Attending: Bill Auld, Pakis Bessias, Michael Blum, Dick Danner, Jim Dronsfield, David Ferriero, Nevin Fouts, Mike Gower, Paul Harrod, David Jamieson-Drake, Kyle Johnson (for Caroline Nisbet), Matthew Kottler, Betty Le Compagnon, Alvin Lebeck, Jonathon Leubbers, Roger Loyd, Melissa Mills, John Oates, Michael Pickett. Rafael Rodriguez, Leslie Saper, Bill Scarborough, John Sigmon, Robert Wolpert Guests, Al Eldridge, Jim Coble, Ginny Cake
Michael Pickett (for Chair Robert Wolpert - present but without voice) called the meeting to order at 4:09. Betty Le Compagnon had some announcements. She showed us and then passed around the issue of Network World with its centerfold of the OIT S.W.A.T team. She reported that a grant of $450K had been made for network improvement by IBM. Most importantly she shared with the Council that she is engaged to be married to John Leydon. The last announcement was greeted by sustained applause.
Jonathon Leubbers and Matthew Kottler, ITAC members representing the Duke Student Government, presented a report on the DSG Vision of Computing at Duke. The report (which was circulated in written form at the meeting) sees the chief problem for undergraduates as inadequate residential clusters. It presented a solution of locating clusters in the residential quads and providing them with student help desks. They gave cost figures for the individual clusters and help desks. The report also called for more email stations, making ACPUB file space easily accessible from Mac and NT workstations, and for consultation with students about software decisions. It also called for long term planning in regard to undergraduate needs in computing.
In the discussion that followed the presentation, David Jamieson-Drake asked about space for the clusters and questioned whether there would be revenue loss. The answer was that there appeared to be sufficient Common Room space available in the residential quads. Betty Le Compagnon asked if there were priorities between upgrades on desktops and the number of machines available.
Next Al Eldridge presented the report of a task force he headed on teaching and computing, "Strategic Plan for Information Technology in Teaching and Learning." (Copies of the report were passed out at the meeting). Al discussed the various points of the recommendations on page 18 and pointed out that they followed the letters ASPIRE. Each letter represented a recommendation, each was discussed with a cost analysis. When asked about the status of the report, Betty Le Compagnon said that it had been received by the administration and the Deans Council and there was an intention of funding the position recommended in the report and an intention of funding the grants program for encouraging innovative use of Information Technology in the classroom.
David Ferriero made a presentation of the strategic plans of the Library for the use of Information Technology and some of the problems facing the Library in this regard during the near future. He did not pass out a report but gave us the URL for the in-progress strategic planning in the Library:
www.lib.duke.edu/dukeonly/plan/
David touched on the opportunities and the real problems that the electronic age brings to the library, stressing his vision of the Library as a center for teaching and research for both students and faculty. He asked Jim Coble to report on some aspects of the Information Technology situation in the Library. Jim discussed the problems of staff compensation in the Library computing center. He also touched upon various matter of keeping the infrastructure current. David also answered some questions in regard to the Libraries space needs and plans.
The meeting adjourned at 5:27.