it delivers remote access to event management
tools, information about applicant institutions, and convenient communications
tools for tracking notes and tasks.
New Deals, Awards, Contracts in Higher Education
DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS—NYU Medical Center selected Information
Builders' WebFocus business intelligence application to deliver monthly financial
reports via the Web. The Center expects to cut its financial reporting time
by 50 percent with the tool. Currently it takes three to four weeks to deliver
reports after the books have been closed. The new system will make them available
online days after the final numbers are calculated. The intranet-based reporting
application, dubbed the NYU Report Dashboard, will also give managers the ability
to see financial information relevant to their areas swiftly, rather than having
to wait several weeks for specific reports.
AUTHENTICATION SYSTEMS—The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Health System (UPMC) is using RSA SecurID two-factor authentication in connection
with the school’s virtual private network. The software provides doctors at
UPMC two-factor user authentication to help ensure secure, remote access to
vital medical records. The company said the system helps increase the productivity
of physicians by enabling the flexibility and convenience of viewing X-rays,
test results, and patient records over a high- speed Internet connection, while
preserving the privacy and integrity of patients' personal medical files.