May 2009

As you know, Kent State is dedicated to creating a diverse and inclusive environment in which all of our students, faculty and staff can prosper. To that end, President Lefton launched last year's Commission on Inclusion and, in March, announced the search for a new Cabinet-level position focused on taking the university's strategic diversity plan to the next level.

These are goals we share within our division. The Information Services Diversity Focus Group was formed to define and implement the division's diversity goals in tandem with Kent State's system-wide initiative. The current team consists of 13 volunteers who have met approximately 18 times during the past 11 months.

Over the next few months, you'll begin to see more visible signs of these efforts, including activities to recognize the diversity that exists within the division and to raise greater awareness of diversity and diversity issues. One component of the plan will include a regular column in this newsletter with information and tips that all of us can use to enhance our environment and ensure it is welcoming for everyone.

If you want to get involved, contact David Wallace at 330-672-0379 or dwallac3@kent.edu. Additionally, if you have questions, don't hesitate to give me a call or drop a note to cio@kent.edu.

Ed Mahon
Vice President for Information Services
and Chief Information Officer

Staff News

The division welcomed the following new hires in April:

• Jona Burton, senior IT user support analyst, End User Support Services
• Damond Harris, senior IT user support analyst, End User Support Services
• James Leasure, project manager, Project Management
• Michael Testa, budget manager, Administrative Support

Congratulations to the following IS staff members who received a promotion in April:

• Matt Pahls, promoted to senior applications developer, Portal Group
• Preeti Palvankar, promoted to lead educational technology designer, Course Management

Congratulations to these IS student employees who will graduate this summer:

• Ron Deer, technician, End User Support Services
• Sarah "Grace" Bennetch, lab monitor, End User Support Services
• Eric Tung, technician at Michael Schwartz Center, Federated Services

Finally, please note the new locations of the following staff members, who recently moved from the third floor of the Library:

• Michael Testa, Janice Williams and Catherine Zapytowksi, End User and Business Services, to the Administrative Services Building
• Kim Price, Brendan Walsh and Ransel Yoho, Security, to the Administrative Services Building
• Paul Albert, executive director for educational technology, to Moulton Hall (week of May 11)

Infrastructure and Operations

Client Infrastructure Group

• The Active Directory restructure project is complete. BlueChip has migrated 91 of 91 departments to the new Active Directory structure.

Network/Telecommunications Services

• The Border Gateway Protocol routing redesign project was completed after successful testing with the university's two Internet Service Providers (ISPs). We now have the ability to balance the traffic loads with our ISPs without having to coordinate simultaneous changes with the ISP engineers.
• Cunningham Hall FlashZone wireless coverage was completed, and survey work was conducted to prepare for wireless installations for Williams Hall, the Science Research Building and Smith Hall.
• Equipment has arrived and is being installed to prepare for the voice mail migration to Unified Messaging. After initial testing, Information Services staff will be migrated first in order to pilot all procedures and ensure documentation is complete.

Operations

• With the Mainframe and its MagStar tape backup system sold via auction, the new server optimized orientation of the computer center is proceeding at full speed. New racks for growth and the redeployment of existing servers and racks provide a glimpse of how the Data Center will appear in its more efficient incarnation. Tremendous work efforts and creative planning by IS Operations and by Server and Storage Group staff members are making a lot of work move smoothly.
• The equipment audit of physical and virtual servers has been updated with detailed electrical supply documentation for every rack and connection in the Data Center. This task provides key support for the upgrade of both of the Data Center's UPS Systems, which will be installed in the upcoming weeks.

Server Support Group

• A successful test of the Exchange disaster recovery solution was conducted on April 21. The system is now production ready and tests will be held once each semester.
• As a result of a successful pilot, a production Sharepoint site is being implemented to support the Ohio Banner Users Group. This installation also will satisfy initial Kent State requests.

Security and Access Management

• The Office of Security and Access Management recently went live with a new Web application developed in house by graduate assistant Rizwan Malik. It allows the Helpdesk and Access Management Group to view resource configuration and group assignments of the SSLVPN appliance. This will enable the Helpdesk to determine the proper routing of SSLVPN access request tickets and reduce average call time for requests. The Access Management Group will be able to view and audit the access assigned to users and know whom to contact for approvals.

Educational Technology

• Approximately 70 faculty members attended the Vista Open House on Thursday, April 30. Participants received a brief presentation about changes in the upgraded version of the course management system and learned about other educational technology resources. All classes will go live in Blackboard Vista 8 for Summer Semester 2009.
• Podcasts from Kent State's student television service, TV2, recently were featured as "New and Notable" on Apple's iTunes site. Students in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication produce the shows in Franklin Hall's new high-definition television facility.
• The multimedia team completed a JWire Web site (www.jwire.org) for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. A national network to connect journalism programs across the nation, the site allows students to post investigative and in-depth reporting and work with media professionals to improve their coverage while learning new skills.

End User and Business Services

• Plans are moving forward for this summer's pilot computer repair service, The Tech Spot@ResNet. To be located in the ResNet offices in Tri-Towers Rotunda, The Tech Spot will provide computer optimization, spyware/virus removals, hardware and software installations and connection services for the personal computers of Kent State students, faculty and staff.
• Proposals are due May 15 for vendors interested in providing Helpdesk services for Kent State. The review committee includes several IS team members, as well as faculty and distance learning representatives. The deadline to notify vendors of a contract award selection is June 15.

Enterprise Support and Application Services

• Kent State University has been named a 2009 technology innovator by Campus Technology magazine. The award recognizes the efforts of faculty and staff from across the university resulting in the implementation of the Banner Enterprise Resource Planning system. Kent State was selected as one of 11 campus technology innovators from a pool of more than 300 nominees. The university will receive the award in July at the annual conference in Boston and will be profiled in the August issue of the magazine.
• The eServices department currently is rolling out an imaging project that will include all of the Regional Campuses. Student records will be digitized as a result of the initiative.
• Members of the Enterprise Support and Application Services team gave nine presentations at this year's Ohio Banner Users Group conference in April.
• Training Services recently provided instruction to all of the Academic Course Schedulers on the upgraded Infosilem product. It is used to build the Schedule of Classes.