To better streamline our news distribution, IT@UMN news will no longer deliver news and information via this blog, but will use the IT@UMN Google group for all our communications. All those who have subscribed to this blog and are not already members of the IT@UMN Google group will be added to the group.

IT@UMN emails can be easily recognized and (if you like) filtered by categories that will appear in the subject line:

• [IT@UMN] Messages from the VPCIO, IT Governance, IT@UMN Community building, staff recognition, etc.
• [IT@UMN][news] relevant journal, blog, and news article publications
• [IT@UMN][services] IT service updates, service disruptions
• [IT@UMN][good practices] safe computing, tips & tricks
• [IT@UMN][activities] professional development opportunities, conferences, events
• [IT@UMN][demystifying] definitions of IT jargon, processes, acronyms, initialisms, and leadership profiles

Please let me know if you have questions or concerns.

Thank you,
Jen Bentrim
Chair, Task force for IT Community
IT Leadership Community of Practice

Don't be tricked into handing over your confidential information and sensitive data to online scammers. Internet login and password phishing attempts via Google Forms has led Google to add the the text "Never submit passwords through Google Forms" to the bottom of all legitimate forms created in Google Docs.

Enter your proposal to present at the CIC CIO TechForum 2013, "IT: The Future is Engagement" scheduled for October 8-9 at Ohio State University. The Call for Proposals deadline is Friday, April 22 by 5 p.m. (CT).

The TechForum will challenge IT professionals across CIC campuses to think deeply about how changes in higher education and technology affect our universities and the IT environment on our campuses. Further, presenters should consider the ability of IT to enable change and transform the environment.

For more information about the theme, descriptions of the conference tracks, information about the types of sessions the planning committee is seeking, and to submit a presentation proposal, please visit the TechForum website.

The CIC is the nation's premier higher education consortium of top-tier research institutions, including the Big Ten Conference members and the University of Chicago. Through collaboration CIC members save money, share assets, and increase teaching, learning, and research opportunities.

Find the CIC on Facebook.

Have you been following developments in digital humanities? Are you ready to take the plunge and learn how to develop projects? Would you like to meet others who are interested in this emerging field? Would you like to take your digital humanities projects to the next level?

This research retreat will offer inspiring examples of digital humanities scholarship, provide an opportunity to discuss tools and issues at the heart of the research, and allow you to network with potential research partners. This symposium is aimed at scholars (faculty and graduate students) from humanities and computer science fields, academic technologists, programmers, research consultants, librarians, and other academic support staff from Minnesota. Since this mode of research requires collaboration and partnership, we are aiming for a diverse set of attendees that will spark new research.

It's Time to Register!

The free symposium will open on May 14 with an evening reception at the Weisman Art Museum (University of Minnesota) and a talk from Matt Jockers (University of Nebraska). The following symposium day, May 15, takes place on the University of Minnesota St. Paul Campus and features a plenary address by Mark Tebeau (Cleveland State University), a showcase of local digital humanities projects, and afternoon discussion sessions.

Registration is limited to 125 attendees. Priority will be given to participants from sponsoring institutions. To join us, go to the Spark Fest website.

The College of Veterinary Medicine's Annual Education Day event will be held on Friday, May 31, 2013 in the Animal Science/Veterinary Medicine building on the St. Paul campus.

A poster session will give individuals, units, and teams the opportunity to share their achievements and initiatives in the following categories:

• Graduate education and mentoring
• Active learning
• Technology in education
• Universal design
• Course design
• Collaborative learning
• Curriculum/curricular changes
• Scholarship of Teaching and Learning projects
• Student mental health
• Course coordination

Submit poster titles, abstracts, and PDF versions of your poster to Lynn Lura by May 27.

The 2013 Education Day event will include speakers and an awards ceremony; breakfast and lunch will be provided. More details will be shared as soon as they are available.

Phase 2, the University's Drupal web content management system (CMS) consultant will hold a public presentation scheduled for 1:30-3:00 p.m. Thursday, March 28, in STSS 230.

The IT Leadership Community of Practice (CoP), comprised of IT leaders systemwide, met Friday, Feb. 22, for a day-long working meeting. The meeting centered primarily around the development and effectiveness of existing and new CoPs, formal and informal. A summary of topics and action items resulting from that meeting include:

Ad Astra has been selected as the new University-wide classroom scheduling software system. A contract was signed in late September 2012 and implementation began in early October. It will support classroom scheduling with improved efficiency and functionality and be used across all University campuses.

See the slides prepared for today's IT@UMN event!

IT@UMN Event Twin Cities (PDF)

IT@UMN Event UMD (PDF)

Everyone who works in IT or is interested in IT at the University of Minnesota is welcome to join hangouts as part of today's IT@UMN event! You will first need to join the IT@UMN Community.

Application Development Hangout

Sports Fans Hangout!

Emerging Technologies Hangout

If you have problems joining a hangout, please email Susan McKinnell at skmck@umn.edu.