Information Technology Steering Committee
Minutes of the Meeting of Thursday, October 24, 2002
817 Cathedral of Learning
10:00 - 12:00 a.m.
ATTENDING: C. Chow, E. Cohn, J. Cooper, D. Davis, T. Deliyannides, C. Friedman,
I. Frieze, D. Galetta, G. Klinzing, R. Larsen, J. Maher (Chair), J. Mieres,
J. Oravetz, R. Pack, E. Pfister, A. Ramicone, S. Sereika, J. Walton.
1. Approval of the Minutes
The minutes of the meeting of May 2, 2002 were accepted.
2. Report From The Chair
Maher welcomed new members for the current academic year and invited all members present at the meeting to introduce themselves. Maher summarized the current state of the University's Information Technology Plan. The plan delineates the responsibilities of centrally supported IT units, schools, and individual faculty. In this, the third year of the plan, all permanent budget modifications called for in the plan are in place, and all one-time costs totaling approximately $9 million have been funded, primarily through line items in the Commonwealth budget. Maher reported that the budget for centralized services is being closely monitored, and the resultant savings have been significant.
Maher stated that the role of the Information Technology Steering Committee is to monitor the progress of projects in the plan on an ongoing basis. The Committee will receive reports throughout the year on the full implementation of the plan. Maher commented that these reports may include projects using new technologies not originally envisioned during the writing of the plan. For example, the opportunities for using wireless networking technologies have grown considerably since the plan was written.
In addition to the projects currently underway, Maher reported that two important centralized management information systems are on the horizon. The first is a new PRISM human resources and payroll system, to be implemented in a preliminary stage early in 2003. The second is the CERMIS Project, an information system for academic resources.
3. Update on Technology Initiatives
Walton presented a report on the status of technology initiatives contributing to the implementation of the Information Technology Plan.
The Gigabit Ethernet Upgrade Project is scheduled for completion in January, 2003. Phase I is complete, Phase II is complete except for one building, and Phase III is underway and on schedule. Walton distributed a current schedule for completion of the project.
Walton reported on other activities aimed at improving the network infrastructure. Border routers have been upgraded, including the replacement of the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center router (primarily for faculty and staff) and replacement of the AT&T router (primarily for student traffic). The new hardware provides redundancy, increased throughput and the capability for policy-based routing. In addition, the link between the PSC and the University has been upgraded to allow higher throughput. A redundant network link has been installed providing Gigabit access to the network at RIDC Park. Outdated thinwire ports are being systematically replaced in various University buildings in consultation with departments. Approximately 200 thinwire ports remain to be converted.
Walton reported on the implementation of the wireless network. A standard for wireless networking was issued by CSSD in July, 2002. Wireless networks have been installed in various departments and also in public areas in the following buildings: Posvar Hall, second floor study area, Cathedral of Learning Commons Room, Petersen Events Center, study area/food court, and Hillman Library (entire building).
Walton reported that bandwidth to the regional campuses has been upgraded. The default port speed for all new port installations has been upgraded from 10Mbps to 100Mbps. Plans are underway to convert all existing 10Mbps ports on the University data network to 100Mbps.
Regarding network security, Walton reported on several efforts currently underway. A systematic review of physical security for over 400 wiring closets across campus is in progress. Over 25 firewalls have been installed, with many more planned. A major security information and education effort is underway, targeting faculty, staff, and students through printed material and a Web site with information, software patches and updates.
Walton reported on the Blackboard courseware system. Blackboard 5.02 was implemented
in the fall of 2001 and upgraded to version 5.51 in January, 2002. A software
update was installed during the summer of 2002 to correct a problem with the
Grade Book Spreadsheet View introduced in Version 5.51. Blackboard v.6 was released
October, 2002 and implementation is planned for the next academic year.
Walton reported that a Student Data Warehouse has been developed as a data repository for information from disparate systems which provides near real time data to departments and eliminates the need for shadow systems and downloads of ISIS information. Phase I of the project has been completed and there are currently 38 users of the system from CAS, FAS, the Office of the Registrar, Admissions and Financial Aid, and Student Financial Services. The Phase I implementation includes 70% of ISIS data. During the next phase, the remaining student information will be added, and access to the system will be opened to a broader group of users through a Web-based user interface.
