Return to: U of M Home
« May 2009 | Main | July 2009 »
As of June 30, 2009 at 5:00 p.m. the Legacy mainframe regions CUFS and PAMs will no longer be available. These were shutdown according to the schedule established with the implementation of the EFS system. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact 1-HELP at (612) 301-4357.
Due to the increased security changes in the credit card industry, the UProducts service on the UMart Web site will be phased out over the next year. Effective immediately, UProducts no longer will accept new customer requests. This change will not affect outside vendor stores on the UMart Web site.
UProducts allowed collegiate units/departments to submit items for resale on the UMart Web site, utilizing the online payment option as a free service. However, changes in the credit card industry have made it difficult to remain Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliant.
Industry trends emphasize the need for departments to take responsibility for their sales and set up their own Web site with an Authorized.net link for security. Departments can contact Accounts Receivable for more details regarding the credit card regulations.
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) will work with collegiate units departments that wish to set up a full-service online store for their own use. Interested units and departments should send inquiries to info@software.umn.edu.
Questions regarding the UProducts decommission should be sent to umart@umn.edu. OIT will work with existing customers to phase out their products and will be sensitive towards peak sales months during the process.
Not all applications on your computer have automatic updates enabled. When applications are left unpatched, they are at risk and make your computer very vulnerable for virus infections from the Internet. This can compromise your data and your processing power.
The six most recent high-risk applications are:
To find out if you need to fix any of the targeted applications, check the Secunia Web site for Windows users or the Metaquark Web site for Mac users.
The Office of Information Technology congratulates former faculty fellows Melissa Avery and Patricia Schaber who have been named 2009 recipients of the Academic Health Center's Academy for Excellence in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. The award is the highest recognition of excellence in the AHC educational mission.
Avery was a faculty fellow from 2001-02, and was a Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) grant recipient in 2005. Since 1996, she has worked diligently to create technology-enhanced learning opportunities for students from rural and urban under-serviced areas.
Avery's significant accomplishments include the design and delivery of three, mostly online graduate programs in nursing. She also co-chaired the WebVista conversion committee, serving as the faculty lead for the massive effort which impacted more than 2,200 faculty and staff, and more than 50,000 students, as the University upgraded to a new course management tool.
Patricia Schaber was a faculty fellow from 2006-07. Schaber's year as a fellow coincided with the Occupational Therapy program's move from a traditional face-to-face model to a hybrid model, and her work in the program focused on redesigning a class for distance learning.
Schaber embraced the challenge to adapt a course focused on professional behavior and attitudes. She used learning technologies to teach affective content in an online environment and to develop the kind of community that she had always enjoyed in her face-to-face courses.
For more information about the faculty fellowship program, visit the DMC Web site.
The University of Minnesota is committed to reduce annual campus energy usage by 5 percent by the end of 2010. A 5 percent reduction will save the University $2.25 million each year and result in 25,000 fewer tons of CO_2 being released into the atmosphere.
To learn more about what you can do to help the University accomplish this goal, visit the It All Adds Up Web site.
Going on vacation? You can set an "away" message for your University e-mail account using the Set E-mail Forwarding and Autoreply found in the "Manage Your E-Mail" section of the My Account Web site.
What will you discover? Coming fall 2009: Google Apps for the University of Minnesota. Communication and collaboration is just about to get easier. Google-powered e-mail, calendar, document sharing, and IM with Google Apps is coming soon to the University of Minnesota. For more information, visit the Google Initiative Web site.
WebVista A instructors and designers are reminded that WebVista A, the Blackboard Vista version 3.0.7 cluster, is no longer available. The decommission, which was effective July 1, is the final step in the University's upgrade to WebVista 4. For more information, visit the WebVista Web site.
Registered students are eligible to purchase network- and wireless-ready certified laptop computer bundles complete with the latest operating system, updates and patches, as well as pre-installed software, such as Microsoft Office. For more information, visit the UMart web site.
