Overview

Information Technology Environment: Recent Developments

1. Recruitment for a Chief Operations Officer (COO) is underway. Reporting to Vice Provost John Bruno, this position is responsible for the day-to-day operational management of the Division. As such, the COO will provide leadership, oversight, and coordination of the divisional departments and will manage the budget, human resources, and space coordination functions of the Division. For more information, see http://iet.ucdavis.edu/jobs/.

2. In November, the Academic Computing Coordinating Council (AC4) endorsed a proposal from Vice Provost John Bruno to create a new unit focusing on instructional support for faculty. The new unit will be directed by a UC Davis faculty member and will report directly to the Vice Provost-Information & Educational Technology.

3. The Academic Computing Coordinating Council (AC4) has been working on two critical instructional technology issues. The AC4 Educational Subcommittee has developed a set of guidelines for student computer ownership, which are scheduled to be implemented by Fall 2001. In parallel developments, the AC4 Research Committee is discussing the current allocation of funding for faculty computer equipment in an effort to identify ways in which funds already available to faculty to purchase computers can be used more efficiently and augmented where necessary.

4. The Division of Information Technology has a new Web site. Launched on November 29, the new site was redesigned and expanded to meet users' need for intuitive, user-centered access to information about IT services. Users' feedback has been very positive. The second phase of the project focuses on converting all departmental and sub-unit Web pages to be in compliance with newly-developed IT Web standards. All IT Web pages are scheduled to be converted by the end of Spring quarter.

Planning for Windows 2000 Underway
A campus-wide workgroup is being formed to evaluate Windows 2000 Professional (client OS), Server, Advanced Server, and Data Center Server products. The workgroup will also determine the impact the product line will have on IT services and campus departments and recommend an overall schema for the campus. In addition, testing of critical administrative applications is being scheduled, and departmental tools and Recommended Solutions are being developed. The project team will be working with the Purchasing Office to offer alternatives to the early use of Windows 2000. A Web site is under development.

ITF Projects on Track to be Completed by Fall
Two of the eleven Instructional Technology Funds Projects approved last Spring by Provost Grey have already been completed and nearly all other projects are on schedule to be implemented by Fall 2000.

Projects completed in September 1999 include the replacement of the campus 14.4K modem pool (with 56K modems), and the upgrade of the UC Davis Web search engine. Most of the nine remaining projects (including the PKI digital certificates and the distributed file space projects) are either in the pilot or in the production phase.
More ITF Project highlights

Human Resources
A new approach to advertising high-level IT positions has been developed based on research conducted by Watson Wyatt. In this model, currently tested on several positions, the advertising copy emphasizes the particular advantages of living and working in the UC Davis area. The effectiveness of this approach will be analyzed once the positions are filled.
More HR highlights

Other Infrastructure highlights.

 
Academic Computing Highlights

LEAD Report Scheduled for Release this Month
The Learning Environment Architecture Development project is winding down through its final campus review phases, and the final recommendations will be issued at the end of this month. The project's goal is to create a comprehensive definition of the tools, architecture and infrastructure for a learning environment that will match the needs and unique culture of the University of California, Davis campus.
More on LEAD

Surplus Computer Equipment Distribution Program Launched
IR-Lab Management has developed and implemented a program to provide older lab computer equipment to various UC Davis departments.
More on Surplus Computer Equipment Distribution

Dramatic Drop in Student Printing
For the first time in over six years, the volume of printing in computer facilities has declined despite projections of increased demand nearing two million copies per quarter. A campaign to educate students on appropriate use of printing resources combined with better print processes may have helped with the decline.
More on Student Printing

Other academic computing highlights.

 
Administrative Computing Highlights

Banner Student Information System
This academic year, the Banner team expects to avoid major upgrades and to focus on implementing a number of local enhancements, including the implementation of randomly-generated ID numbers and the development of an electronic funds transfer process for financial aid monies. Many local enhancements were postponed for several years in order to keep apace with the vendor's (SCT) very aggressive upgrade schedule.
More on Banner

DaFIS
The DaFIS system passed the Y2K landmark successfully. The only problem encountered in the new year was related to users' use of outdated Web browsers. Many were still using early versions of Netscape, so the security certificates expired, causing error messages when they accessed Decision Support.
More on DaFIS

Data Administration
The Data Warehouse project has continued to make progress, having completed a proof of concept OLAP application and approaching the completion of a separate pilot project.

The Data Administration unit and Information Technology have selected Hyperion for their first pilot project, which focuses on student information from the Banner Student Information System.
More on Data Administration

Online Payroll Personnel System Implemented
By the end of December, the entire campus had transitioned to using the online payroll system, thereby eliminating the need for paper-based PAF documents. The next major conversion effort will be to complete campus departments' transition to the online time reporting system.
More on Online Payroll Personnel System

Other administrative computing highlights

 
Year 2000 Initiative Highlights

As was the case on most campuses, UC Davis rolled into the new year without any major Y2K incidents. There were no problems with the campus network, mission-critical systems, Data Center, the telephone system, or the rest of the infrastructure at the main campus or the medical center.

The campus prepared for Y2K as it would for any other potential emergency, as defined in the Campus Emergency Policy (UCD Policy & Procedure Manual, Section 290-05) and the campus emergency management program (http://planit.ucdavis.edu/howto/index.html). The three Tiger Teams deployed on 12/15 to remedy any potential Y2K problems were disbanded on 1/14 as planned. The teams (Life & Safety, Facilities, and Computing) were staffed with professional personnel, as well as volunteers, who were on call during the rollover period. As of 1/14, less than 50 calls had been placed to a specially designated Y2K phone number. Less than 10 of these calls were Y2K related.

More Y2K highlights