OIIT update, Summer 2000 / Office of Information and Instructional Technology, Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia

Office of Information and Instructional Technology Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia

Summer 2000

News Flash

Articles in this Issue

OIIT Vice Chancellor Appointed

q Papp Named Senior Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs

q Georgia Summit 2000

q Public Libraries Join USG

q GALILEO News

q GeorgiaFIRST Financials Advancing

q Rock Eagle 2000

Randall Thursby has been named Vice Chancellor for Information and Instructional Technology/ CIO, an appointment that became effective on July 1, 2000. Since January, Thursby has served as Interim Vice Chancellor for Information and Instructional Technology for the Board of Regents, one of several positions he has held in the University System of Georgia.

q GeorgiaFIRST HRMS Upgrade q USG Website Redesigned - Ray Lee, VLCIS q Banner Baseline Modified for Changes in Title IV
Refunds q PeachNet Blossoms q GIL Swims Along q TECH TALK q Personnel Notes

Thursby began his career in information technology in 1976 as Director of Computer Services for Augusta College, his alma mater. He held this position until 1986, when he accepted a position with the University of Georgia, participating in the construction of the organization that would become the OIIT. He later moved to the Board of Regents, where he has served sequentially as Director of Administration and Planning, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Information Technology, and Associate Vice Chancellor for Information Technology/Associate CIO.
Banner GUI Deadline Nears Banner GUI Training
The deadline for Banner institutions to move to Banner GUI is fast approaching. By September 2000, all University System of Georgia Banner institutions will be required to transfer from character mode transactions to Graphic User Interface (GUI). The current transition to GUI will prepare institutions for the March 2001 release of

Banner 4.0, which will not support character mode at all. The September deadline is intended to enable users to obtain experience with GUI and not be required to implement both a new version of the application and a new interface at the same time.
OIIT Home Page | OIIT Update | OIIT News & Publications | Credits

Summer 2000
Papp Named Senior Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs
Dr. Daniel S. Papp has been named Senior Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs with the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, following an aggressive national search. A seasoned administrator, Dr. Papp has held five senior positions within the University System; he most recently served as director of educational programs for the Yamacraw Mission and professor of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology. In this position, he was responsible for coordinating the participation of eight University System of Georgia institutions in the Yamacraw Mission, an initiative aimed at helping Georgia become a world leader in broadband technology. He was charged with overseeing the hiring of 85 to 90 faculty in high-tech academic disciplines, and with guiding the integration of the University System's research, educational, and economic development programs.
As Senior Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs with the University System of Georgia, Papp is responsible for meeting the academic needs of more than 200,000 students, and for working with over 8,000 University System faculty members. He has assumed the academic leadership post at a time when the Board of Regents is engaged in conducting an extensive benchmarking initiative aimed at identifying the System's strengths, weaknesses, and national peers. He is also responsible for implementing a master plan for the utilization of technology in academic and administrative operations.
"I'm pleased that Dan Papp emerged as the top candidate; this appointment places him in the leadership role of working with others to drive the academic mission and key policies of the

University System," said Chancellor Stephen R. Portch. "Dan brings an outstanding portfolio of skills to this position; he's a skilled administrator, a respected member of the faculty, and a great people person. He's a true asset, and there is high enthusiasm around his appointment."

Summer 2000

Georgia Summit 2000

USG Banner users will soon have a unique opportunity for professional development: the Third Annual Georgia Summit Banner Users Conference will be held September 20-22 at the Radisson Riverfront Hotel in Augusta, Georgia. The University System of Georgia is recognized as a national leader for having created the Georgia Summit; a complement to SCT's national Banner conference, the Georgia Summit provides instruction about the most recent innovations in Banner technology, specifically geared toward the needs of USG Banner users.

The conference facilitates information sharing among USG Banner functional users and technical staff and allows attendees to choose from more than forty presentations, tailoring the Georgia Summit to individual needs. A complete list of topics and presenters scheduled for this year's conference has been made available at the conference website in order to ensure optimum scheduling. Georgia Summit will also feature numerous vendors, offering demonstrations of the best technologies for the support and use of Banner.

