Dear Colleagues,

I?m pleased to announce the Offices of Computing Services and Academic Technology Services will now be known as the Office of Information Technology Services (ITS). The new name better reflects the breadth of services that we provide in partnership with members of the Franklin & Marshall Community. These services and their underlying infrastructure are designed to enable and enhance the teaching, research, learning and administrative collaborations at the College through the effective and responsible use of information technology.

The overarching goal of the reorganization is to provide improved service in the following areas:
? Supporting web services that reach out to external audiences
? Expanding media services to enhance audiovisual support to classrooms and meeting rooms
? Delivering integrated desktop tools for everyone (a single web application that combines email, calendars, contacts and work and/or course related file folders)
? Ensuring the robustness, redundancy and security of the network and key campus servers
? Supporting students and faculty using instructional and emerging technologies in their teaching, learning, and research
? Reconfiguring spaces for students and faculty to utilize instructional technology tools in innovative ways

While it will require a multi-year reinvestment in IT to accomplish and sustain the above-mentioned improvements, let me give a snapshot of progress to date:

Web Services: A new team has been formed within ITS to provide technical and design support for all campus-wide web services. John Romanski will join the College to fill the newly created position of Director of Web Services and Teresa Hagan has been promoted to Assistant Director of Web Services. A Web Services intern will also be hired to complete the interim team that will work closely with the web managers in College Communications, as well as other offices, to provide assistance with website improvements and maintenance. The team will also assist in the upcoming web enhancement effort the College is making this academic year to revitalize the overall website, beginning with the alumni and homepages.

Media Services: John Coccia has been promoted to lead an enhanced effort to support faculty, students, staff and visitors using technology in classrooms and meeting rooms. Ivan Dryanovski has been hired in the newly created position of Media Services Intern. Media Services will be responsible for supporting new teaching spaces in Barshinger Life Sciences & Philosophy, including the new 120-seat Bonchek Auditorium. Both Stahr and Bonchek auditoriums will have new recording equipment for events. Media Services and the Media Center will remain on the ground floor of Stager Hall.

Integrated desktop tools: ITS is investigating and testing new applications that will combine current email and meeting schedule calendaring into one web-based application. In addition, the overall structure of eDisk, MyDiplomat and BlackBoard is being reviewed with the intent of eliminating some of the overlapping components of each program by combining them into one application. The timeline for these improvements is to provide an integrated email/calendar application to the entire F&M Community by January 2008 and to provide a replacement for eDisk by July 2008. For purposes of transition, eDisk will remain as an option until July 2009.

Robust, secure network and servers: A substantial investment and effort over the past year has essentially re-built our network so it is more secure, redundant and better able to handle increased digital traffic. Fiber optic lines have been added, the core network electronics have been redesigned and replaced and most of the edge electronics are new. The connection to the Internet has more than doubled and off-site redundant servers for key services will be in place this fall. Lastly, we will be introducing an improved wireless reception service on campus this year. The entire Networks and Systems team is to be congratulated for their efforts planning for and implementing these new services.

Support for using technology to augment and enhance teaching and learning: Led by Oscar Retterer and still located in Stager Hall, the Instructional and Emerging Technologies group has reconfigured to add two new instructional technologists/designers to work directly with members of the faculty. Charles Wachira and Brian Gall joined the staff this summer. This change allows for expanded outreach to faculty for assistance with the integration of pedagogy and technology, electronic instructional materials design and production and dynamic multimedia learning objects. These services are delivered formally through workshops and project collaborations, as well as informally through individual consultations, and utilize physical (eLearning Lab, Digital Media Creation Stations) and virtual (the web, BlackBoard, eDisk, Wimba) spaces.

Reconfigured technology spaces for students and faculty: This summer the Language Resource Center in Stager Hall was retired and in its place we are creating the eLearning Lab. The eLearning Lab will provide two main functions when it is ready this fall. It will be a space for faculty and students to utilize new technologies in their classroom interactions with the expressed goal of enhancing learning and trying new pedagogies. More importantly it will provide new and expanded interactive media stations for students for the bulk of the daily hours it is open. Lessons learned from the eLearning Lab will be applied in new and updated technology-enhanced spaces across campus, as well as throughout a renovated Fackenthal in 2009 when the Innovation Zone becomes the new hub for ITS. The Innovation Zone will combine and enhance the current functions of the computer workroom in Martin and the workstations in Stager when it opens.

In addition to the changes mentioned above, the User Services group and the Computer Store have been combined into the Desktop Integration and Support group. Led by Chris Swisher, this group provides support for the help desk, outreach training, and equipment procurement for the College Community. Omar Tirado has been promoted to Assistant Director and will concentrate on managing the help desk and lab support. Ron Grembowiec and Mary Anne Helm have joined the group as we transition the current computer retail/repair store into a procurement/repair center for College-owned equipment. Further details regarding the store transition will be communicated soon.

Lastly, we are in the midst of an information security audit to develop a set of campus-wide information security policies and information classification standards. These standards, procedures and policies will be in place by the end of the semester in an effort to do everything we can to ensure that sensitive and confidential data remains just that.

In total, we have reconfigured five job positions, created three new positions via reallocation, and hired seven new people since last summer. A new website that reflects the new organization will be launched soon. I welcome your comments and suggestions and wish you all the best for the upcoming fall semester.

Regards,

Jon
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Jonathan Enos, Ed.D.
Associate Provost and Chief Information Officer
Franklin & Marshall College Lancaster, PA 17604 - 3003
Jon.Enos@fandm.edu 717.291.3982 http://www.fandm.edu