Faculty Advisory Board on Information Technologies (FABIT)

FABIT Meeting Dates & Agendas
2004/2005 Academic Year

Wednesday, May 25, 2005

1. Software Licensing Update and Discussion (60 min)

Wes Kahle, Director, CIT Customer Service and Marketing
Chuck Jessup, Software Acquisition Coordinator, CIT Customer Service and Marketing
Sunny Donenfeld, Director of Distributed Support, OIT
Dean Krafft, Director of Computing Facilities, Computer Science (tentative)

The group will update FABIT on the work of the Software Acquisition Committee*, a subgroup formed out of the new campus-wide IT Manager's Council. The CIT Software Acquisition program is central to this group's work, and will also be a focus of discussion.

*Background: It is the goal of the Software Acquisition Committee to explore and recommend optimal strategies for the campus-wide acquisition of computer software.

This includes:

• developing and recommending policies for software acquisition that maximize efficient and cost-effective software purchase and use and that minimize university risk
• working to ensure good communication of software purchase choices and trade-offs throughout the Cornell community, and
• advising the Purchasing Office and CIT's central software acquisition team on policies and strategic directions

2. Update on Campus IT Security (60 mins)

Steve Schuster, Director of IT Security, OIT

Thursday, May 5, 2005 (changed from April 28th)

1. Assorted Issues in Identity Management: Continuation of 4/30 Discussion (30 min)

Andrea Beesing, Assistant Director, OIT Security/Identity Management

Andrea would like to spend some time informing the group of possible approaches to limiting the ability of individuals to "harvest" entries from our online directory (ran out of time at last meeting). She would also like to continue the discussion regarding the behavior of directory white pages searches (for example a search on amb3 returning multiple results when previously it returned only the exact match).

2. Discussion of Various Issues Surrounding Public Computing Labs on Campus (45 min)

Rick MacDonald, Director of CIT Systems and Operations
Pat Washburn, Public Computing Manager, CIT

3. Faculty Innovation in Teaching Grants - Discussion of Proposals Submitted to FABIT (45 min)

Eric Fredericksen, CIT Director of Academic Technologies and Media Services
Joan Falkenberg-Getman, CIT Assistant Director for Academic Technologies

* The final FABIT meeting for the 04/05 Academic year is on May 25th

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

1. Assorted Issues in Identity Management (30 min)

Andrea Beesing, Assistant Director, OIT Security/Identity Management

Andrea would like to follow up on concerns raised at a previous FABIT meeting regarding the behavior of directory white pages searches (for example a search on amb3 returning multiple results when previously it returned only the exact match).

She would also like to spend some time informing the group of possible approaches to limiting the ability of individuals to "harvest" entries from our online directory.

The final topic concerns new rules for the creation of NetID-associated passwords. Andrea would like to explain why we are taking this step and what we'll be doing to provide support for campus so that the change goes as smoothly as possible.

2. Brief Update: Faculty Innovation in Teaching Grants - 4th Call for Proposals (15 min)

Eric Fredericksen, CIT Director of Academic Technologies and Media Services
Joan Falkenberg-Getman, CIT Assistant Director for Academic Technologies

3. Overview of the Cornell Data Network Infrastructure (60 min)

Dave Vernon, Director, CIT Network and Communication Services

Includes overview and Q&A about: backbone and LANs, the campus rewiring project EzraNet, wireless networks, and the current project to obtain a fiber path to NYC as part of the National Light Rail initiative.

Wednesday, February 24, 2005

1. Discussion on Issue Handling, an Introduction to CIT's Trouble Management Initiative. (60 mins.)

Michael Swenson, Assistant Director, CIT Customer Service
Wes Kahle, Director of CIT Customer Service and Marketing.

CIT recognizes that a common concern of our stakeholders deals with how customer technical issues are handled. The specific concerns in this area range from questions about "Who to call?" to "What will they do for me?" to "Why are some issues handled different than others?" to "What is the status of my issue?" In response to this concern and other factors, CIT launched an initiative called "Trouble Management" to define, streamline and standardize how issues are handled, tracked, escalated, resolved and reported on. We will provide an overview of what this effort is, what has been accomplished to date, what we're working on now, and what our next steps are.