1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Blegen Hall room 90
Twin Cities Campus
This hands-on workshop serves as an introduction to JMP software as well as an overview of the newest features and capabilities available in the latest release, JMP 8.JMP, developed by SAS Institute for engineering, science and business users, provides a spectrum of statistics and graphics from basic analytics to complex analyses. JMP is visual and interactive, and creates statistics using point, click, drag, and drop, displaying results as statistics and graphs in the same window. You can easily subset data, perform subsequent analyses, and create 3D and dynamic graphics to help understand the results of your analyses. JMP can also be integrated with SAS providing an easy to use and flexible front end.
Prerequisites
None
Fees
No fee. Registration required.
Registration in this course is limited to University of Minnesota students, staff, and faculty.
Space is limited; the required free registration is available on the University Technology Training Web site.
For location and parking info, see Campus Maps.
JMP software for Windows and MacOSX machines used for teaching and research is available through the University of Minnesota OIT Software License Program.
For more info about JMP software, see on the JMP Web site.
2:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
Hanson Hall 102
Twin Cities Campus/West Bank
The University Video Users Community (UVUC) is holding its quarterly meeting and would like you to join them. UVUC is a professional peer network of video professionals at the University of Minnesota. UVUC members work in all types of video, including production, presentation, networking, event coverage, and classroom use.
Tentative topics for the meeting are:
If you would like to attend, RSVP to KT Cragg at kcragg@umn.edu.
9 a.m.- 4 p.m.
Continuing Education and Conference Center (formerly Earle Brown)
Twin Cities Campus/St. Paul
Acquire best practices for online facilitation and training in an online learning environment. This content-rich, highly interactive course lets you examine the essential e-learning terminology, tools, technology, and best practices. You will be able to distinguish good and bad e-learning and webinar approaches and how to ask the right questions before getting started.
More information: Continuing Professional Development Web site
Contact: cceinfo@umn.edu or (612) 624-4000
11:00 a.m.-11:45 a.m.
Walter Library 310
Twin Cities Campus/East Bank
Getting ready to prepare a poster for an upcoming conference? Learn pointers about using PowerPoint to create the poster as one large slide and send it to a large-scale printer.
Cost: Free
Contact: j-kemp
Due to the increased security changes in the credit card industry, the UProducts service on the UMart Web site will be phased out over the next year. Effective immediately, UProducts will no longer accept new customer requests. This change will not affect outside vendor stores on the UMart Web site.
UProducts service allowed collegiate units/departments to submit items for resale on the UMart Web site, utilizing the online payment option as a free service. However, changes in the credit card industry make it difficult to remain Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliant.
Industry trends emphasize the need for departments to take responsibility for their sales and set up their own Web site with an Authorized.net link for security. Departments can contact Accounts Receivable for more details regarding the credit card regulations.
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) will work with you to set up a full-service online store for your collegiate unit or department. If you are interested, please send an e-mail to info@software.umn.edu.
If you have any questions regarding the UProducts decommission, please contact umart@umn.edu. OIT will work with existing customers to phase out their products and will be sensitive towards peak sales months during the process.
The Office of Information Technology would like to congratulate Melissa Avery and Patricia Schaber, 2009 recipients of the Academic Health Center's Academy for Excellence in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. The award is the highest recognition of excellence in the AHC educational mission.
Dr. Avery was a DMC Faculty Fellow from 2001 to 2002 and a TEL Grant recipient in 2005. Since 1996, Dr. Avery has worked diligently to create technology-enhanced learning opportunities for students from rural and urban under-serviced areas.
Dr. Avery's significant accomplishments include the design and delivery of three mostly online graduate programs in nursing. She also co-chaired the WebVista conversion committee, serving as the faculty lead for the massive effort which impacted over 2,200 faculty and staff and over 50,000 students as the University upgraded to a new course management tool.
Patricia Schaber was a DMC Faculty Fellow from 2006 to 2007. Dr. Schaber's year as a fellow coincided with Occupational Therapy's move from a traditional face-to-face model to a hybrid model, and her work in the program focused on redesigning a class for distance learning.
Dr. Schaber embraced the challenge to adapt a course focused on professional behavior and attitudes. She used learning technologies to teach affective content in an online environment and to develop the kind of community that she had always enjoyed in her face-to-face courses.
Congratulations to Melissa Avery and Patricia Schaber. Their hard work and dedication has earned them the prestigious award and the opportunity to expand their amazing work with educational technologies.
