Major Campus IT Projects, Planning Underway

Last year represented a milestone for UC Davis with the development of a consultative planning process for identifying, discussing, and prioritizing "IT" projects across the campus. Out of this process, twenty-nine IT projects were ranked and sorted into three categories. One of the lists, labeled "IT Projects Proposed for 2003-05," features those projects that have been identified by Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw ? after extensive consultation - as the highest priorities for central campus funding. The other two lists feature projects already underway and projects for future consideration. (The three resulting lists of projects are available at http://itstrategicplan.ucdavis.edu.)

This summer and fall, John Bruno, Vice Provost for Information and Educational Technology (IET), and Dave Shelby, Assistant Vice Provost and Chief Operating Officer, will visit again with each dean, vice chancellor, and vice provost to review the existing lists and to discuss updates since last year. Part of an annual process, these consultations have proved very helpful in enhancing communications between IET, the campus leadership, and various campus groups.

Among the highest IT priorities for 2003-05 are the following projects:

?IT Security: IET is preparing to implement a number of additional preventive measures designed to protect the campus against increasing attacks on campus systems and to prevent the proliferation of computer viruses. Two of those measures are the filtering of unsafe attachments distributed by email and the expansion of the computer vulnerability detection and virus scanning system in place since last Fall.

?Electronic Document Management Project: This project proposes to explore a coordinated campus strategy to meet various departments? document management needs. An executive-level oversight committee has been appointed, and the OnBase prod uct has been implemented in Student Affairs? Enrollment Services unit as well as in the Offices of the Chancellor and Provost. In addition, the Office of Administration has issued a Request for Information (RFI), and the College of Letters and Science has obtained funding for a document management solution.

?Faculty Merit and Promotion Project: This project proposes to create faculty digital portfolios that can be used in support of the academic merit and promotion processes, as well as other processes. An implementation workgroup, reporting to Vice Provosts Bruno and Horwitz, has been formed (Melendy and Shelby, co-chairs). The project was discussed with campus computing advisory groups in 2003-04 (see deliberations and report at http://ac4.ucdavis.edu). A pilot project will be launched in September (see demo at http://media.ucdavis.edu:8080/ramgen/IET/MyInfoVault.rm.

?Electronic Research Administration System: Once implemented, this system will enable electronic submission, review, approval, and tracking of research grant proposals. An oversight committee has been appointed (Meyer and Bruno, co-chairs) as well as an implementation workgroup (Chronister and Hartline, co-chairs). The project was discussed with campus computing advisory groups in 2003-04 (see deliberations and report at http://ac4.ucdavis.edu). A proposal is expected in September.

?Effort Reporting Project: UC Davis has entered into a collaborative partnership with the Office of the President and several other UC campuses. The goal is to improve the current, paper-based effort reporting process. At UC Davis, this project is headed by the Office of Administration. Funding has been granted, and the project is underway.