December 2011
IT Connections Holiday Masthead
In This Issue
IT Professional Development
Campus Technology Upgrades
Professional Development Opportunities
Tech Updates
VPU Brings Home the Gold
Presenters Sought for SU Sustainability Conference
IT Out and About
Call for Nominations - 2012 EDUCAUSE Awards
ITidbits
Ciao, Firenze
DSA Builds The Commons in SharePoint
Quick Links
Join Our Mailing List

Quick Notes  

 

Staff Milestones

 

Anna Hermann, Senior Administrator - 5 years

Chris Sedore, VP for Information Technology/CIO - 20 years
 

IT Professional Development
Staff on the cutting edge 

Conferences & Forums    

Colleen Van Kamp accepts her MVP AwardColleen Van Camp was recognized by the Eastern Great Lakes chapter of the Association of Contingency Planners (EGLACP) with their 2011 Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award. This award recognizes significant contributions made by a member in support and service of ACP and the business continuity profession. Colleen, an active member of the EGLACP for years, received the MVP award at the November Association of Contingency Planners Meeting. She has been coordinator for the last two symposiums with great success. In the exclusive, but out of focus, picture at right Colleen accepts her award from Jeff Shaw, chapter president.

 

Chris Sedore was the featured presenter at the 7x24 Exchange Empire State Chapter Board Meeting in Albany, NY on December 1. Chris's presentation was titled "Building a Truly Green Data Center." The crowd was a mix of vendors and end users, including two Albany-based independent data center owners and many local technology consultants. Chris also participated in the University Business Executive Roundtable, hosted by the Education Advisory Board, in Washington, DC on December 7. The meeting was titled "Proceeding in Daylight: Meeting the New Standard for Data-Driven Decision Making in Higher Education." Chris was among more than 35 university leaders from around the country who participated in the daylong meeting with panelists from the University of Michigan, Arizona State University and the University of Illinois.

 

June Szymanski has been named co-chair the 2012 NERHEUG (Northeast Regional Higher Education Users Group) conference, tentatively scheduled for October 2012. June also represented the NERHEUG at the HEUG Regional Conference Meeting in San Francisco December 7, which met to coordinate and help prepare guidelines for all Regional conferences. HEUG is an international organization consisting of higher education institutions that use application software from the Oracle Corporation.

 

Lend a hand!  Andy Clark is a member of the EDUCAUSE 2012 Annual Conference Program Committee, and co-chair of the Leadership, Management & Governance track. In that capacity he could use your assistance. The purpose of the conference is to support professional development of higher education technology professionals. Andy and his co-chair are looking for people who are willing to serve as session proposal readers for their track. The Leadership, Management, and Governance track encompasses a number of topic areas, including:

  • effective and engaging IT leadership styles, decision-making, and practices;
  • shared governance;
  • policy development and enforcement;
  • strategic and tactical planning;
  • visioning;
  • institutional alignment and accountability;
  • partnership and external collaborations;
  • professional development and mentoring.

Each session proposal will be read by three or more individuals to ensure the quality of the program; the co-chairs will also read all proposals. Serving as a reader would require a commitment to review and rate proposals in February and March and making recommendations on-line. The number of proposals each reader will be asked to read will depend on how many session proposals are received; it is likely be each reader will need several hours to do this work.

 

Please consider volunteering some time to be a reader. "I've done it in the past," says Andy, "and found it a good way to see what others in the Higher Education community are thinking about and working on." If you don't feel you have the time or interest to serve as a reader, your recommendation of someone else who you feel would make a contribution in this capacity would be appreciated.

 

Contact Andy at x2632 or [email protected] if you're interested or have questions.

 

PublicationsLee Badman, blogger

 

Lee Badman resounds with his remonstrative righteousness as a blogger for Network Computing.