This year's keynote address will be

delivered by Clark Howard, host of "The

photograph Clark Howard Show" on NewsTalk 750 WSB

of Clark

in Atlanta. Drawing from his experiences as

Howard

one of the nation's leading consumer

advocates, Howard will focus upon customer

service, challenging attendees to provide the

best service possible to students, parents, faculty, and other

staff within the University System of Georgia.

The Georgia Summit's offerings are not limited to educational sessions and vendor displays; the conference agenda also includes a mix of leisure activities, allowing time for attendees to network with colleagues. Included among

More about Georgia Summit 2000

these events is an opening reception at Fort Discovery, the National Science Center's interactive environment on Augusta's scenic Riverwalk. Fort Discovery invites visitors to grasp, learn, and experience the technologies involved with communications, electronics, automation, and computers through live demonstrations, virtual reality environments, and hands-on exhibits.
The registration deadline for Georgia Summit 2000 is September 1, 2000. The ninety-dollar registration fee covers the cost of the opening reception on Wednesday, continental breakfasts on Thursday and Friday, and lunch on Thursday. Because meals must be guaranteed in advance, it is imperative that registrations be submitted by September 1. Accommodations are available at Augusta's Radisson Riverfront Hotel; participants must make their own reservations no later than August 20, 2000. Guestroom reservations must be guaranteed by credit card or one night's prepayment.

Summer 2000

Public Libraries Join USG
Under the terms of the A-Plus Education Reform Act, the Office of Public Library Services, the administrative unit of the state's fifty-seven public library systems, was transferred from the Department of Technical and Adult Education to the University System of Georgia on July 1, 2000. To ensure a smooth transfer, Chancellor Stephen R. Portch appointed a transition team that included central office staff, local public librarians, and a University System librarian. He also appointed Tom Ploeg as Acting Director of the Office of Public Library Services (OPLS), which is responsible for allocating state funds for salaries, equipment, book purchases, and technology for the public library systems. Ploeg, a program consultant for OPLS, had previously served as Acting Director.
Chancellor Portch and the Board of Regents are excited about the new partnership and how it will enhance GALILEO, the cutting-edge online library that is available to every resident of Georgia. "This is a natural marriage, as the purpose of both the University System of Georgia and the public libraries is to provide Georgia citizens with access to information resources and educational materials," Portch said. "With the tremendous success of GALILEO, and the addition of the state's 371 public libraries to the University System, we will be able to provide Georgia's citizens with a unique opportunity in the years ahead to access material from not only every corner of our state, but literally from every corner of the world."

More about Georgia Public
Libraries
More about GOLD

Chancellor Portch delivered the keynote address at this year's GOLD/GALILEO Users Conference, an annual meeting of Georgia librarians sponsored by OPLS. This event brought together GALILEO users and members of the Georgia Online Database to share experiences and learn about related issues. The theme of this year's conference was GALILEO's fifth anniversary, and the Chancellor addressed this milestone in successful cooperation among GALILEO communities and the opportunities afforded by this new partnership between the University System and Georgia public libraries.

Summer 2000

GALILEO News
New GALILEO Home Page
A new GALILEO home page now greets GALILEO users. GALILEO's main interface has been completely redesigned, incorporating several features that enhance navigability. The database menu now appears on the home page, reducing the number of steps necessary for users to reach the databases. New features include two new database categories, "Kid's Stuff" and "High School," which list databases according to age-appropriate subject matter. The new home page also includes quick-start icons for GALILEO's most popular full-text databases, EBSCOhost and ProQuest.
GALILEO Week
GALILEO will be five years old on September 21, 2000. Declared GALILEO Day by the Georgia General Assembly, the anniversary will kick off GALILEO Week, a statewide birthday celebration for GALILEO.
GALILEO libraries have reacted with great enthusiasm to GALILEO Week by planning open house receptions in communities throughout the state. The celebrations will draw attention to the wealth of information available through GALILEO and emphasize the fact that every citizen of Georgia now has access to GALILEO through the Public Library System. GALILEO Week runs through September 27, and will be inaugurated by a GALILEO Day reception in Atlanta, officiated by Governor Roy Barnes.

