News Update June 28, 2005
CT News Update:
An Online Newsletter from Campus Technology
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SPONSORS
* Connect Minds with e-Learning Solutions
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* Collaboration Technologies Meet Campus Challenges
http://info.101com.com/default.asp?id=16221
* Syllabus2005: Tracks for Campus Technology Leaders and Innovators
http://info.101com.com/default.asp?id=16199
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News for Tuesday, June 28, 2005
* Cheetah Provides On-Demand Bandwidth for eScience Apps
* Minnesota Schools Latest on Internet-Telephony Bandwagon
* Strayer University’s 2005 Commencement Is Online Now
* Software Firm Gives Marquette $30.5 Million In-Kind Donation
* Technical, Four-Year School Partnering Vital to Wisconsin Economy
* Deadline for Distance Learning Award Nominations This Week
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Connect Minds with e-Learning Solutions
Collaboration solutions from Microsoft® and industry partners
allow student and faculty teams to share ideas and express
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Cheetah Provides On-Demand Bandwidth for eScience Apps
A team of major research universities and government
agencies are collaborating on a project to develop a
next-generation optical network testbed capable of
supporting large multiple-location, bandwidth-intensive,
scientific research projects. Sponsored by the National
Science Foundation, the CHEETAH project involves the
University of Virginia, N.C. State University, Oak
Ridge National Lab in Tennessee, and the City University
of New York.
CHEETAH, for Circuit-switched High-speed End-to-End
Transport Architecture, is designed to provide on-demand
bandwidth to support complex e-science data transfers as
a dedicated network.
"Our goal is to develop a high-speed optical testbed to
provide connection-oriented networking services," said
University of Virginia Associate Professor Malathi
Veeraraghavan, who leads the CHEETAH research project
and holds a joint position in the university's Computer
Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering departments.
CHEETAH will enable rate-guaranteed services for remote
collaboration of geographically distributed scientists,
he added.
To mount the project, the schools are themselves tapping
a research network, the National LambdaRail (NLR), a
consortium of leading research universities and technology
companies deploying a nationwide optical networking
infrastructure. The CHEETAH project will also receive
engineering support from NLR Experiments Support Services.
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Collaboration technologies can extend the classroom and
change the ways students and faculty work together.
Collaboration technologies can extend the classroom and change
the ways students and faculty work together. How can they help
you meet the challenges of a growing and diverse campus community?
What are the best collaboration tools for your campus? A special
Campus Technology micro site sponsored by Dell provides a resource
to make sense of it all. Read about innovative programs, research
new products, review case studies, and participate in discussion
forums with your peers.
http://info.101com.com/default.asp?id=16221
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Minnesota Schools Latest on Internet-Telephony Bandwagon
Minnesota State University and Minnesota’s South Central
College (SCC) are the latest schools to deploy all-IP-based
telephone systems on their campus. Mankato, Minn.-based MSU,
with 15,000 combined students, faculty, and staff, and
South Central College, with 5,000 on campuses in North
Mankato and Faribault, will begin implementing the
Internet-based solution next month.
Wes Taylor, dean of technology for South Central College,
said the new network will provide new phone features for
faculty and staff as well as accommodate a phone in every
classroom. "This will provide better security and easier
access for technical classroom assistance," he said.
IP Telephony converts telephone voice signals into
Internet packets that can travel over private local
area or wide area networks. IP Telephony solutions
provide an array of advanced calling features and
applications. For example, it enables unified messaging,
which delivers e-mail, voice, and fax message to a single
inbox. The Cisco Inc. IP telephony solution will be
implemented by Mankato, Minn.-based HickoryTech.
Strayer University 2005 Commencement Is Online Now
Strayer University, a school for part-time students
that offers a hybrid in-class and online curriculum,
is now holding its 2005 virtual commencement ceremony
at http://www.strayer.edu The virtual commencement
provides the school’s graduates with an online
ceremony that complements their experience in Internet classes.
"This virtual event brings the graduation directly
into the homes of Strayer University Online students
and their guests," said Pamela Bell, provost of Strayer
University. "The online ceremony is a perfect fit for
our technologically savvy students, who have earned
their degrees using an e-learning platform. Our virtual
commencement ceremony is the logical evolution in online
education."
In the 2005 virtual commencement ceremony, Strayer
grads are greeted with a rendering of "Pomp and Circumstance,"
while viewing their names and degrees in a diploma format on
the computer screen. Grads can navigate through opening remarks,
student biographies, pictures of classmates and hear a keynote
speaker, as well as addresses by Provost Bell and Dr. Chris
T'e, president of Strayer University. More than one-third of
Strayer students now take 100 percent of their courses online.
Software Firm Gives Marquette a $30.5 Million In-Kind Donation
UGS, a provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) software,
last week donated software with a market value of $30.5 million
to Marquette University. Marquette said the gift of UGS’s NX PLM
software was the largest in-kind contribution the school had
ever received.
The grant, which follows a $10.7 million software contribution
the firm made in 2003, will be used for research in Prof. Jim
Factor's Geometric Modeling Lab in the Department of Mathematics,
Statistics and Computer Science, as well as by students and
faculty in Chemistry, Biology and Engineering. IT Services
at Marquette will also provide network service to enable
faculty and students across the university to explore
applications of the UGS software in their own research and
teaching.
Michael McKinney, dean of Marquette’s Helen Way Klingler
College of Arts and Science, said the donation will put
"our students … at the cutting edge of the latest technology …
And it won't be limited to just one department. We expect
students from across campus in a variety of fields to be
able to gain from the applications of the software."
Technical, Four-Year School Partnering Vital to Wisconsin Economy
The LaCrosse, Wisc., Tribune newspaper called for greater
collaboration between the state’s universities and technical
colleges, saying such partnerships are vital to the state’s
economic future. In an editorial, the paper touted a "two
plus two" plan worked out by Viterbo University and Western
Wisconsin Technical College, whereby WWTC students can
transfer after two years to Viterbo to complete a four
year degree. "One big change in higher education is the
degree to which technical colleges and universities will
have to work together," the newspaper said. "That's important
for the students, but it also is important for the state
economy, because bachelor's degree holders make more money
during their lifetimes and will pay more in state taxes."
The editorial responded to cut-backs in state support for
both universities and technical colleges.
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Sponsored by
Syllabus2005: Tracks for Campus Technology Leaders and Innovators
This summer’s 12th annual Syllabus Education Technology Conference,
July 24-28 in Los Angeles, promises something for every technology
leader on campus. Five tracks and more than 50 sessions examine the
challenges and issues you face every day, from Teaching with Technology
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For more information and to register, go to
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Deadline for Distance Learning Award Nominations This Week
The U.S. Distance Learning Association’s deadline for the
2005 Distance Learning Awards submissions is drawing near.
The awards recognize achievements for distance education
and training. Eligibility includes Pre-K-12, higher
education, corporate, government, and Telehealth markets.
International submissions are also welcome. Award submission
deadline is June 30, 2005. The 2005 Awards will be presented
on October 17 at the Training 2005 Fall Conference in Long
Beach, California.
For more information, visit
http://www.usdla.org/html/events/dlAwards.htm
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