IS.Communication - Summer 2008

A Message from the Vice President

Welcome to the summer issue of I.S.communications, the newsletter of the Information Services Division! As we end one fiscal year and begin another we take this opportunity to highlight projects and accomplishments of the spring semester and announce plans for what we will implement during the short summer months.

As we reflect on the spring semester there are at least two themes worth noting: dedication to service and quality of production. In the first case, we are very proud that one of our senior staff, Joan Overfield, Director of Library Services, was selected this year as the recipient of the Choice Award. Created by the Office of Human Resources, this award is given to an individual whose work and dedication epitomizes the spirit of "service to others" that is at the core of Fairfield University. And, as you'll see in this newsletter, there are other awards that the Library has received.

In the same vein, the staff of the Media Center also deserves special mention for garnering six Videographer awards in recognition of the quality of their various video productions.

The Videographer Awards is an international awards program directed by communication professionals to honor talented individuals and companies in the video production field. Entrants include video production companies, advertising and public relations firms, corporate communication departments, cable and broadcast television operations, government agencies and schools, independent producers and wedding and special event producers. Past winners have come from all 50 states and numerous countries.

We are very proud that others have recognized the efforts of our staff outside the I.S. Division and I want to take this opportunity to thank all of the staff for their contributions and accomplishments.

As we move into the very busy summer season work has already begun on service enhancements we are planning for the fall semester. I encourage you to review all of the stories in this newsletter and to send me your comments and suggestions.

Vice President for Information Services &
University Librarian

ADMINISTRATIVE COMPUTING

New Banner system to be implemented for ad-hoc reporting    Details
Administrative Computing is now in the final stages of implementing a new system for creating ad-hoc reports called the Operational Data Store (ODS).

Workflow successes reported    Details
The implementations of the "Student Withdrawal," "Work-study," and "Non-exempt Performance Review and Merit Increase" workflows were a resounding success.

Graduate admissions utilizes Banner Xtender    Details
With the assistance of Administrative Computing, the Office of Graduate Admissions has begun to utilize Banner Xtender to electronically scan and upload pertinent application documents into Banner.

New health insurance waiver process implemented    Details
Administrate Computing has successfully implemented the new Health Insurance Waiver process. Students can now go online via a link in StagWeb and choose to waive or accept the University's health insurance.

Annual work plan in review stage
Administrative Computing worked with the members of the Banner Steering Committee to collect and review projects for the 2008-2009 fiscal year. The annual work plan is in the review stage and will become active by the end of July 2008.

Applicant withdrawal process put in place    Details
An e-mail notification process to keep the departments informed on undergraduate applicant withdrawals has been put in place.

Disaster recovery test completed    Details
Administrative Computing successfully completed a disaster recovery test of the Banner system in early June.

Finance self-service module tool being implemented    Details
Administrative Computing is working with the Finance department to implement Finance Self-Service module that allows the end-user with the appropriate authorization to view financial information.

COMPUTING & NETWORK SERVICES

Transition from WebCT to ANGEL underway    Details
Following an extensive evaluation led by faculty and staff, ANGEL has been chosen to replace our current WebCT system.

Get ready for Xythos    Details
How often have you tried unsuccessfully to send an e-mail attachment because the file was too big? How many programs do you use in order to get to your work files from home? If your answers are "a lot" and "too many," then you'll love what you're about to read.

In case of disaster ... Safe Harbor project    Details
Fairfield University has joined with the CCIC (Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges) and the CEN (Connecticut Education Network) to create a backup data center that would become activated in the event there is a significant interruption of electronic communications on campus.

DIMENNA-NYSELIUS LIBRARY

Congrats to Library for Innovation Award!    Details
Congratulations to the staff at DiMenna-Nyselius Library for receiving the Connecticut Library Association Innovation Award. This award recognized the creative ways the library uses technology to reach students.

Fairfield's history comes alive in images    Details
The DARCroom project is in full swing at the DiMenna-Nyselius Library! DARCroom which stands for Digital ARChives is a digital image library drawn from material in the Fairfield University Archives and Special Collections.

Library research prize winners 2008 announced    Details
On May 2, 2008 the Library awarded two prizes for undergraduate research. First prize went to Jessica Lavine '10 for her paper "The Care and Treatment of Pressure Ulcers in Long Term Care Facilities." Dr. Alison Kris supported Ms. Lavine's application.

It's raining eBooks    Details
DiMenna-Nyselius Library is working this summer to significantly expand its eBook offerings. Whenever/wherever access is provided by two of the most effective eBook services: ebrary's Academic Complete and EBL (Ebook Library) service.

Find full-text journal content now in the Library Catalog
The Library subscribed to the "360 MARC Updates" service in June. This service will ensure that our online catalog will be a complete, centralized record of our print and full-text electronic journal and magazine collection, with direct links to e-content from the record for each title.

New databases added to help find articles    Details
GreenFile is a new database that has content pertaining to environmentalism and ecology.

MEDIA CENTER

Animated video a production "first" for Fairfield    Details
St. Ignatius Loyola and Jesuit Colleges starring The (Spanish) Olive will be debuted this summer in major Jesuit venues thanks to the imaginative work of the Media Center's Jason Kapell.

Media Center videos win awards    Details
Six recently produced films have been singled out for awards during this year's Videographer Awards.

Web work includes many Flash videos
Flash-based videos created by the Media Center are becoming key elements for University web pages. Check out the newest pages that include videos showcasing student work: www.fairfield.edu/vpa_studioarts.html
www.faculty.fairfield.edu/mediacenter/student

Media Center's video production equipment enhanced    Details
The satellite uplink production truck's graphic capability will double this summer with the addition of a second channel for the Chyron which is a broadcast-quality graphics system. Click on the Details link to see more upgrades.

RCADE replacing Mac G-5's with Mac Pro's    Details
To meet the New Media majors expanding interests and skills in the rendering-intense areas of motion graphics, 3D modeling, and animation, the MAC G-5 computers in the RCADE (Research Center for Advanced Digital Exploration) are being replaced with Apple MAC Pro's.

Satellite dishes to be serviced    Details
The University's satellite downlink dishes located across from CUF will be realigned and serviced this summer.

Number of high tech classrooms continue to grow    Details
This summer CNS and the Media Center will install three more high tech classrooms on campus: CNS-2, CNS-208 AND BNW-139.

High definition projector being installed in the Quick Center
An HD three-chip, 1600-lumen projector will be installed in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts this summer. The powerful new projector as well as a new surround sound system will be used for such events as the 14 Metropolitan Opera simulcasts during fall 2008 and spring 2009.