News Update 04-29-2003
Illinois to Integrate Computing Across Three Campuses
The University of Illinois plans to integrate administrative computing systems
at its three lead campuses—Chicago, Springfield, and Champaign-Urbana—in a $197 million project. SCT Corp. will be the primary integrator on the project.
The project will integrate finance, human resource work, and student administration
departments across the university. Nancy Herpstreith, assistant director of
Undergraduate Admissions Processing and Articulation, told the Daily Illini
that the old system was difficult to maintain. She said she is excited about
the new system, particularly the program's ability to access statistics, as
well as its ability to speed up the processing of admission letters to be sent
to incoming freshmen.
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.
http://info.101com.com/default.asp?id=827
Key Conferences on Higher Education and Technology
California Virtual Campus Annual Conference
CVC is holding its 4th Annual Conference May 8-9, in San Diego, Calif. The
focus of the conference is online student support and instructional services.
Breakout sessions will cover issues, models, and best practices for serving
students' educational needs at a distance. CVC will enable attendance via streaming
video synched to PowerPoint or Web content in an integrated Web delivery using
an application called SoftTv. Viewing the conference requires newer Web browsers,
Real Player, and a fast Internet connection (DSL, T1, Cable).
For more information, visit: www.cvc4.org/StudentServices/2003Conference/electronic.asp
Jenzabar National User Conference
Course management system provider Jenzabar Inc. will hold its annual National
User Conference June 8-11, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Atlanta. The conference
will include sessions on Jenzabar products and hands-on product training sessions
and lessons. Hands-on labs will provide customers with the opportunity to test-drive
new products or learn ways of improving their current applications from colleagues
and industry experts. Keynote address will be from Rick Belluzzo, the former
president and CEO of Microsoft.
For more information, visit: http://events.jenzabar.net/userconf.html
Purdue Nears Funding Threshold for New CS Building
Purdue University said it would be constructing a new building for its computer
science department, having finally grown out of the campus gym where it originated
20 years ago. The initial phase of the new project will cost $20 million. So
far, $18.5 million has been secured through alumni, friends of the department,
and the state of Indiana. Construction will begin once the remaining $1.5 million
has been raised. Plans include space for 10 classrooms, 10 instructional labs,
10 research labs, meeting rooms, a lecture room for speakers, and offices for
40 faculty, 240 graduate students, and staff. "For students, some of the appealing
features of the new building include labs and classrooms designed specifically
for team project work, student organization office space, and food service,"
Mary Jo Bartolacci, development director for the department, told the Purdue
Exponent.
Dartmouth Installs Location-Based Wireless Server
Dartmouth College has standardized on the use of a "location-based" wireless
network designed to push content to students based on their location on campus.
The technology is LocaleServer from Newbury Networks Inc., which works with
802.11-based wireless LANS. Dartmouth's School of Engineering is currently using
the application to "push" class notes and course information to students in
classrooms using 802.11b-supported handheld or notebook computers based on their
location. The application ensures that only students in that particular classroom
receive the timely, location-aware information.
Latest Awards, Deals, Contracts, in Higher Education
CAMPUS PORTALS—The University of Michigan's College of Literature,
Science and the Arts (LSA) has launched a new portal using Vignette software,
which will enable content to be posted much more easily on the system. In turn,
this will enable the site to become more timely, as content can be put up and
taken down faster. The new portal will support the schoolÕs PeopleSoft infrastructure,
making online course registration an easier task.
SECURE E-MAIL—The University of Utah Health Sciences Center (UUHSC)
signed a contract with Zix Corp. to provide secure e-mail for 12,000 physicians,
students, and staff. UUHSC purchased Zix Virtual Private Messenger, a gateway
solution that provides policy-driven, secure e-mail, and ZixPort, an integrated
secure e-messaging portal that mirrors the look and feel of the organization's
existing Web portal. UUHSC will encrypt Protected Health Information (PHI) to
comply with the privacy regulations of the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).