Fall 2011 Update

Incoming Student Technology
327 Incoming students were surveyed at the Summer 2011, O&R about the types of technology they would be bringing to campus this fall.
•  
96% of incoming students surveyed are bringing a computer with them

•   Desktop Computers - 4% of the total with 15% Apple and 85% Windows-based

•   Laptops - 92% of the total with 31% Apple and 69% Windows-based

•   Smart phones – 48% of the total with 32% iPhones, 44% Droid, 6% Windows-based, 18% Blackberry
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Game consoles – 38% with 51% Xbox, 22% Wii, 27% Playstation

•   iPods – 58%
•   iPads – 5%

•   Total number of new devices added to the network……800!

Office 2010
Millikin computers and thin client in general access labs listed below (including the instructor station computers) were updated to Office 2010 over the summer of 2011.
•   Scovill Labs (first floor ADM/Scovill, 005, 006, 010)
•   Mueller Lab (in library basement)
•   Tabor Lab (Shilling 3rd floor)

New computers in Mueller Lab (Library basement)
All computers in the lab were replaced with Windows-based computers including the instructor stations.

Replacement Computers
Over 100 new computers were purchased for employees.

Dining Services Software and Hardware Upgrade
The CS Gold dining services hardware and software were upgraded over the summer and the server was virtualized.

New functionality in myMILLIKIN
The Broadcast Messages can now be routed to your email.
Room reservations can be made through myMILLIKIN by clicking on “Resource 25-Reserve Campus Space” to request a room reservation with details about setup and equipment needed.

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Fall 2010 Update

Increased Bandwidth
The campus bandwidth has been increased from 43Mbps to 100Mbps.  We were able to secure the additional bandwidth through our provider, Illinois Century Network.  They provide high speed telecommunications networks for Illinois schools, institutions of higher education, libraries, museums, research institutions, state agencies, local government, and other local entities that provide services to Illinois citizens.

Upgrades to the Network Infrastructure
No one thinks about how your Internet connection is delivered to your building and desktop…it just magically appears, kind of like electricity….it is there for us to use when we need it.  The “infrastructure” of the network consists of many wires and pieces of equipment that reside centrally in the server room and in closets distributed throughout the campus.  These components of the network must be replaced and maintained and this summer and fall, there will be several upgrades to equipment which will improve the delivery of the Internet and our local network, wired and wireless, to your desktops and laptops.

Virtualization of Servers
Over the past year, Millikin has consolidated 26 servers in our data center by "virtualizing" them onto two physical servers. This "virtual" technology allows us to run more services on less hardware, thereby reducing the amount of equipment necessary to power and maintain. In addition, power savings are being realized as the cooling unit for the data center uses less energy to maintain the proper temperature.

New “Virtual Thin Clients”
All the computers on the first floor of ADM/Scovill (110 units) and Tabor Lab (33units) in Shilling have been replaced with Sun Ray Clients which access their images from central servers.  These clients provide the same look and feel of a desktop computer.  There are several advantages in using these clients instead of desktop computers.
1.    They use 4 watts of power versus 100 watts
2.    The software is managed centrally, allowing software to be added or upgraded to all the clients without taking down a lab to re-master the image
3.    The clients will not need to be replaced for eight to ten years, only the servers will need to be upgraded with software and/or hardware

Re-distribution of ADM/Scovill Computers
The 110 computers from ADM/Scovill are being re-distributed across campus to what had been known as “orphan labs and workstations”.  These “orphans” were purchased with grant or department dollars and were not officially on the replacement cycle budget and some were over eight and nine years old.

Replacement Computers for Employees
New iMacs were purchased for twelve faculty this summer and the two-year old computers from Tabor Lab in Shilling were distributed to 33 employees to replace equipment that was over six years old.

Increased Wireless Network Access Across Campus
Full wireless access has been added to some buildings and will continue to be added through the fall semester.  These buildings will have full wireless coverage by the end of the calendar year:
1.      Dolson Hall (already done)
2.      Perkinson Music Center
3.      Mills
4.      Blackburn
5.      Woods
6.      Upgrade to New Halls
7.      Upgrade to Hessler

Additions and Changes to Media Classrooms
A “trackview” camera system was installed in ADM/Scovill 207 and will be added to ADM/Scovill 212, along with recording capability.  The trackview system allows the instructor to move freely at the front of the classroom while the camera tracks their location and zooms in on their activity, such as using the whiteboard, the computer, or moving back and forth.  That will provide faculty access to two classrooms with recording capability. Projectors were replaced in LTSC 001 and 112 and ADM/Scovill 109.  Most projectors on campus are now networked which provides the ability to control them centrally.

Stock Ticker and LCDs in ADM/Scovill
Thanks to the Tabor School of Business in ADM/Scovill, there is now a “stock ticker” and two programmable 46” LCDs that display information which comes directly from the Internet, RSS feeds, or Millikin originated content.

Microsoft Office 2007
The campus has been updated over the last year to Office 2007, all labs now contain version 2007 and any employees that still needs to have their Office version updated on their Millikin computer should contact the help desk 362.6488.