 
   

Campus Technology Upgrades

Learning Environments had a busy summer

 

Learning Environments and Media Production (LEMP) upgraded technology in over 30 spaces on and around campus this past summer. Projects ranged from classroom projector upgrades to a fully integrated 7.1 surround sound classroom connected to an audio mixing studio.  A total of 5 new classrooms in the Shaffer Art Building were added to the registrar pool.  Classrooms in Newhouse and Shaffer were upgraded to high-definition (HD) presentation technology. Short-throw projection systems were installed in Bowne Hall and HBC conference rooms. LEMP also replaced 94 computers in the ITS public computer labs in Shine and Kimmel, and repurposed some computers at student email stations. 

Belfer Lab Multimedia Classroom
Multimedia interactive classroom in Bird Library

 

One of the major additions on campus is a multimedia interactive classroom in Bird Library, built in conjunction with The Belfer Audio Archives, to support classes taught in the recording studio.

 

"A unique challenge in the Belfer installation was to provide full 7.1 surround sound, along with the traditional equipment found in campus classrooms," said Don Little, director of LEMP.

 

From surround sound to SMARTBoard software to gaming counsels, the Belfer Laboratory project is a dynamic learning and teaching environment. The heart of the system is a Denon surround sound switcher/processor, which supports all of the current surround sound standards. Users can annotate or draw right on the images projected on the SMARTBoard.

 

A link was installed to display the recording studio's computer system and a live video camera feed to both the control room and recording studio. The room is also compatible with the latest gaming consoles for students learning to design soundscapes for video games. The low profile A/V credenza system conforms to ADA standards, allowing seated users to operate the system.

Say Yes to Education Smartboard
SMARTBoard at Say Yes to Education

 

The Learning Environments Group upgraded technology off campus as well, with their installation of a new SMARTBoard in the Say Yes to Education office at 109 Otisco Street.

 

"It operates as part of a system that includes the interactive whiteboard, a computer, a short-throw projector and white boarding software," said Ray Dow, manager of Learning Environments. "A projector displays the computer's desktop image on the interactive whiteboard, which accepts touch input from a finger, pen or other solid object.  Each contact with the interactive whiteboard is interpreted as a left-click from the mouse."

 

Presentation classrooms in Newhouse and Shaffer were upgraded to HD projectors with Extron Touchlink control interfaces. They include a HDMI/DVI/VGA/Composite switcher to allow support of legacy and newer source devices.

 

"Overall, the system is designed for today's technology, but is upgradable as new technologies emerge," said Little.

 

For more information contact Don Little at x1849 or [email protected].

 

Professional Development Opportunities

Resources that might help you sharpen your edge

 

MakeUseOf logo

MakeUseOf is a daily blog that features "cool websites, computer tips, and downloads that can make you more productive." The aim of MakeUseOf is to guide you through the web and tell you about hot websites that you have never heard of, best software programs, and all kinds of "how to" tips for Windows, Mac and Linux computer users. They have a wide selection of free PDF guides on topics ranging from Using iOs 5 to The Facebook Marketing Guide to The Essential Guide To Digital Photography, to name only a few. MakeUseOf launched in July 2006 and now has approximately 450,000 active subscribers and serves about 15 million pageviews a month. It also ranks among the most popular blogs on the web according to Technorati and in top 1000 websites worldwide according to Alexa (an AOL company). 

Higher Ed Experts logo 

Higher Ed Experts is an online community offering professional development and continuing education opportunities to executives and professionals working in web marketing and communications in universities and colleges around the world. They claim to have more than 2,000 members from over 400 institutions worldwide, and faculty of over 70 experts from the US, Canada and the UK. They offer webinars, master classes & online courses on many topics related to social media marketing, website design, web analytics, writing for the web, newsletters, blogs, and more.

 

The EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research (ECAR) has released its Report on Mobile IT in Higher Education. Visit EDUCAUSE's mobile IT research hub to learn how mobile computing is being incorporated into higher education.

 

Annual EDUCAUSE Conference Opens Call for Proposals. EDUCAUSE 2012, November 6-9 in Denver and online, has opened its search for presenters to create a dynamic, community-generated program.

 

Tech Updates

Keeping current with software, systems, issues and devices

 

Surprise, surprise! A recent article in USA Today College indicates that students who use smartphones study more - and more efficiently.