Not all applications on your computer have automatic updates turned on. When applications are left unpatched, they are at risk and make your computer very vulnerable for virus infections from the Internet. This can compromise your data and your processing power. Below is a list of the six most recent high-risk applications.
- Adobe Reader
- Adobe Flash
- Adobe Acrobat
- Java
- MS Office
- Quicktime
Use the following Web sites to see if you need to fix some of the most targeted apps.
Windows - Use Secunia
Mac - Use Metaquark
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) will once again have a strong presence at new student orientation events throughout the summer. Some of the many ways students and their parents will learn about information technology and OIT at the University are by:
• Visiting an information table at the resource fair in the Great Hall where OIT staff inform students about technology help services and software and laptop bundles. Students can take home an OIT magnet listing technology help phone numbers and URLs.
• Viewing training presentations that give students and parents an overview on what they need to know about computing on campus.
• Getting help from OIT staff with authentication, e-mail set-up, Active Directory and NetFiles activation, and other issues.
• Picking up informational and marketing materials.
New student orientations began June 10, are scheduled to run through late August, and include events for incoming freshmen, graduate students, transfer students, and several individual colleges.
The Office of Information Technology will be holding two Town Hall meetings to discuss the replacement of the campus-wide VPN service and to solicit input from the University community on what they would like to see in the new VPN solution.
The meetings will be on held on two separate dates for your convenience:
• Thursday, June 18 from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
• Friday, June 19 from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m.
The sessions will take place at the Information Technology Building located at 2218 University Ave. S.E. in Room 185. The June 18 meeting also will be available via UMConnect. To access the UMConnect session, please visit the VPN Town Hall page.
These meetings are open to the campus community. Feel free to pass this invitation on to others in your department or unit that may be interested in attending.
To register for one of these two Town Hall Meetings, please RSVP to KT Cragg at crag0006@umn.edu by noon on June 15 and state which session you wish to attend.
On June 15th, 2009 at 9:00 a.m., the Office of Information Technology is changing the Gopher Messaging web interface, the Web page used for checking voicemail and managing voicemail settings online. The new page will include a drop down-menu on the login page, asking users to select either "Twin Cities" or "Rochester" in the Location field.
The change will take minutes to implement, and it will not cause a disruption in service. The change is necessary for the University to support customers at the Rochester campus. Questions may be sent to tac-nts-list@umn.edu.
10:15-11:15 a.m.
120 Andersen Library
Twin Cities Campus/West Bank
Presenter: Dwayne Buttler
The University Libraries are recruiting for a Director of Copyright and Publishing who would have responsibilities for education and consulting services related to copyright ownership and use. We have candidate coming to campus. Dwayne Buttler will be giving a public presentation on June 9 at 10:15 a.m. in 120 Andersen Library.
All switch maintenance in the WBOB data center is now complete. All systems should now be up and running. If your application is still offline, call 1-HELP on campus, (612) 301-4357. Full story
The Office of Information Technology's University Technology Training Center (UTTC) offers a variety of free or low-cost, in-person computer training courses, as well as online training options. Whether you want to gain new skills or brush up on your expertise, check out UTTC's summer training highlights.
University of Minnesota: Simulations and Exercises for Educational Effectiveness (U-SEEE) is accepting applications now through June 18 for the U-SEEE Fellows Program for the period July 2009-June 2010. The Fellows Program is an opportunity for University of Minnesota graduate students in public health, other health-related fields, or education to gain specialized training in the intersection of public health preparedness systems research and education. Awards are $20,000 per year for up to two years. This opportunity is supported in part through a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/COTPER. More information
Facebook. Twitter. MySpace. Flikr. LinkedIn. YouTube. Wiki. Blogging. Yammer. Delicious. Ning. Even Google Docs with its collaborative framework for sharing. The list of social media networking tools goes on and on, but the common thread among all is the conversational discovery and sharing of information. Each has a unique style and purpose, and it used to be, that each was used for personal reasons. But it's not just for playtime anymore.
Marketing and communication through social media outlets has become more than a trend in recent years, raging through user accounts faster than a speeding bullet. The viral nature of social networking has become an attractive, efficient, and inexpensive way to market yourself, your business, and your school. Read more of Social Media in Higher Ed.
