Information Technology Services Annual Report, 1999-2000

Michael R. Sherer. Director of Information Technology
August 19, 2000

Executive Summary

Goshen College continues to solidify its reputation as the technology leader among the Mennonite institutions of higher education. We began the year by providing a state-of-the-art wireless network St. Louis 99. And for the second year in a row, Yahoo! Internet Life honored Goshen College as one of the nation's "Most Wired" colleges, a list teeming with high-dollar, prestigious liberal arts colleges. The first half of the year was overshadowed by Y2K preparations, which through significant effort on the part of ITS staff resulted in an uneventful January 1 for GC.

In March, an Administrative Modernization Task Force unanimously selected CMDS Teams Elite administrative software to speed the modernization of GC business processes and decision support capabilities. The implementation project will take approximately 13 months to complete and will require an investment of $800,000 over a seven-year period. Also in March, ITS deployed an 11 MB wireless network connecting all college-owned off-campus housing to the internet. Finally, during the Summer of 2000, ITS staff will complete its fourth consecutive year of lab upgrades. The 2000-2001 lab standard is a 600 Mhz Pentium III or 400 Mhz G4 PowerMac with 17" monitor.

Though it was a financially difficult year for Mennonite.net, the site experienced over 1000% growth in traffic and made tremendous technical strides, laying a foundation for greater success in the coming year.

When CMDS Teams Elite goes live in May of 2001, the college will be free of its most significant legacy burden and can reasonably claim that its IT environment is among the best in the country. ITS will be working hard to keep it that way.

KPI's:

• 1998-1999 - 5.16%
• 1999-2000 - 5.55% (includes Y2K remediation)
• 2000-2001 - 5.24% (including CMDS purchase, 5.7%)

• 1998-1999 - 12.3
• 1999-2000 - 13.9
• 2000-2001 - 15.9

• 1998-1999 - 9.2
• 1999-2000 - 8.65
• 2000-2001 - 5.66

ITS began tracking an extensive list of performance metrics to better chronicle the progress of technology at GC and to better understand and manage technology growth.

Significant progress during the past year occurred in the following areas:

Administration

• Acceptable Use Policy updated to better address increasing commercial use of GC computing resources and changing realities on the internet.
• A new Human Resources salary tool provides more accurate rating for tech workers. All ITS professional staff have been reclassified.
• Explored outsourcing options for dial-up and ResNet Install Fairs with Mapletronics. Elected not to at this time due to expense.
• Downsized our photocopier to reflect reduced usage.
• Designed and implemented two new office spaces in poorly utilized space within ITS.

Classrooms

• Transitioned to a CorporateTime-based room scheduling system.
• Designed and began implementation of Ad 21 computerized classroom.
• Reprogrammed Crestron controls to simplify use of Multimedia classrooms.

Community Relations

• Goshen College was the network service provider at St. Louis 99 and provided 25 computers and a wireless network for St. Louis 99.
• Mennonite.net created default websites for 1400 Mennonite congregations and 800 organizations. The service is based on the authoritative Mennonite Directory database.
• Mennonite.net received favorable coverage in the Builder, The Mennonite, Mennonite Weekly Review, and several agency and conference newsletters.
• Making the Yahoo "Most Wired Colleges List" a big PR win for the college. We need to make the most of it.
• Worked with Mennonite Archives on electronic archiving options for the Mennonite church. An initial version of this churchwide electronic archive was deployed with the template church website.
• Mennonite.net deployed email service, a new template church website, and other services based on the new churchwide data infrastructure.
• Mennonite.net output the 2000 Mennonite Directory for MPH.
• Negotiated a collaborative relationship with American Bible Society's forministry.com where Mennonite.net supplies authoritative Mennonite church congregational data to forministry to create basic websites there.
• Michael Sherer presented a talk entitled "The Internet, the Church and You" at Waterford Mennonite Church
• Michael Sherer presented a session on Mennonite.net's collaboration with Historical entities at the Gathering 2000 Conference.
• Michael Sherer and Tim Boshart presented on GC's CourseInfo implementation at the Blackboard Days Conference at University of Indianapolis.
• Mennonite.net designed and now hosts the Mennonite Church USA website.
• Michael Sherer presented on "Y2K - Why I'm Less Pessimistic Than the Doomsayers" at Milford Church of the Brethren

Computer Upgrades

• WSBT did a nice 2 minute spot on the 10 o'clock news covering GC's inclusion in the Yahoo Most Wired College's list.