 

After a long, full life, the Service Desk system was fully decommissioned on November 1, 2011. During its nine years as SU's enterprise help desk tracking system, Service Desk logged over 500,000 requests and 7,000 change orders and

Service Desk

was used by over 70,000 clients. Orange Tracker, SU's current system for tracking help tickets and change orders, has been operational since February, 2010.

 

Decommissioning Service Desk required a team effort from several ITS departments, including the database administration group, the Unix group, the Service Center, the Virtual Environments team, ITS Communications, and the CWIS web support team. Thanks to their efforts, the many system interdependencies that had evolved between Service Desk and other systems were all migrated or removed, and ITS was able to recover five servers, two web sites, and an Oracle database, allowing the resources to be directed elsewhere.

 

Data on requests and changes from Service Desk are still available in the data warehouse. Contact Dawn Havill at [email protected] if you need any historical data from Service Desk.

 

VPU Brings Home the Gold

Green Data Center video animation wins Gold Pixie Award

 

Pixie Award
The Pixie Award

ITS's Video Production Unit (VPU) won a 2012 Gold Pixie Award for their Green Data Center animation. The animations were created by Brooke Williams ('12) and VPU senior editor Mary Kasprzyk. Neal Coffey, manager of VPU was the Steadicam operator and director of photography. Roxane Niezabytowski, VPU technical specialist, recorded audio and Frank Hegyi ('10) served as production assistant.  The video, including the animation, is located on Syracuse University's website, along with facts and photos of the Green Data Center.

 

The Pixie Awards are bestowed by the American Pixel Academy and recognize outstanding work in the fastest-growing areas of the moving pixels industry: motion graphics, effects, and animation.  David E. Carter (MBA '95) is the executive director of the Academy, and is also the founder of the Telly� Awards and American Corporate Identity awards.  Entries are judged by top industry professionals by a standard of excellence, not against each other. A scoring between a 7.0 and 8.9 qualifies a team for a Gold Pixie Award.   

 

For more information, contact the Video Production Unitat x5644. 

 

SU ESSM logo 

 

Presenters sought for 2012 campus sustainability conference being hosted by SU 

Call for presentations open through January 20

 

Syracuse University's Sustainability Division invites students, faculty and staff to share their experiences on "Climate, Community and Culture" the theme of this spring's eighth annual Northeast Campus Sustainability Consortium (NECSC) Conference being hosted by SU. Geared toward sustainability professionals in higher education, the NECSC Conference will be held April 2-4, 2012, at the Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel and Conference Center.  The NECSC is a collection of college and university sustainability practitioners from the northeast United States and eastern Canadian provinces who join together once a year to discuss themes common to the region.

 

Members of the SU and SUNY-ESF campus communities are encouraged to submit conference presentation proposals. The conference hopes to create a wide variety of sessions addressing the many interconnected and inter-disciplinary sustainability issues affecting campuses today.  Prospective presentation topics may address one of the following conference tracks:

  • Sustainability 101;
  • community relations, operations and municipality collaborations;
  • community-based research and education; or
  • the next frontiers in campus sustainability. 

The deadline to submit presentation proposals is January 20. The online submission form is available at http://greenuniversecity.syr.edu/NECSC-2012/NECSC_PresForm.html.

 

For more information about the 2012 NECSC Conference, contact Brooke Wears at x4005 or [email protected]

SYRACUSE Magazine Fall-Winter 2011
IT Out and About
Connecting with the campus and beyond 

SU's ITS Haiti Outreach project is featured in the Fall/Winter 2011 edition of SYRACUSE magazine, and VPU's award-winning First Year is cited in an article about SU's Orange Television Network (OTN) becoming the nation's first fully digital high-definition (HD) collegiate TV operation. 

 

 

F-M District LogoMichael Morrison is a parent member of the Fayetteville-Manlius school district Technology Advisory Committee. This committee meets monthly to discuss technology topics in support of the district's technology plan. The committee collects questions and issues from teachers and staff, making recommendations that support the goals, objectives and core values of the school district. Members include administrators, teachers, resource specialists and three parent representatives who are each appointed for a three-year term. Michael has two children in the FM district - a sophomore at the high school and a seventh grader at Eagle Hill Middle School.

