24-APR-2007 Meeting Summary ** DRAFT **
Attendance: Art Acton, Yasser Ayad, Bob Balough, Debbie Ciesielka, Marilyn Harhai, Dave Hartley, Terry Latour, Bob Nulph, Mike Phillips, Sam Puleio, George Seamon Jr., Steve Selker, Debbie Sobina
Approval of Prior Minutes
The 27-FEB-2007 Meeting Summary was approved
Microsoft Vista, Office 2007
UTAC reviewed the report from the Microsoft Vista/Office 2007 Subcommittee. Various considerations for software upgrades were discussed including instructional plans the fall, new user interfaces, and file compatability issues. UTAC agreed to the following approach for the Office 2007 package (which includes Word,Excel, Access, PowerPoint, and Outlook):
- Over the summer, the Microsoft Windows labs and smart classrooms will be upgraded to Office2007 as part of our summer lab maintenance. Lab updates for Office2007 will be completed by 8/17/2007.
- Employee Windows machines with Office2003 will be patched so that they can read Office2007 files. The patch will be deployed across campus by 7/20/2007.
- Starting in the fall, Computing Services will upgrade campus offices to Office2007 on a to-be-negotiated schedule with each office. This is a major upgrade that will require the coordination of various items.
- With the fall start-up, Computing Services will also provide web-based resources to highlight the changes between the new version of Office and the old version. Web resources to highlight file format issues will also be provided. Note: See Computing Services' web page Microsoft Office.
- Any employee that is interested in being an "early adopter" of Office2007 will be able to have their PC upgraded upon request this summer. Participation will be coordinated through the Computing Services Help Desk.
It was noted that Microsoft is also planning an upgrade for Mac version of the Office suite. However, their release schedule for Office2008 for the Mac has not been finalized. UTAC we will define a similar deployment plan and schedule for our Mac environment once the software is released.
The committee also discussed plans for Microsoft Vista (the replacement for the WindowsXP desktop operating system). Noting that the hardware requirements for Vista are higher than a significant percentage of our existing PC hardware, UTAC elected to remain WindowsXP except for one possible research lab for CIS which can go to Vista. UTAC will re-visit the Vista question again next spring.
Smart Classroom Subcommittee
The committee reviewed a report from the UTAC Smart Classroom Subcomittee. Orders are in process for summer upgrades in Peirce Auditorium, Peirce 161, Becker G-72, Still 201 and 202, Tippin 203, Kelling 116, Library BI, Frame 10 and 208, and Montgomery 307. As requested at the last UTAC meeting, the subcommittee also started reviews of Classroom Response System (CRS) considerations - including discussions with faculty who have been early adopters of systems such as Turning Point and Interwrite. The subcommittee suggests standardizing on a single system and utilizing a model where students will be able to purchase the 'clickers' through the bookstore. More research is needed and the subcommittee intends to schedule vendor demonstrations and product reviews in May. Once a CRS is selected by the subcommittee, a recommendation will be routed to UTAC.
2007-08 Tech Fee
The committee reviewed the report and recommendations from the Tech Fee Review subcommittee. For 07/08, 25 proposals were received in addition to the "Phase 2" Wireless and Smart Classroom planning initiatives confirmed last year. Budget adjustments for the replacement equipment fund escrow and annual software fees for items such as Blackboard were noted. The subcommittee's list of recommended projects was discussed and endorsed. The projects endorsed by UTAC will be routed to the Provost for further review, after which the Tech Fee plan will be reviewed and approved by the President and submitted to PASSHE. The PASSHE response to the proposed plan is expected in October or November.
Student E-mail Pilot
UTAC identified a group of students to participate in a pilot e-mail program with a Clarion site under Google Apps for Education. Computing Services will meet with the students before the end of the semester to obtain their initial feedback, then pilot testing will continue into the fall.