From 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Sunday June 7, 2009, all IT systems, applications, and tools may be sporadically unavailable for use. Some applications will be down for up to 90 minutes at some point within this window, while other applications will not be down at all. All applications should be back on line by 12 p.m.
Explanation
This outage is required for the Office of Information Technology (OIT) to perform maintenance on the network switches in the WBOB data center. For further explanation about why this maintenance is necessary, visit the Network Cleanup and Reallocation Project Plan.
Please plan accordingly. We recognize the importance of the University’s core systems, and we apologize for any inconvenience this causes. For more information, visit the System Status page. If you have any questions, call 1-HELP at (612) 301-4357.
Learn the recommended Firefox Web browser settings that can reduce risks associated with the Web.
UMContent users should be aware of a new version of Site Studio Designer for 10gR4. The upgrade is available at the UMContent support Web site. While the old Site Studio application will connect to production, there have been a few minor issues noticed when using the older editor. System administrators recommend that everyone acquire the update as soon as possible.
New student orientation begins in June and includes first-year freshmen, transfer students, graduate students, and parents. The Office of Information Technology (OIT) will offer presentations to new students and their parents about their technology needs on campus. In addition, OIT will provide information at the orientation resource fairs and will assist with account setup in Tech Stop. For information, visit the Orientation and First Year Programs Web site.
A fall rollout of Google Apps for the University of Minnesota is planned and will be optional for students, faculty, and staff. Future plans call for Gmail to be the default University mail application for students, and faculty and staff will continue to have the option to use it, as well. For the latest updates on the project, visit the Google Initiative Web site.
The Office of Information Technology (OIT) has partnered with MnSCU to offer a statewide contract for the ESRI Geographic Information System (GIS) software, ArcInfo and ArcView. The contract will allow all U of M campuses, Extension Offices, and Research Centers the option to participate in the contract, while actually saving the University money. With this new contract, we also were able to reduce the departmental cost from $4,500 to $3,000 per year.
This software supports the University's mission of becoming a top-three public research institution. GIS software is crucially important for conducting geospatial research. Currently at the University there are more than 30 departments doing geospatial research. The US Department of Labor has identified geospatial technologies as one of the three most important high-growth industries in the 21st century. For more information about geospatial research at the University, visit the Geospatial Science at the University Web Site.
University staff and faculty are able to purchase GIS software individually at a reduced price, or departments can purchase a license to have the software installed on all computers owned by the department. If a department requires more than 10 licenses, it is more economical to purchase a department license.Students will receive the software for free if they are taking a course that requires it.
If you would like to order GIS software or would like more information, visit the UTools Web site. If you have questions about purchasing or installing the software, send e-mail to software@umn.edu. Customers interested in purchasing a departmental license should first check with their local IT staff to coordinate installation of the software on departmental computers.
Beginning July 1, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) will implement changes to the ordering process and pricing of Adobe software purchases for all University of Minnesota department-owned computers.
University departments will continue to benefit from deeply discounted prices on Adobe products, such as Acrobat Pro, which is available for nearly $400 less than retail.
OIT still has a maintenance contract with Adobe that provides University users who use Acrobat Pro 8.1 an upgrade to version 9.0 at no cost through August 2009.
However, in light of the University's current economic challenges, OIT is no longer able to subsidize Adobe Acrobat Pro, Dreamweaver, or Photoshop Elements for department-owned computers, resulting in a slight increase in the cost of Adobe products. Still offered at substantial discounts, the cost of Adobe Acrobat Pro, for example, will increase from $25 to $54.
Also beginning July 1, all future Adobe software orders must be placed through the UMart Web site. The UTools Web site also will continue to provide a direct link to Adobe products.
For more information, or to request the no-cost upgrade to Acrobat Pro 9.0, contact software@umn.edu. Requests for upgrades should include Internet ID, operating system (Windows or Mac OS), and a note requesting an upgrade from Acrobat Pro 8.1 to 9.0.