More about GALILEO
Related article on Georgia's Public Library
System

GeorgiaFIRST Financials Advancing
What do pencils, cafeteria trays, chalkboards, and computers have in common? They're all purchased by the University System of Georgia. The ability to purchase on a large scale and to track budgets is an essential operation of any large organization and integral to the successful administration of USG institutions. The GeorgiaFIRST Financials project, the most recent initiative under the direction of the Office of Capital Resources with technical support from the OIIT, will completely change the way that the University System conducts business. The project to implement PeopleSoft Financials modules at the thirty-two centrally supported USG sites will dramatically improve the University System's current methods of purchasing, as well as the processing of accounts receivables and accounts payables. The new system will also include an asset management system that will replace current inventory systems utilized by the University System of Georgia. Upon implementation, GeorgiaFIRST Financials will replace the CUFA system that is currently in use at the thirty-two centrally supported institutions.
The project has been divided into five phases: project preparation, fit analysis, design, development, and system testing. The preparatory phase, which began this past December, involved the hiring of team members, the designation of committee members to monitor accounting, procurement, and asset management considerations, and the identification of initial issues relevant to the project. During the fit analysis phase, University System business processes were analyzed and recommendations for changes and modifications were proposed; after assessment, committee members determined that eighteen modifications to the PeopleSoft software were necessary for the creation of a successful model system, as well as sixteen new interfaces and seventeen conversion programs. The design of these elements began immediately upon the completion of the fit analysis

Summer 2000
More about GeorgiaFIRST
Financials

sessions and neared completion during July.
The development phase will take place until October, during which the project's development teams will apply the recommended designs to the actual development of all necessary modifications, interfaces, conversion programs, and reports. End-user training will also be developed during this phase, with actual training to begin during spring 2001. After the development phase has been completed, the system test phase will begin; the testing team will be testing every possible business process to ensure that the system works as designed. System testing is projected to be completed during the winter of 2001. The institutions have been divided into five clusters for implementation beginning in January 2001. The first cluster is scheduled to go live during July 2001, and the final cluster will go live during July 2002.
On May 17, 2000, GeorgiaFIRST Financials project team conducted an Open Forum at Clayton College and State University in order to update USG employees about the progress of the GeorgiaFIRST Financials project. Over one hundred people representing thirty USG institutions attended the forum, and the participation and response among those in attendance was enthusiastic. The forum, which provides detailed information and schedule updates for the GeorgiaFIRST Financials project, will be offered quarterly to USG employees; the next one will be held in September.

Summer 2000

Rock Eagle 2000
One of the University System's most time-honored traditions, the University System Annual Computing Conference will be held for the twenty-ninth time this fall on October 25 to 27, 2000, at the Rock Eagle 4-H Camp near Eatonton, Georgia. The Rock Eagle conference is a perfect opportunity for technology professionals throughout the University System to exchange information with their peers and gain an accurate picture of the current state of technology. The conference is specifically intended for faculty and staff of USG institutions, along with vendor representatives from the technology industry's leading innovators.
The conference's program planning committee has assembled a diverse program on essential and emerging technologies. Cricket Liu, co-author of DNS and BIND, a.k.a. The Cricket Book, will be a session highlight. One of the leading members of the DNS community, Liu will present an overview of DNS and Dynamic DNS (DDNs) for higher education at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, October 27, in the Rock Eagle main auditorium. The overview will include the foundations of DNS, DNS theory (how it really works), and the interaction with DHCP.
Another conference highlight will be a Rock Eagle video contest, sponsored by Apple Computer, Inc. Apple will issue twenty digital cameras and provide video editing stations to attendees who want to participate in the contest. The top three videos will be shown during the evening entertainment on Thursday evening. As an additional service, Apple has offered to provide forty i-books that conference attendees will be able to check out for their personal use.
Registration for the Twenty-Ninth University System Annual

More about Rock Eagle 2000

Computing Conference will begin at the end of July; an online registration form will be featured on the conference website. USG employees are encouraged to take advantage of one of the University System's most valuable opportunities for professional development, which provides a glimpse of the technology landscape of the new millennium.