Microsoft Software for Employee Owned Computers
Microsoft Office 2010 for PCs and Office 2008 for Macs is now available for employees for their home computer.  Also available are copies of Windows 7.  To obtain disks with the software, visit the Millikin IT website, click on Employee Support and Software FAQs.  You will pay $9.95 for each full copy which can be installed on your home computer.

Antivirus Software Replacement – Free for Personal Use
New anti-virus software from Microsoft was installed campus-wide in early summer replacing McAfee.  The enterprise version we are using on all servers is named Forefront and is providing outstanding coverage.  We encourage the use of the free Microsoft Essentials solution for students and employees for their personal computers. To download Microsoft Essentials anti-virus software, go to: http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/

Banner Updates
The online application process is expanding to graduate level programs.  The ability to email directly from the advisee/observer lists has been added.  Critical assessment data has been integrated into Banner for the Education Department.  The ISBN information has been fully integrated into the MuOnline pages for students to access at registration.  MuOnline has links directly to our Follett Bookstore and students are able to add books to a shopping cart and pay online.

Revised Information Technology Website 
Check out the revised IT website at http://www.millikin.edu/it.  We have added many links and pages with information for students and employees with FAQs, “How to’s”, wireless access, software, labs, media, phones, copy/print services, and mailroom. Look here to find links to tutorials and articles for all versions of Microsoft Office for PC and Mac.  The resources are extensive and categorized into easily identifiable functions.

myMILLIKIN…..Continues to Evolve
Millikin’s portal, myMILLIKIN, is always going to be a “work in progress”.  Please continue to use it to gain access to all your applications through a single sign-on and a way to communicate with the Millikin community.  IT will be adding functionality throughout the year and welcomes your feedback and suggestions for additional features.

Marketplace
Touchnet Systems Marketplace was implemented over the summer.  This software is used to design online stores and is fully integrated into our administrative system (Banner).  Alumni and Development was instrumental in the acquisition of this software which will benefit the entire university community with its functionality.
Some of the features of Marketplace:
•   Ability to create shopping cart type web pages with full color pictures of items
•   Can be used to set up secure online and recurring payments for campaigns
•   Ablility to take reservations for events and collect payment
•   Ability to take credit/debit card transactions and ACH payments (virtual checks)

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Fall 2009 Update

Office 2007
Millikin campus computers in general access labs listed below (including the instructor station computers) were updated to Office 2007 over the summer.  Additional memory was added to the computers to increase efficiency in running the updated software.
•   Scovill Labs (all computers on first floor ADM/Scovill)
•   Mueller Lab (in library basement)
•   Tabor Lab (Shilling 3rd floor)  

New iMacs in PMC Lab
Through funding provided by the Music Department, the CAI Lab (Computer Aided Instruction) in PMC received eight new iMacs.  

Additions and Changes to Media Classrooms
LTSC 213 (New Multimedia Lab –Summer 2009)
SH317 (Updated Multimedia Classroom – Summer 2009)
SH 322 (New Multimedia Classroom – Summer 2009)

Guest Wireless Network Access Across Campus
The wireless network was configured to allow for guest access.  You can use the SSID: MU-Guests for visitors to access the Internet.  If you are a Millikin student or employee, please use the secure wireless (SSID: 101) with authentication to make sure your information is protected.  

My Millikin (Portal)
Bulletin Boards are now available in My Millikin as a communication tool for the entire campus.  You may have noticed that your Home page in My Millikin has a special window that pops up which allows you to customize which, if any, of the bulletin board “teasers” you would like to see on a regular basis.  This is fully customizable according to your preferences.  Instead of using mass emails to distribute information to the campus, you can use the Bulletin Boards to post messages about Items for Sale, Roommates Needed, Apartments for Rent, Needing a Ride, Events, etc.  Please check out this new way to communicate your messages or information to the campus. Another feature added to My Millikin over the year was access for Incoming traditional and PACE students.  As soon as a student is admitted to Millikin, an email and My Millikin account is generated for them.  They receive information on how to login and begin communicating through their email and other technology tools on the portal.  

New Website Design
Microsoft Sharepoint software is now used for creation and maintenance of all Millikin’s web pages.  There are many “web editors” across the campus that contribute to the web site.  An automated approval process in Sharepoint guarantees the consistency and design of this strategic asset.  The Marketing and Media Relations Department devoted a tremendous amount of time in designing and creating the new web and training individual web editors.  Information Technology collaborated with Marketing and Media Relations on the technical portions of the project.  Stay tuned for new features of Sharepoint that are being developed!  

Moodle Upgrade
Our open source course management system, Moodle was upgraded to a newer version this summer.  The gradebook and several other features were enhanced.  

Messaging Architects-Better Spam Filtering
Millikin receives an average of 250,000 email messages per day, of which 92% are unsolicited.  With numbers such as these, an accuracy variation in recognizing spam versus legitimate email of only a few percent would make a large impact on the amount of junk mail a user would receive.  The M+ system affords end users a much higher level of accuracy on determining the legitimacy of email messages they receive, and also the ability for them to decide what they want done with the unwanted messages.  Prior to the upgrade, we were generating an unacceptably high rate of false positives and non-tagged spam which the new system has remedied.   