A recent targeted phishing attack reached the e-mail inboxes of University accounts in late May. The bogus message, or possibly others similar, appeared to come from University e-mail administrators, and reads:
Your mailbox has exceeded the storage limit which is 20GB as set by your administrator,you are currently running on 20.9GB,you may not be able to send or receive new mail until you re-validate your mailbox.To re-validate your mailbox please click the link below:
hXXp://legal101.000space.com/form/use/cool1/form1.html
If the link above don't work please copy and paste the link below to
your browser window
hXXp://legal101.000space.com/form/use/cool1/form1.html
Thanks
System Administrator
The link contained within the e-mail forwards browsers to exploits, compromising the browser's security. University users who did follow the link had their Internet accounts temporarily shut down to alleviate the chances of spreading anything malicious further through the University network.
OIT Security typically calls users as soon as possible to let them know their account has been disabled. Because the event occurred over a weekend, not all users were notified immediately. For assistance with Internet accounts, call the Technology Help at (612) 301-4357 (1-HELP on campus).
10-11:30 a.m.
Walter Library 101
R.S.V.P to KT Cragg at kcragg@umn.edu by Friday, June 12
1:30-2:30 p.m.
Walter Library 310
Minneapolis/East Bank Campus
Explore the new tools and technology that pair Google-efficient tools with library-quality results to weave together a rich information web that goes beyond just the World Wide Web. Learn about tools such as Google Docs, RSS reader, Google Scholar, and iGoogle research gadgets that will help you access, evaluate, and share information in an easy collaborate environment.
Cost: Free
Contact: j-kemp
9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Continuing Education and Conference Center
St. Paul Campus
As a writer, reader, or approver of Web copy, you will learn the top ten tips for writing good Web copy, content development planning, audience focus, content organization that facilitates scanning, Web navigation principles, and effective use of headings, titles, labels, and hyperlinks. Attendees are encouraged to bring Web copy samples. This is not a Web development course.
For more information: Visit the Continuing Professional Development Web site
Contact: cceinfo@umn.edu (612) 624-4000
Noon
Walter Library 101
9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Walter Library
Minneapolis/East Bank Campus
A seminar focused on enhancing the communication capability of your mobile field force, sponsored by AT&T is scheduled for anyone who influences or participates in technology decisions or implementations at any level. Lunch will be provided
Presentations by industry experts including AT&T, Ericsson Wireless, Research in Motion, NetMotion, Wallace Wireless, and WebTech Wireless are planned.
Anyone interested in attending should contact Scott Freed at scott.freed@att.com for more information and to R.S.V.P.
Registration and payment information for all classes is found at the University Technology Training Center Web site.
WebVista 4: Instructor Orientation
June 9
1:30-2:45 p.m.
Eddy Hall Annex 64
Seminar
ImageNow 6: Basics
June 11
1:30-4:30 p.m.
Blegen Hall 90
Windows
Moodle 1.9: Instructor Orientation
June 17
1:30-2:30 p.m.
Eddy Hall Annex 62
Seminar
Moodle 1.9: Creating Basic Course Web Sites
June 18
1:00-4:30 p.m.
Blegen Hall 90
Macintosh/Windows
Relational Database Design Basics
June 18
1:30-4:30 p.m.
Walter Library 210
Seminar
UMContent: Contributor Basics
June 18
1:30-4:00 p.m.
Eddy Hall Annex 62
Macintosh/Windows
HTML/XHTML: Fundamentals
June 19
8:30 a.m.-noon
Walter Library 210
Macintosh/Windows
Access 2007: Basic Database Development
June 23, 24, 25
1:30 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
Blegen Hall 90
Windows
Excel 2007: Spreadsheet Basics
June 23, 25
1:00-4:30 p.m.
Walter Library 210
Windows
Dreamweaver CS3: Creating Basic Web Pages
June 24, 26
8:30 a.m.-noon
Blegen Hall 90
Macintosh/Windows
UMCal: Basics
June 24
9:30 a.m.-noon
Walter Library 210
Macintosh/Windows
WebVista 4: Creating Basic Course Web Sites
June 24
1:00-4:30 p.m.
Walter Library 210
Macintosh/Windows
Moodle 1.9: Collaboration
June 25
8:30 a.m.-noon
Walter Library 210
Macintosh/Windows
UMConnect and Presenter 6: Orientation
June 25
10-11 a.m.
Blegen Hall 90
Seminar
