As a consequence of our university-wide IT Strategic
Plan, major university IT initiatives are beginning
to take shape for the upcoming fiscal year 2004-5. The
tactical goals for the upcoming year are in the process
of being specifically defined in April and May, with
commencement of work following thereafter. However,
before spring semester ends, I want to share with the
university community what the general expectations are
for the upcoming year.
Before You
Leave for the Summer (Important Miami account tips)
Before leaving for the summer, it is important
to do some account maintenance. The number one problem
that is fielded by the Support Desk during the summer
season is forgotten passwords. Resolving password
problems is much more difficult when you are not
on one of Miami’s campuses. Therefore, just
a little bit of planning can save you a lot of trouble.
Students—Buy
Your Microsoft Software Now!
Our current Microsoft contract will expire on June
30, 2004. Prices for Microsoft software will be
substantially higher after that date.
Account
Deletion Policy for Departing Miami Students, Faculty
and Staff
Students graduating in May can expect their MUnet
accounts to remain available to them over the summer,
providing continued access to myMiami and its resources,
including but not limited to NetDisk, e-mail, BannerWeb
and Career Services. The suspension and deletion
of these accounts will begin in September 2004.
IT
Services Continues Web-based Training Open Sessions
The Learning and Information Services (LIS) group
of IT Services will continue to offer Open Sessions
for Miami’s web-based training options through
July.
As the semester nears its finish, students of all
disciplines are completing final papers and projects.
Hours of hard effort have gone into these papers,
but many students rely on the flimsy piece of mylar
that is inside 3 1/2" floppy disks to store
this precious work. Others will use zip disks, and
many will use their personal computer's hard drive.
New
Microsoft Contract to Take Effect July 1, 2004
Miami University, in conjunction with the Ohio
IUC (Inter-University Consortium) negotiated a contract
with Microsoft in 1999 to provide software for all
university owned computers. The contract also allowed
the Bookstore to sell software very inexpensively
to faculty, staff and students for personally owned
computers. This contract is set to expire June 30,
2004. A new contract has been negotiated but will
result in a very significant change for students
(nothing changes for faculty and staff).
New
Senior Director of Academic Technology Services
The Office of the Vice President for Information
Technology is pleased to announce that, effective
May 1, 2004, Ms. Carolyn Gard will be joining Miami's
staff as our new Senior Director for Academic Technology
Services. Ms. Gard comes to Miami with a distinguished
record as a leader in establishing nationally recognized
programs of institutional support for academic communities
at several universities.
Wired
and Wireless Improvements to Miami’s Data Network
IT Services is pleased to announce substantial
improvements to the university's data network. Improvements
will begin this summer and will result in a more
robust & reliable computer network. Enhancements
will be made to both the wired and wireless data
networks.
Pocket
PC now Synchronizes with Meeting Maker Calendars
IT Services is now
supporting synchronization between Pocket PC devices
and the Meeting Maker server. Pocket PC users who
wish to synchronize their Meeting Maker calendar with
their Pocket PC calendar will need to install Intellisync
for MeetingMaker.
Upgrade
to Banner 6 Scheduled for October 2004
Banner is our primary administrative software used
for tasks such as student registration, financial
aid, payroll, billing, alumni giving and numerous
other tasks. Banner 6 is the latest release of this
software and we plan to begin use of Banner 6 this
October. Those who use Banner 6 will notice interesting
changes to the appearance of screens such as fonts
and color, but most of the changes are "under
the hood" and will bring benefits later. One
example is that in the Winter of 2005 we expect
that all Banner screens will be available on the
Web. Banner 6 will include many important changes
required by State and Federal law, such as Financial
Aid regulations.
Top
Ten Picks for February and March 2004
Want to know what the hot technology questions/topics
on campus are? Knowledge Base traffic provides a
great clue. The Knowledge Base, a service of Information
Technology Services, is designed to put the information
you need to use technology effectively at your fingertips.