Walton reported on the development of a Student Web Portal available for students
at http://my.pitt.edu . The Student Web Portal is intended as a single point
of access to Web-based information at Pitt, including IMAP E-Mail, Student Info,
student services and other University announcements and information, an events
calendar, and non-University online news and information. Walton demonstrated
various online screens of the Web portal. The portal uses the central directory
service for authentication and may be customized by the individual student.
The portal will provide access to grades and other confidential student information
through a secure connection. During a later phase, the portal will be implemented
for faculty and staff. Individual departments will be able to contribute information
to be made available through the portal, and departments will be able to update
and maintain this information without intervention by CSSD. Walton reported
that approximately 9,000 students are already routinely using the Web portal.
Maher remarked that ITSC members may encounter confidential information during
the course of reviewing management information systems, and stated that all
information presented during ITSC meetings is to be kept strictly confidential.
4. Status of the CERMIS Project
Pack distributed a report on the progress of the CERMIS (Curriculum and Enrollment Management Information System) Project. Pack gave a brief background on the history of the project. The process began in 1994 when the need for better control over the relationship between curriculum and faculty and staffing patterns was identified. In 1995, the Provost appointed the CERMIS Committee, which recommended exploring a replacement for the ISIS system, and eventually identified a software vendor, Buzzeo. After a six month contract, Buzzeo failed to meet the University's expectations. The project was terminated in 1997, since no other viable systems were available. In 2000, the CERMIS Committee was reconstituted and began an exhaustive review of available software.
In June 2001, the CERMIS Committee recommended that the University await further market developments before selecting a new system. The Committee also recommended a series of initiatives to be implemented over a two-year period to improve the information technology environment for students and to provide better management tools for administrators. These initiatives included a comprehensive workflow analysis and process redesign for student systems, installation of the Recruitment Plus system to strengthen admissions processing, expansion and redesign of the Student Info service, development of an enterprise campus portal, and development of an enterprise student data warehouse.
Pack reported that all of these initiatives are on schedule and on budget. Workflow analysis has been completed, resulting in 114 detailed process maps. Recruitment Plus is fully operational. Student Info has been significantly improved and the campus portal at http://my.pitt.edu is heavily used by students. The student data warehouse has been implemented and populated with data from ISIS.
Pack reported that the CERMIS Committee is now actively engaged in reviewing the current market for the selection of a student services system. A detailed project plan has been developed, and Cornelius and Associates, who developed the workflow analysis, has been retained as project consultant. Focus groups have been conducted with some 150 participants broadly representing diverse constituencies from throughout the University, yielding 250 prioritized system requirements.
Pack reported that RFI's had been submitted to six vendors, with responses returned by four vendors. The CERMIS Committee has narrowed these four vendors to two, and will soon conduct site visits to two institutions to observe these systems in action. The two vendors will also be invited to campus to conduct extensive demos to a wide audience. The selected vendors will conduct detailed fit-gap analyses, using the University's workflow charts. The CERMIS Committee will then review the results of the fit-gap analysis and recommend changes in policies or procedures to improve the speed and cost-effectiveness of the implementation. Pack reported that a detailed RFP will be issued to the selected vendor, and the CERMIS Committee is expected to recommend the acquisition of a student information system and to propose an implementation schedule, process, and budget in May, 2003.
Cohn asked whether federal standards for Web accessibility have been included in the system requirements. Walton replied that compliance with Web accessibility standards have been included in the mandatory system requirements, and are also mandated by the University's internal guidelines for Web-based services.
Pack invited the Committee to follow the status of the project via the CERMIS Web site at https://www.pitt.edu/studentsys/ . Pack projected that the implementation will take 12 to 18 months to complete once a contract has been signed.
Larsen commended the University's willingness to adjust processes and policies to simplify project implementation and increase the cost-effectiveness of enterprise information systems. Pack added that the detailed process mapping recently undertaken by many units dealing with student information has already resulted in fixes for some process disconnects. These efforts along with the student data warehouse should eliminate the need for shadow systems once the new system is implemented.
6. Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 11:18 a.m.
Future Meetings:
Thursday, January 9, 2003 10:00-12:00 817 CL
Thursday, March 6, 2003 10:00-12:00 817 CL
Thursday, May 1, 2003 10:00-12:00 817 CL
Thursday, June 5, 2003 (tentative) 10:00-12:00 817 CL
TSD 12/12/02