Data Systems

• Migrated Oracle databases and forms off the DEC VAX in December 1999.
• Developed GC Online 2 in preparation for Y2K. Migration to GC Online was delayed by the purchase of CMDS Teams Elite and is scheduled for deployment in late summer 2000.
• GC purchased and began the implementation of CMDS Teams Elite administrative software. ITS played a significant role in the decision-making process and is assisting with the implementation.
• John Glick successfully negotiated an unlimited license for Oracle Enterprise server and Developer tools.
• Began experiments with the CorporateTime API to determine the feasibility of calendar-enabled applications.
• The VAX Line Printer was relocated to the Ad Building basement and is being run by Melba Nunemaker.

Educational Technology

• In Fall 99 Goshen College became the first college in the world to have a CourseInfo web course for every course in the catalog with automated maintenance of class lists and ID/passwords synchronized with LDAP.
• GC added two digital video workstations running Final Cut Pro in January to accommodate Mark Kelley's video production classes and GC Journal. A Canon GL-1 digital video camera was also purchased, giving GC a credible digital video creation/editing capability.
• Early experiments with iMovie as a low-end video production tool were well-received. Mark Kelley will make use of iMovie and the Mac Lab for GC Journal and video production classes in the fall of 2000.

Labs

• Upgraded labs in summer 99 to 433 Mhz Celeron PC's and upgraded all lab Macs to at least 224 MB RAM.
• Acquired Altiris Lab Expert, software which dramatically improves our ability to manage PC labs.
• Began gathering high quality usage stats for the labs.
• Implemented "Big Brother" software which improves our diagnostic abilities and downtime notification.
• Specifications set for the Summer 2000 upgrade call for 600 Mhz Pentium III PC's and 400 Mhz G4 PowerMacs.

Media

• Worked with Architects and GC staff on audio/video issues for the new Music Building.
• Acquired a CD Duplicator that allows us to mass produce CD's at a low cost.
• Acquired a Digital8 video camera that is available for check-out.
• Began experimenting with QuickTime and RealVideo streaming servers. Did live video streaming of the Gathering 2000 Conference in June.

Networking and Infrastructure

• Connected all college-owned, off-campus student housing to the campus network via an 11 MB wireless network.
• Created a web-based DHCP administration tool that makes it simple for authorized ITS personnel to update the DHCP database.
• Added network ports in the library to facilitate the use of portables there.
• For the first time, all buildings and most departments now have their own regional laser printers.
• Completed planning and budgeting for a gigabit backbone and wireless infrastructure upgrade during Summer 2000.

ResNet

• Installation Fairs got students on ResNet in short order. Approximately 45% of students in the dorms had computers on ResNet, with these computers often being used by two or more people.
• ITS blocked Napster MP3 traffic, but indicators are that we will lose the battle as bandwidth hungry applications proliferate.

• Dial-up service reached capacity, new analog lines have been added to eliminate busy signals.
• Upgraded Netware servers to Dual Xeon Servers running Netware 5.
• Started a ChemAlert listserv to provide better notification of chemical use on campus.
• Upgraded to CorporateTime

Staffing

• Cathy Kinney was hired half-time to staff the help desk in January 2000, but was hired back by her former employer in May.
• David Hodges was hired in March to provide coverage for Kevin Gross's sabbatical. David is a highly talented hardware technician with broad range of skills. He will replace Gene Crusie in 2001.
• Karen Renkiowicz was hired to staff the Help Desk and train and supervise student workers. Her consistency and professionalism has brought renewed respect to the Help Desk.
• Peter Hartman left to pursue Art studies in Scotland. His responsibilities were filled by Tim Boshart.
• Carl Meyer left Mennonite.net in May. His responsibilities have been covered by a team of student employees.
• Prof. David Hostetter and Jason Sykes have been hired to cover Tim Boshart's Ed Tech responsibilities.

Training, Support and Staff Development

• We moved to a professionally-run Help Desk to improve service quality during 8-5. It was necessary to cut back evening Help Desk hours were cut back to pay for the move.
• Deployed MapleTrack, an internally developed problem tracking system, to improve follow-through and service quality from the Help Desk.
• Began Technology For Service Quarterly, an ITS web-zine devoted to informing the campus about developments within ITS.
• Michael Sherer attended the annual ACM SIGGUCS Management Conference in St. Louis.
• Tim Boshart attended Blackboard Summit (CourseInfo) Conference in Washington DC.
• Paul Housholder and Mike McHugh attended the annual InfoCom tradeshow. Mike also attended a Crestron technical conference.
• Numerous ITS members attended Chicago Comdex.
• Jay Christner attended the annual ResNet Conference

