Operations and Applications Technology Committee Meeting
Minutes
October 8, 1996
Members present: George Bergeman, Eugene Brown, Thomas Butler,
Robert Bruce for Carmen Goodman, David
Karstens, Carmen Medina, Gilbert Mehrtens,
Jose Montero, Martin Olson, Vincent Pizzurro
(chair), Steven Sachs, John Sartorius, Jane
Townend, David Williams, Jeff Williamson
Also present: Janet Zilczer
Guests: Dennis Miller, Martin (Skip) Rademacher
Absent: Daniel Riley, Deborah Rodgers
1. Review of background and committee charters
Mr. Pizzurro noted that the current committee structures are
an outgrowth of recent information technology planning
efforts. Mr. Karstens reviewed the history of those efforts,
starting with the 1994 VCCS Information Technology Task Force
Report, the Twenty-First Century Group study commissioned
last year by NVCC, and, most recently, NVCC's engagement of
the Gartner Group's consulting services. Copies of the final
Gartner Group report were distributed. Mr. Karstens
explained that VCCS initiatives begun this spring prompted
the College to refocus the Gartner study on the general
technology plan and technology spending plan required of each
community college. These two plans, included as appendices
to the the Gartner report, were approved by the VCCS this
Fall. Together with a general migration plan, also appended
to the Gartner report, they form the blueprint for the IT
initiatives the College has committed to undertake over the
next two years.
In response to questions, Mr. Pizzurro and Dr. Sachs
elaborated on the roles of the new committees (ITC, OATC, and
CITGs) formed in the restructuring of College information
technology management. The pivotal nature of the OATC as
both a working group and a conduit for communications was
stressed.
2. Status of infrastructure survey
Mr. Pizzurro explained the work currently underway to
document, room-by-room, all existing data cabling (cable
drops, active ports, and communications closet expansion
capacity). The goal of the present survey is not only to
help quantify additional cabling requirements, but also to
establish a mechanism to keep facilities documentation
updated as infrastructure upgrades proceed. Mr. Miller and
Mr. Rademacher presented an interim report on the survey
(attached), which they hope to complete by the end of next
week. It was noted that, with the exception of lab areas,
the bulk of the infrastructure is in place College-wide, with
excess capacity in most communications closets. Decisions on
classroom connectivity (numbers of drops per classroom) and
priorities for lab spaces will have to be addressed, once
final survey data are available.
3. Priority topics discussed
Before continuing with agenda items, Mr. Pizzurro brought to
the group's attention the "Hot Issues" article in the most
recent EDUTECH Report. The article noted:
The crisis in support services ... is an issue we have
been hearing consistently for years, and appears to be
getting worse and worse. Regardless of the size of the
institution, the size of the IT department, the
resources available, or the state of technology, one
clear fact remains: the demands for IT services
continue to overwhelm the supply ... The nature of the
crisis seems to have much more to do with unlimited
demand than with limited supply. [EDUTECH, vol. 12, no.
6, September 1996, p. 5]
The article went on to stress the importance of setting
priorities. In keeping with this approach, Mr. Pizzurro
indicated that the OATC would start by concentrating on the
highest priority topics.
a. Internet Service Providers (ISP)
Internet access, e-mail, and dial-in are among the
services that can be provided by an ISP. The College
historically has not been able to provide such services
universally (to students, faculty, and staff) through
in-house support. At the same time, VCCS initiatives
and the newly-adopted NVCC general technology plan make
provision of such services a goal within the next two
years. Given these factors, the examination of ISP
services must be a high priority.
Dr. Zilczer reviewed some of the types of services
available and distributed an outline (copy attached) of
the types of policy questions that must also be
addressed in planning for use of such services.
Dr. Williams agreed to chair a working group to analyze
alternatives and to develop recommendations on these
matters. Members of the working group include: Robert
Bruce, Carmen Medina, Jose Montero, Steve Sachs, Jane
Townend
b. General Distribution Software
Discussion moved to the second priority topic: whether
the College should select a group of software products
(i.e., an office suite) for general distribution with
new microcomputers and/or for standardization/upgrade of
existing stations.
Mr. Karstens expressed some concern about the need to
study this issue, since the Gartner report had already
recommended adoption of Microsoft Office as a standard
office suite. However, it was pointed out that the ITC
had referred this matter to the OATC for further
consideration and that many of the Gartner report's
recommendations were statements of general direction
without full detail on all implementation issues. Dr.
Sachs noted that some concerns about current investments
in WordPerfect software have been raised, and training
and support issues could also be more fully considered.
Mr. Mehrtens agreed to chair a working group on this
subject. He will be joined in these efforts by Robert
Bruce, Carmen Medina, Steve Sachs, and Jane Townend.
c. Other Topics
It was generally agreed that the directions and goals
stated in the Gartner Group report and summarized in the
College General Technology plan need not be re-studied
by this committee, but that many topics will need
additional analysis as the College moves from a planning
to an implementation phase. VCCS System-wide
information technology initiatives create a broader
context within which we shall implement our own College
IT plan. For example, the VCCS is actively
participating in ACCESS Virginia, the Virginia Broadband
Educational Network currently under construction in
cooperation with Virginia Tech, Bell Atlantic, and
Sprint. This initiative has a goal of bringing high-speed
ATM (Asynchronous Transport Mode) communications
to the desktop. This change in the VCCS wide area
network environment will materially affect the
technology NVCC uses to maintain the College network
backbone. In these and other instances, it can be
anticipated we shall have to respond to ever-changing
technology, finances, and competing priorities as we
move forward.
4. Working group reports
Dr. Williams and Mr. Mehrtens will attempt to make interim
reports to the chair, Mr. Pizzurro, in early November.
The next meeting of the OATC is scheduled for Tuesday,
November 19 at 1:30 p.m., Large Board Room, Brault Building
This page maintained by Steven G. Sachs, Associate Dean for Information Technology