2. Overview and Demonstration of Newly Created Classroom Technology Resource Database (30 mins)

Tom Every, Assistant Director, CIT Classroom Technologies
Mark Fowler, Web Developer, CIT Web Production Group

Wednesday, January 26, 2005

1. Update and Discussion: Faculty Involvement in Student Life Initiatives (45 mins)

Kent Hubbell, Dean of Students

2. Introduction to the Role of the Office of Web Communications; Overview of the Newly Acquired Web Content Management System (45 mins)

Diane Kubarek, Director, Office of Web Communications, operating out of the Office of the Vice President for Communications and Media Relations

Al Gonzalez, Associate Director, CIT Web Production Services

Wednesday, December 15, 2004

1. Overview of the Newly-formed IT Manager's Council (ITMC) and Other Issues Related to IT Workforce Planning (60 mins)

Sunny Donenfeld, OIT Director of Distributed Support

By way of explanation...

"The ITMC, composed of representatives from each Cornell unit and members of OIT/CIT senior management team, is a direct outcome of Cornell's Workforce Planning effort, and it is a key component of an emerging IT governance model at Cornell. The Director of Distributed Support is charged with developing this council into a forum in which OIT/CIT and the colleges and divisions better understand each other's perspectives, and work together to meet the university's technological needs."

By way of further explanation...

"The Director of Distributed Support (DDS, a new position)) is responsible for developing programs that facilitate effective communication, coordination, and integration within Cornell University's diverse and decentralized information technology environment. The objective of these efforts is to enable the Cornell community to more effectively leverage its investment in IT staff and resources."

2. Update on Various Academic Technology Initiatives* (30 mins)

Eric Fredericksen, CIT Director of Distributed Learning Services

* (including the Provost's Faculty Innovation Grants, and the transfer of eCornell production staff to CIT's Web production Group)

Wednesday, November 17, 2004

Update and Discussion: Campus IT Security and Related Policy Issues (2 hours)

Steve Schuster, OIT Director of IT Security
Tracy Mitrano, OIT Director of Information Technology Policy and Computer Law and Policy

Wednesday, October 20, 2004

1. FABIT Input Into Review of Selected CIT Technical Support Services (30 mins)

Wes Kahle, Director, CIT Customer Services and Marketing
Mike Swenson, Assistant Director, CIT Customer Services and Marketing

The Customer Service group in CIT would like to get FABIT input about a review of CIT general support services which they are conducting. Some questions include: "should we think about extending service hours greatly at the HelpDesk?"; "should we have more professional staff and fewer students providing front line support/", etc. Suggestions for services not currently provided are also welcome.

Context: Over time, Customer Service has received all sorts of good ideas from individuals on an ad hoc basis. However, instead of just reacting to these in an unorganized fashion, they would like to take a more strategic approach that is informed by a more comprehensive view of what key campus constituencies expect.

2. Brief Overview of Two Programs (30 mins)

Wes Kahle, Director, CIT Customer Services and Marketing
Bob Bourdeau, Assistant Director, CIT Customer Services and Marketing

a) Napster Legal Music Downloading Pilot
b) TV Over the Internet: the Proposed IP-TV Service

3. Teaching with Technology: Veterinary Case Studies (45 mins)

Rick Rawson (College of Veterinary Medicine)

Rick will discuss Veterinary Case Studies, a web-based project developed through the Faculty Innovation in Teaching grant program. Each of the cases is designed to help students learn basic biomedical concepts, identify preconceptions and misconceptions, transfer concepts to similar cases, and learn expert strategies for thinking about specific topics.

Wednesday, September 22, 2004

1. Welcome and Introductions (10 mins)

2. Plans for the Central e-mail system including approaches for controlling spam (30 mins)

Rick MacDonald (Director, CIT Systems and Operations)
Don Mac Leod (Assistant Director, CIT Systems and Operations)
Jim Howell (Messaging Systems Manager, CIT Systems and Operations)

3. Central System performance issues at academic year startup, including Blackboard/CourseInfo (30 mins)

Eric Fredericksen, Director, CIT Distributed Learning Services
Dave Koehler, Director, CIT Business Information Systems

4. Security of, and access to computer resources:possible replacements for the "SideCar" approach to authentication (20 mins)

Andrea Beesing, Assistant Director for Identity Management, CIT Security Group

Andrea will review CIT's current authentication services, measures under consideration to address gaps in service coverage, and future directions for the central authentication infrastructure. One major purpose for briefing FABIT is to test some of the assumptions which underlie the directions being taken.

5. Review of Future FABIT Discussion Topics (30 mins, All)