Web

• Gwen Miller and Paul Meyer Reimer with input from the GC Web team rolled out a Website redesign for www.goshen.edu
• Web Server becomes LDAP-aware, allowing ITS to provide password-protected areas that require email ID and password to access.
• A new Web Event Calendar is scheduled for rollout in late summer 2000 and promises to improve the event planning process.
• WGCS is now on the web in RealAudio format at http://media.goshen.edu/wgcsfm.ram
• Equipped all SST units with a digital camera to facilitate posting of content.
• In cooperation with Public Relations, began work on a Strategic Plan for the Web at GC.

Goals and Projections

• An upgraded mail server with improved performance, improved web client and IMAP support.
• The completion of the CMDS Teams Elite administrative software

• implementation project on May 31, 2001. Completion of this project will yield significant improvements in business processes, reporting and analysis of data.

• A gigabit backbone upgrade for the campus network
• A second T1 to accommodate increasing needs for internet bandwidth
• On-campus wireless network access in key buildings
• Single userID and password access to all services
• Web kiosks in the Leaf Raker and Game Room.
• A new "smart" campus ID card with mag stripe and barcode
• A Technology Advisory Committee made up of alumni and friends

• providing assistance in strategic technology planning for the college.

• An increasingly prominent role for Mennonite.net in churchwide data issues.
• Increased use of CourseInfo in the curriculum.
• Minimum PC is a Pentium II 300, Minimum Mac is a PowerMac G3/266.

Other goals:

• Establish portal services for key constituents
• Eliminate Category 3 wiring on campus
• Test and deploy thin client computing solutions where appropriate.
• Strengthen collaboration between ITS and the library, ITS and the Dean.
• Write and receive at least one grant.

Challenges

Goshen College, despite enjoying a considerable amount of success in the area of technology, faces several short term and long-term challenges:

0. Staff turnover. In the past 9 months, ITS has had seven hiring processes, and there will likely be more in the coming year. This puts considerable additional pressure on already overburdened IT personnel and administration. While GC continues to be an energizing, fulfilling place to work, salaries for our best technical people are not competitive. We need to continue to work at the salary issue and find creative ways to make it attractive to make an IT career at Goshen College.
1. Funding. The college current has in place an equipment maintenance, upgrade and replacement model for computing, however, there is continual pressure to cut the budget. Furthermore, there is ongoing pressure to expand services and to improve service quality. This year we chose to amortize a major network upgrade and projector upgrade to achieve our goals. Solutions to the funding issue include Technology endowment, grants, designated giving in the area of technology, and using Mennonite.net to subsidize R&D. The alternative is to find acceptable ways to reduce services or pass along costs to departments.
2. Human Resource issues. ITS staff has grown to the point that supervision, evaluations, reclassifications and hiring processes now consume a significant amount of administrative time.
3. Expectations are rising quickly. The rapid addition of services and software over the past years has meant that users are doing more with their computers and thus have increased need for training and support, and for technology-rich classrooms to teach in.
4. The user base is expanding rapidly. The addition of ResNet has increased the expectation among students for general computing support. The addition of dial-up network services has increased expectations among faculty/staff and retirees for support at home. The expanding enrollment in the Degree Completion Program and rising expectations for technology use in the curriculum is driving increased support demands among these students. The expansion of the installed base of computers also increases the support burden. We are adding an online problem tracking system to improve the efficiency and quality of support delivered through our help desk.
5. Security and ethics in a networked environment are consuming increased amounts of time. Rapidly changing internet landscape presents ethical and administrative challenges as students find new money-making schemes, bandwidth hogging services, copyright infringing activities, etc. Our planned network upgrade includes quality of service technology to increase our control over our existing bandwidth, but we know this will be an area of ongoing challenge.
6. Space issues are approaching a critical point in ITS. As we do more and make greater use of student labor, we are quickly running out of space. Also, the addition of mennonite.net and the exploration of entrepreneurial IT models hold significant possibilities for expansion. Moving Mennonite.net out of Schertz would help, but would also negate some of the economies of scale we receive from Moving a lab out of Schertz Computing Center into the library would alleviate the space problem, but also create a more distributed, and more expensive support model.

Challenges aside, it is an exciting time to be in IT and at Goshen College. Technology continues to be a barometer for measuring the quality of an institution, and indeed the technology ITS provides is making GC a stronger, more attractive institution to study and work in.