UTAC 29-APR-2008 Meeting Summary ** DRAFT **
Attendance: Art Acton, Jerry Belloit, Steve Johnson, Dave Hartley, Darla Kurnal, Bob Nulph, Mike Phillips, Sam Puleio, Edna Reid, Steve Selker, Debbie Sobina, Bill Trimbe (for Terry Latour), Harry Tripp
Approval of Prior Minutes
The 18-MAR-2008 Meeting Summary was approved
University E-mail
- PASSHE E-mail RFP: PASSHE recently completed the RFP for student e-mail services. Clarion submitted RFP evaluations based on the proposal reviews completed by UTAC representatives. Final award steps are still pending at PASSHE, but the System did tentatively select the Microsoft proposal which will enable access to the WindowsLive@edu service for students and alumni. WindowsLive@edu services for students and alumni include web-based e-mail service with with at least 5GB of storage along with access to related services such a the SkyDrive virtual file service. UTAC will route a recommendation to the Provost to adopt the WindowsLive@edu service for students and alumni starting the fall semester. If approved, a UTAC subcommittee will be formed to coordinate the migration details (pending final information from PASSHE and Microsoft). Employee e-mail services are not available under the WindowsLive@edu program, and UTAC identified an employee e-mail upgrade project as a 2008-09 initiative.
- Listservs The committee discussed recent delivery and service delays with the university "all" e-mail lists. The old listserv platform, which is tied to the SIS infrastructure, will be replaced summer 2008 to address the performance issues.
Planning Subcommittee Notes
The Planning Subcommittee completed a review of the IT Plan and submitted a number of suggestions to UTAC for full committee consideration. First, a plan revision was proposed to expand streaming media services from the original scope of instructional use to an expanded scope for student activities and university events. Second, under the specialized software section of the plan an initiative was suggested to complete a review of statistical software in use at the university and define plans to replace the SAS service currently on VMS (which will be eliminated as the SIS system is replaced in (approx.) 2010 with the PASSHE Shared Systems initiative) and define the future direction for future statistical software platforms at the university. Finally, prioritization of the Student Laptop Research and Employee E-mail System Upgrade plan initiatives was suggested for 2008-09. UTAC endorsed the subcommittee suggestions and will move forward to form subcommittees to pursue the streaming, statistical software, laptop, and e-mail initiatives starting fall 2008.
2008-09 Tech Fee
UTAC reviewed the report and recommendations from the Tech Fee Review subcommittee. For 08/09, 14 proposals were received in addition to the "Phase 3" Wireless and Smart Classroom planning initiatives previously confirmed by UTAC. 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 finalized by the President. Final approval is anticipated in August and projects are expected to be initiated in the fall.
