IRC News Minutes provided by Sue Ellen Richey, Recording Secretary

IRC Regular Voting Members: Judith Adkison, College of Education; Ginny Anderson, Fiscal Affairs; Donna Asher, Administrative Affairs; Sue Byron, Faculty Senate; Carolyn Cunningham, Student Affairs; Jim Curry, Academic Administration; David Griffiths, Student Association, Don Grose, Libraries; Jenny Jopling, Instruction Program Group; Joneel Harris, Administrative Program Group; Elizabeth Hinkle-Turner, Standards & Cooperation Program Group; Allen Livingston,Graduate Student Council; Dan Mauldin, University Planning Council; Ramu Muthiah, School of Community Services; Jon Nelson, College of Music; Robert Nimocks, Director, Information Technology,UNTHSC; Steve Oeffner, UNT Health Science Center; Russ Pensyl , School of Visual Arts; Patrick Pluscht, Distributed Learning Team; Mark Rorvig, Research Program Group; Paul Schlieve, Communications Program Group; Kathleen Swigger, College of Arts and Sciences; 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; 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 9/99]

September 21, 1999

VOTING MEMBERS PRESENT: PHILIP TURNER, CHAIR, JON NELSON, PAM HIGHT (for DON GROSE), GUS SELIGMANN (for SUE BYRON), RAMU MUTHIAH, MAURICE LEATHERBURY (for MARK RORVIG), PAUL SCHLIEVE, JONEEL HARRIS, ROBERT NIMOCKS, JOHN WINDSOR, JUDITH ADKISON, JIM CURRY, ALLEN LIVINGSTON, DAN MAULDIN, JENNY JOPLING, PATRICK PLUSCHT, STEVE OEFFNER

NON-VOTING MEMBERS PRESENT: LESLIE BOWDEN, SUE ELLEN RICHEY (Recording Secretary)

MEMBERS ABSENT: COY HOGGARD, BILL BUNTAIN, RICHARD HARRIS, ELIZABETH HINKLE-TURNER, DONNA ASHER, VIRGINIA WHEELESS, GINNY ANDERSON, KATHLEEN SWIGGER, MIKE FORSTER, DAVID GRIFFITHS, CAROLYN CUNNINGHAM

GUESTS: JENNIFER JOHNSON, WIL CLARK

General Business

The Chair asked for introductions since there were several new members.

Jon Nelson moved for approval of the minutes of the July 20^th meeting; Paul Schlieve seconded the motion and the minutes were approved as distributed.

IR Steering Committee

The Chair reported that the IR Steering Committee met in August and adopted the Student Email proposal which had been approved at the July IRC meeting. The Student Email system will be implemented as a pilot program this fall, with full implementation taking place in Spring 2000.

Distributed Computing Support Management Team

Maurice Leatherbury reported for the Distributed Computing Support Management Team that the Microsoft Campus Agreement software is now available in the UNT Bookstore for purchase by University staff and faculty. Not all programs are available, but the rest will be available soon (with Office 2000 becoming available as soon as it is released by Microsoft). Eligibility to purchase is based on the HRMIS database; therefore, the software is available to all paid staff, faculty and student employees.

Maurice explained that no procedure is currently in place to sell the software over the Web.

Y2K

Joneel Harris reported for Coy Hoggard, concerning Y2K, that the Hummingbird software product is running. This product resolved the Y2K issue with the Novell SAA gateway. Another problem being dealt with now is the Software AG product, Entire Connection; but it is hoped that this will be resolved in the near future. Software AG’s product is compatible with Windows 95 and is Y2K compliant, but their product is not compatible with Windows 98. Since most machines at UNT are running Windows 98, this has become a problem.

Instruction Program Group

Jenny Jopling reported that the Instruction Program Group has not met, but she asked Jim Curry to update the council on the classroom support situation. Jim reported that one-third of the classrooms supported by his department are equipped with data projectors. Joneel added that Registrar’s office is ready to coordinate between her office and Classroom Support to pre-book classes into rooms that are equipped with certain technology.

Communications Program Group

Paul Schlieve distributed August minutes and reported for the Communications Program Group that the group is addressing issues of the use of firewall technology while trying to avoid negatively impacting creative efforts in instruction and research communications. The committee is also working on the wiring infrastructure initiative which is progressing, albeit sporadically because of the enormous scope of this project. They continue to pursue network connectivity alternatives, in view of a projection that the current capacity will probably not be adequate after this semester. They have met with the Assoc. of Higher Ed. to look at combining Internet and Internet 2 connectivity through the AHE fiber link into a gigapop.

Maurice Leatherbury added that AHE now has 4 or 5 universities committed to joining Internet 2. UNT, however, is one of only a few institutions interested in piggy-backing Internet with Internet 2; so various ways of doing that are being explored. Paul stated that this issue will be discussed at the committee’s Sept. 22 meeting. Paul further explained that UNT’s connectivity needs seem to be outgrowing what is currently being provided through the Texas state network and yet as a state agency UNT is required to use their network.

Distributed Learning

Patrick Pluscht reported that VIDNET, which is the state-wide video conferencing network under the General Services Commission, is transferring control of that network over to a consortium of educational institutions, headed by Texas State Technical College in Sweetwater, supported by Texas Tech University, and the University of Houston. They are promising lower rates for connection and planning to provide additional support hours. Dr. Turner added that the TTVN has reportedly now closed its membership.

Patrick Pluscht reported that there are currently four rooms being used on campus for video-conferenced classes (Chilton Hall, Information Science Building, Engineering Technology and Environmental Science). They are planning one room for the Dallas campus in the spring and two additional rooms on this campus in the next 12 months. In addition, there are 100 live courses being offered this fall using Web CT components, with 200 more under development. There are roughly 10,000 students taking courses that have a Web CT component. The Center for Distributed Learning has moved from Marquis Hall to Chilton Hall, Room 112. They are upgrading the capacity to have multiple simultaneous conferences in order to have 16 different sites connected at one time.

Administrative Program Group

Joneel Harris reported for the Administrative Program Group that the committee is actively developing a web strategy, and in so doing has investigated a product called Entire X Broker. This product offers a way to totally re-set the way administrative applications are currently being developed. They have worked with Maurice Leatherbury on how to progress with developing a strategy to web-enable student services at UNT. The group is also looking at on-line report viewing software, such as a product from Mobius, one from LSR and another from System Ware. Joneel reported that they are also looking at new student information system software, as well as ways to integrate legacy systems with new software systems.

Research Program Group, Standards & Cooperation Program Group

Maurice Leatherbury reported for the Research Program Group that at the group’s next meeting a new chair will be elected and a schedule set for future meetings.

There was no report from Standards & Cooperation Program Group.

Meeting Schedules

The schedule of IRC meetings was distributed to members. It was agreed that the December meeting be moved to Dec. 14; that the May meeting be moved to May 9 and the August meeting be moved to August 8.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 3:00 p.m.