 

 

EDUCAUSE Awards 2012 logo 

Call for Nominations for 2012 EDUCAUSE Awards

Encourage the Recognition of Excellence in IT in Higher Education 

 

The year's end is often a time for reflection. You're invited to recognize those in our community who have made exceptional contributions to information technology in higher education. You can help the Recognition Committee identify 2012 EDUCAUSE Awards candidates, including yourself, by submitting a nomination.

 

EDUCAUSE Awards not only serve as an opportunity for self-evaluation and professional growth but also mark a career milestone.

 

Submit 2012 EDUCAUSE Award Nominations by February 13, 2012:
  • Leadership Award: Recognizes prominent professionals whose work has had significant positive impact on advancing the theory and practice of information technology in higher education.
  • Rising Star Award: Recognizes an information technology professional who, while early in his or her career, demonstrates exceptional leadership and accomplishment in the area of information technology in higher education.

Students in Bird Library

  

 

 

ITidbits

Facts and figures about IT @ SU  

 

 

AirOrangeX in Bird Library experienced almost 900 simultaneous client devices at times this semester.


 

In the month of October, ITS surpassed having 1,000 active powered-on virtual servers.

SU In Florence logo 

Ciao, Firenze

ITS gears up to bring the SU network to Florence

 

Continuing the survey of Syracuse University facilities abroad, ITS staff members Andrew Joncas and Lee Badman ventured to Italy to meet and discuss improvements to the SU Florence IT environment. In Florence the duo teamed up with Marco Figueirdo of SU Europe
and met with Sash
a Perugini, director of Syracuse University Florence (SUF), Fabio Landi, SUF network coordinator, and other faculty, staff and students.

 

Badman and Joncas toured SUF's five campus buildings, and surveyed SUF network and computing resources, with a full schedule of meetings to discuss network upgrades and installations. They brought home a lot of information and are now in the process of evaluating options for the SUF IT environment. Check out their photos from Florence in Collage.

 

The goal of this effort is to do for SU Florence what ITS did for the Faraday House, home of the Syracuse University London Program, where the network was upgraded to 100% wireless coverage and now functions as an extension of the SU campus network.  

 

Alley in Florence 

 

 

The Commons logo 

Student Affairs uses SharePoint for internal communications

"The Commons" is a hub for staff relationships and collaboration 

  

The Division of Students Affairs (DSA) is a community of 26 departments on campus that supports the total student experience. Student Affairs has recently begun to use the web-based tool, SharePoint, to centralize its communications. Larry Quaglia, director of Technical Services for the division, and his team have been building an intranet within SharePoint in stages.

 

In fall 2011, the division formally introduced the first phase of the project when it announced "The Commons," a weekly internal communications tool. Each week, Jill Ouikahilo, director of communications for the division, updates the home page of the SharePoint site with divisional news, including staff changes and highlights, programs and events, professional development opportunities, student news or spotlights, interesting local or national stories, and more. The intention behind creating The Commons is to have a centralized location where DSA staff members can build relationships, share information and come together. Even though this could potentially have been accomplished using various social media channels, it made sense to utilize one tool for these needs and build consistent practice for communicating. The next phase in using SharePoint for the division, and a critical one, will be to enhance the work of divisional committees.
 

 Screen Shot - The Commons

 

Another impetus in using SharePoint as the internal communications

tool was to have a secure, private platform where Tom Wolfe, senior vice president and dean of Student Affairs, could communicate with the division through a weekly video message. Each week, Dean Wolfe records a one- to two-minute video message that nurtures the mission, vision, values, and guiding principles of the division, as well as addresses any current events or broader questions to reflect upon as Student Affairs' professionals.

 

As mentioned above, the next phase in using SharePoint will be for the various committees within the division to have a centralized location to store content, track meetings and deadlines, and exchange ideas. This has already begun to happen, though a more formal rollout of this use will take place next semester.

 

- by Jill Ouikahilo

 

Happy Holidays

 

IT Connections is published monthly by Information Technology and Services at Syracuse University. Please submit story ideas and news items to Chris Finkle.

  

 

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