GeorgiaFIRST HRMS Upgrade
During the first half of 2001, GeorgiaFIRST HRMS-which replaces the University System's legacy payroll system with a PeopleSoft application-will upgrade to Version 7.51. The HRMS Education and Government 7.51 Upgrade is the logical path from the current USG 7.02 version of PeopleSoft to the future PeopleSoft version 8.0. With the anticipated release of version 8.0 later this summer, support for the current release will expire one year after the 8.0 release date. While there are not considerable enhancements to functionality in release 7.51, there are many significant changes to the application components, such as table structures, menu paths, and panel organization. This will necessitate a complete technical review, system test, and rewrite of most business processes. The upgrade project, which is underway, will bring GeorgiaFIRST HRMS and GeorgiaFIRST Financials to the same version.
The GeorgiaFIRST HRMS project is approaching full production. The project has completed all scheduled workshops and end user training, and as of August 16, twentyfive institutions were in production status, six in parallel status, and one in implementation status.
GeorgiaFIRST HRMS Project Status:
In Production: (25) Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Albany State University Armstrong Atlantic State University Augusta State University Bainbridge College Clayton College & State University Coastal Georgia Community College Columbus State University Dalton State College Darton College East Georgia College

Summer 2000 OIIT Update Home
More about GeorgiaFIRST
HRMS

Floyd College Fort Valley State University Georgia College & State University Georgia Perimeter College Georgia Southern University Georgia Southwestern State University Gordon College Kennesaw State University Macon State College North Georgia College & State University Regents Central Office Skidaway Institute of Oceanography Valdosta State University Waycross College
In Parallel: (6) Atlanta Metropolitan College Gainesville College Middle Georgia College Savannah State University South Georgia College State University of West Georgia
In Implementation: (1) Southern Polytechnic State University

Summer 2000

USG Website Redesigned- Ray Lee, VLCIS
The University System of Georgia website has been completely transformed, the first significant alteration of the site since its initial launch four years ago. The redesign gives the website a muchneeded facelift, offering an updated, attractive new look and a succinct reorganization of information. Three new sections have been added: About the Board, Publications, and USG by the Numbers. About the Board provides background information about the members, organization, and administration of the Board of Regents; Publications provides a centralized location for the various handbooks, manuals, and reports provided by the Board of Regents; and USG by the Numbers offers a statistical profile of University System of Georgia students, degrees, and programs.
In addition to the reorganization and new information, several features have been added to the site. Explanatory rollovers on the home page have been included to give a general overview of content in each main section, and a text-only/limited graphics version of the home page and main sections is now available for compliance with the standards established by the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act. A site map and site index of the USG website streamlines the accessibility of information, and a "quick link" dropdown menu takes visitors to featured websites, which are alternated on a regular basis. Comments about the new style are encouraged and can be submitted via the Leave a Comment feature on the site.

USG Website

USG Website Major Revisions

Current home page

New home page

Administration

About the Board* Administration

Information for Students Student & Academic Resources

Institutions

Colleges & Universities

Visitors' Guide to Georgia Student & Academic Resources

Information Resources

Administration Faculty & Staff Resources Publications* Student & Academic Resources USG by the Numbers*

Information for Faculty and Staff

Faculty & Staff Resources

Institutional Resources

Administration Colleges & Universities Faculty & Staff Resources Student & Academic Resources

Other Resources

Faculty & Staff Resources Student & Academic Resources

*New sections.

Summer 2000

Banner Baseline Modified for Changes in Title IV Refunds
The University System of Georgia Board of Regents has revised its refund policy to be consistent with the new United States Department of Education policy on return of Title IV funds when students withdraw from USG institutions. If a student who has received any Federal Title IV financial aid withdraws from an institution any time after a semester begins, a refund policy applies to payments and financial aid disbursed to the student bill. The refund policy only addresses students that withdraw from the institution and does not alter the methods used for drop/add, grading, or other areas.
The effective date of the revised BOR refund policy is fall semester 2000, which coincides with the effective date of the Department of Education return of Title IV funds policy. Details of the BOR policy can be found in section 704.04 of The Policy Manual of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia.
For institutions using Banner, these changes required modifications in the baseline student module to accommodate refunding percentages. Refunds, which used to be in whole numbers, will be calculated to a hundredth of a percent. For example, 100% is now 100.00%. OIIT provided the necessary funding for SCT to develop the Title IV refund modifications. These modifications were tested by SCT, OIIT, and institutional beta sites before their July release to USG institutions for fall implementation.

