IRC News Minutes provided by Sue Ellen Richey, Recording Secretary

IRC Regular Voting Members: Ginny Anderson, Fiscal Affairs; Donna Asher, Administrative Affairs; Walter Bowen, Academic Administration; Bill Buntain, Communications Program Group; Sue Byron, Faculty Senate; Carolyn Cunningham, Student Affairs; Don Grose, Libraries; Jenny Jopling, Instruction Program Group; Joneel Harris, Administrative Program Group; Allen Livingston,Graduate Student Council; Dennis Mueller, Research Program Group (on Sabbatical); Ramu Muthiah, School of Community Services; Jon Nelson, College of Music and Standards & Cooperation Program Group; Robert Nimocks, Director, Information Technology,UNTHSC; Steve Oeffner, UNT Health Science Center Russ Pensyl , School of Visual Arts; Patrick Pluscht, Distributed Learning Team; Jim Poirot College of Education; Mark Rorvig, Research Program Group (acting for Dennis Mueller who is on Sabbatical); Kathleen Swigger, College of Arts and Sciences; Neal Tate, University Planning Council; Philip Turner, Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs for Distance Education and Dean of the School of Library and Information Resources (Chair, IRC);; Virginia Wheeless, Chancellor; John Windsor, College of Business. IRC Ex-officio Nonvoting Members: Leslie Bowden, Telecommunications; Wil Clark, GALMAC; Jim Curry, Microcomputer Maintenance Shop; Michael Forster, UNT Health Science Center; Richard Harris, Computing Center; Coy Hoggard, Computing Center; Maurice Leatherbury, Computing Center; Sue Ellen Richey, Computing Center (Recording Secretary). [As of 1/99]

May 18, 1999

DCSMT

Maurice Leatherbury reported that the DCSMT is still revising computer support position descriptions. They are also still working on the Microsoft Campus Agreement and are close to a resolution. The lowest vendor’s bid is in at just under $100,000. This vendor has proposed handling the distribution of software for home use, to faculty and staff, including the MS Operating System software. UNT is also considering having the CDs sold through the University Bookstore at a price of between $6.00 and $8.00 per CD.

Year 2000 conversion

Coy Hoggard reported that Year 2000 conversion efforts are progressing well. The testing of the centrally supported core of administrative applications is essentially finished except for some final testing that is in process by end-users. On the Voice Response Systems, since two-thirds of those units will not be fully functional after Year 2000, replacement equipment has been purchased. The new equipment should arrive in June, which will allow enough time to install and test it. The vendor, Brite Voice Systems, has been purchased by InnerVoice, which is a somewhat unsettling situation; but it is hoped that this will not present any problems.

General Access Labs

Jenny Jopling distributed copies of a request to standardize software on machines in General Access Labs. Beginning in Summer I, 1999, there will be a standard set of software installed on machines in the General Access Labs. All machines will be sound-enabled with sound jacks installed on the fronts of all machines; students can then bring their own headphones.

Wil Clark announced that the General Access Lab Managers meetings are held the second Friday of every month, at 10:00 a.m., in ISB 202.

Communications Program Group

Robert Pierce reported for the Communications Program Group that their committee has looked at bandwidth capacity concerns. They also looked at firewalls, and formed an advisory group to advise the Data Communications division on policies regarding firewalls. The group is also monitoring the schedule for the infrastructure upgrade.

Administrative Program Group

Joneel Harris reported that the Administrative Program Group has met to view a presentation by a group called Mobius on data storage and report distribution software. The software is of interest to administrative users on campus. It is a rather expensive project and further exploration and a cost benefit analysis is planned for the Fall. Another software package the APG has been looking at is Microsoft Net Meeting, which is an inexpensive method of contacting remote sites, and may be useful when the Southern Dallas and the University Center in Dallas are in operation.

Joneel also announced that they did not receive the grant they applied for to help fund the development of Web-based administrative applications. The feedback they’ll receive on their proposal will help to write a better grant proposal next year. The Web registration pilot project has gone well. Joneel stated that she will be taking a leave of absence this summer and Coy Hoggard will chair the Administrative Program Group in her absence.

Assessment of Vulnerability

Coy Hoggard added that the Department of Information Resources has asked UNT to do an assessment of its vulnerability to problems outside of its control, such as utilities, telephone, etc. Coy asked Ginny Anderson to speak on that issue. Ginny reported that her committee did a business impact analysis assessment, in which they identified several areas of vulnerability, such as utilities, central computing, etc. Fortunately, the time frame of the impact analysis is one in which there is little activity on campus, that being the first two weeks of January. By the end of the summer, it is hoped that all of the business continuation plans will be in place, as well as a plan for the cross-over team that will be in place on January 1^st testing everything.

Research Program Group

Mark Rorvig reported for the Research Program Group that the application to NSF for an Internet 2 grant was declined. Also, the Research Program Group is in the process of electing a new chair.

Standards & Cooperation Program Group

Elizabeth Hinkle-Turner reported for the Standards & Cooperation Program Group that the committee is continuing to work on a recommended processes report and hope to be able to present it to the IRC within the next couple of months.

Distributed Learning Team

Patrick Pluscht reported for Distributed Learning Team that Central Web Support has recently upgraded the WebCT software which provides the Web-based course development platform. There are currently over 200 courses that are using WebCT on campus, involving well over 4300 students. The Center for Distributed Learning is currently offering a crash course in distributed learning techniques.

Telecommunications Infrastructure Grant

Maurice Leatherbury announced that UNT has been granted the Telecommunications Infrastructure Grant in the amount of $1,459,093. Funds will be available by July 1^st, following some paperwork to set up the account.