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Web Production Group, Educational Television Center will join CIT in July

Two Media and Technology Services units will become part of Cornell Information Technologies on July 1.

Joining CIT's 20 Distributed Learning Services staff will be the 17 staff of the Web Production Group and Educational Television Center.

"I am delighted to have these talented people and services joining CIT. There will be excellent synergies, obviously, with the distributed learning program, but also with many other parts of CIT," said Polley McClure, vice president for information technologies.

CIT and Media and Technology Services began exploring the possibility of combining these groups earlier this year in response to several factors, including financial constraints on their current funding partners as well as the opportunities for greater overall effectiveness for Cornell.

Together, the groups represent a powerhouse of knowledge in leveraging technology to support Cornell's educational mission.

The Web Production Group excels in designing elaborate web sites and building multimedia components and interactive tools.

Projects include the popular "Explore Cornell," a multimedia web magazine highlighting university research, instruction and facilities, and web sites for CUL Alumni & Friends Access, the Cornell Genomics Initiative, and several colleges within the university.

The Educational Television Center provides video production services ranging from basic professional recordings to public television documentary and entertainment programs. It also houses Cornell's satellite television services.

Projects include videos about the Cornell Chimes/McGraw Tower restoration, Cornell's 9/11 "Day of Remembrance," and the university's annual Commencement, all distributed worldwide. Its studio facility has been the point of origin for numerous live national satellite videoconferences and the venue for Cornell faculty and area experts appearing on network television.

CIT's Distributed Learning Services encompasses Academic Technologies and Classroom Technologies. It offers a wealth of services to faculty and instructional staff who want to use technology in teaching, from project design and development to course web site tools to classroom design and video services.

Projects include the Global Seminar (ALS 480), CyberTower, CourseInfo, the Faculty Innovation in Teaching grants, and the Lynx program, in which highly trained students assist faculty with instructional technology projects.

Thomas Richardson, director of the Web Production Group, and Daniel Booth, director of the Educational Television Center, will report to Eric Fredericksen, director of CIT's Distributed Learning Services. Richardson and Booth will keep managing their respective groups.

The staff will continue the work they have been doing, and the Cornell community can continue to take advantage of their services. In the coming months, CIT will be exploring opportunities for greater efficiency and effectiveness as the Web Production Group and Educational Television Center settle in to their new organizational home.

By Beth Goelzer Lyons (05/30/03)