Board of Regents Policy Manual

Summer 2000

PeachNet Blossoms
The main focus for PeachNet during recent months has been enhancing the bandwidth available for the University System's connection to the Internet. During May, a new connection was installed at Georgia Tech with the help of the Southern Crossroads consortium and its parent organization, the Southeastern University Research Association (SURA). This OC-3 service, which operates at 155 megabits per second (mbps), was set up for testing at Georgia State University (GSU) during early summer, a significant achievement considering that PeachNet's total Internet connectivity for most of last year was 100 mbps. An additional new Internet connection is being installed at GSU, following an in-depth bidding process conducted by the Board of Regents. This service will begin as an OC-3, but will be upgraded to an OC-12 (622 mbps) connection during the fall. When both of the new connections are in place, PeachNet's connectivity to the Internet will increase three-fold and will include room for future expansion without requiring new circuits.
PeachNet has also made progress in upgrading existing circuits throughout the state. A new OC-3 circuit has recently been installed between Macon and Atlanta, which completes the first phase of backbone connection upgrades. OC-3 circuits will be installed between all additional major connection points in Georgia, including Atlanta-Augusta, Atlanta-Savannah, AtlantaAlbany, Atlanta-Athens.
Tom Maier has been asked to act as Interim Director of PeachNet Operations, replacing Reed Davis. John Miller, head of Communications Consulting Group (CCG), will assist in the management of the day-to-day Kennesaw-based operations of PeachNet, overseeing the activities of the PeachNet staff, CCG staff and contract engineers, and of numerous projects that are required to support and improve these services. Maier will continue working out of the Regents Central Office, communicating with the campuses and providing administrative management support. Although Reed Davis' experience and skill

More about PeachNet

will be missed, the interim strategy will prove effective as PeachNet undergoes further changes in long-term organization and management.

Summer 2000

GIL Swims Along
The implementation of GALILEO Interconnected Libraries (GIL) has progressed significantly in recent months. All thirteen Phase II libraries have completed their migration to Endeavor Information System's Voyager software on schedule. These libraries join the seventeen Phase I institutions that went live last summer, bringing the number of live GIL sites to thirty.
Initial testing of the Universal Catalog has gone well. The beta libraries have been instrumental in providing feedback on the operation of the Universal Catalog environment, which is scheduled to be available to the University System for viewing by late August; the URL will be available when initial loads are complete. The Universal Catalog will remain a beta system as GIL moves toward Phase II testing.
The annual GIL Users Group Conference was held in Athens during June, attracting over two hundred participants. The conference provided an opportunity for USG library staff members to learn more about GIL's functionality and to share information. Attendees' evaluations of the conference were overwhelmingly enthusiastic, an indication that participants considered the conference sessions to be valuable.

More about GIL

TECH TALK
Windows 2000 - Charles Weeks, TSS IT Information, Fast and Free

Summer 2000

Summer 2000
OIIT Update Home
PERSONNEL Notes
New Employees:
Wendy Bedwell, Project Coordinator, Advanced Learning Technologies Elisa Collins, Information Analyst II, EAS - Consulting Services Delores Dobbs, Information Analyst, EAS - Consulting Services Michael Gass, Programmer II, EAS - Student Applications Mark Johnson, Project Coordinator, Advanced Learning Technologies Frank Niagro, Systems Analyst I, EAS - Student Applications Patty Pabis, Project Coordinator, Advanced Learning Technologies Michael Rogers, Project Manager, Instructional Development, Academic Affairs - ALT Judy Shelton, Information Analyst III, EAS - Consulting Services Lee Stennes, Systems Analyst, EAS - Financial Applications Sharon Thelen, Systems Analyst I, EAS - Financial Applications Dale Wechsler, Help Desk Specialist, VLCIS Ginger Wicker, Programmer I, EAS - Financial Applications

Winter 2000
Publication Information and Credits
OIIT Update is published four times a year as a web-based newsletter reporting on all OIITrelated activities.
Suggestions and contributions are encouraged. Unless otherwise noted, permission to reprint articles in whole or in part is granted provided appropriate credit has been given. Many of the articles in OIIT Update are based upon USG documentation, including press releases, presentations, proposals, and reports.
Executive Editor: Jayne Williams Managing Editor: Lauren Fancher
Writers (unless otherwise noted): Lauren Fancher, VLCIS Tim Brown, VLCIS
E-mail: Tim Brown Phone: (706) 583-2630