Upgrade of Banner
Banner, the administrative software that provides our business solutions and academic support, was upgraded to Version 8.  The major feature of the upgrade included the switch to the Unicode Standard which is a character coding system designed to support the worldwide interchange, processing, and display of written texts in diverse languages and technical disciplines. In addition, it supports classical and historical texts in many written languages.  

Dining Services Software Upgrade
The CS Gold dining services software has been upgraded and has new functionality.  A web interface now provides details for students with meal plans and of purchases using flex dollars at venues around campus.  These same details are available for employee’s food purchases that are charged to their personal account.  All the information is available for viewing in My Millikin and displays the individual purchases made and the venue (RTUC Cafeteria, Jimmy Johns, vending machines, Common Grounds, etc.) where the transaction occurred.  

Switch to Direct TV
The university switched providers for television viewing to satellite over the summer.  The change allowed the university to retain basically the same programming, with a few changes in channel numbers.  

Antivirus Software Update
A new antivirus was installed on Millikin computers that augments our protection against viruses, adware, spyware, and other malicious activity.  Another feature of the system called "Site Advisor" is a rating system for websites.  It highlights every link that gets returned in a web search result with a Red, Yellow, or Green status.  Red sites are known to be malicious and could cause damage to your computer, and we recommend not visiting those sites.  Yellow sites are cautionary, meaning there may be something dangerous on the site so you should be careful about what links you access on it.  Green sites are known to be reasonably safe to visit and should not cause any problems for your computer.  

New Copiers/Printers/Scanners
Many of the campus departmental offices and the University Services Duplicating Center received new Sharp Multifunction Devices.  The devices have additional features such as scanning and auto duplexing that the old devices did not possess along with increased speed.  The scanning feature allows for emailing copied documents.  

New Postage System and Smart Mailer Software in Campus Mail Center
A new Pitney-Bowes postage system and software were installed for use in the Campus Mail Center.  The system provides the ability to check addresses for bulk mailings against the United States Postal listings for accuracy.  This helps to reduce returned mail and avoid additional charges due to incorrect addresses.  

ISBN Numbers in MU Online
Faculty now supply ISBN numbers for all courses in time for the student’s registration process.  This allows the student time to explore options for book purchases and check prices from our campus bookstore from within MuOnline.  

Pilot of Online Faculty Evaluations
Several faculty volunteers participated in a pilot of online evaluations of faculty for the spring 2009 semester.  Results are being evaluated and a decision is pending as to whether the system will be satisfactory for the future.

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My Millikin (Portal)
Users may now access most of their applications at Millikin through the My Millikin portal.  A link to the portal is on the Millikin homepage and allows access through a webpage and a single login to software and functionality that students and employees use on a daily basis, such as web mail, MuOnline, Moodle, MU Account Suite, library databases, and set up of printers in general access areas for students.  The home page of My Millikin has a daily haiku provided by Bronze Man Books, a link to Dining Services for daily menus, weather forecasts, Google searching, and a link to Facebook for students.  The My Millikin portal will be expanded to become a campus communication hub which will include personalized information delivered to the individual and a reduction in the number of mass emails to the campus. Stay tuned for additions to My Millikin!  

New Password Policy
A new password policy was put into effect requiring all users of the Millikin network resources to change their passwords every 180 days and with stronger password requirements.  The password policy change was made less painful by implementing Single Sign-On capability through the My Millikin portal and the synchronization of most passwords for the Millikin applications delivered through My Millikin.  

Email for Life for Millikin Graduates
Thanks to the sponsorship of the class of 2008, graduates may retain their Millikin email address for life.  All graduates of Millikin (including the classes of 2007, 2008, and future) will be able to use their Millikin email for as long as they desire.  Plans are being made to offer past graduates the option to sign up for a Millikin email address.  

Computer Lab Upgrades

Upgrade of Internet Bandwidth
Millikin’s Internet connection has been increased to 35 megabit capacity, up from 25 megabit.  AT&T is the university’s local provider and all traffic is routed through the Illinois Century Network (ICN) in Champaign which gives the campus access to Internet2 routes.  

MOODLE Adoption
MOODLE has officially been adopted as the production Course Management System for the university.  The Banner System has been synchronized with MOODLE so that each time a course is created and students enroll in Banner, the course container is also created in MOODLE.  When students add and/or drop from classes, the enrollment will automatically be reflected in the corresponding MOODLE course.  

Live Text integration with Banner
The Banner System has been synchronized with Live Text so that each time an Education course is created and students enroll in Banner, the course container is also created in Live Text.  When students add and/or drop from classes, the enrollment will automatically be reflected in the corresponding Live Text course.  

VISTA, Windows XP, Office 2007, Office 2003
Millikin campus computers will remain operating on Windows XP and Office 2003 for the academic year.  IT will be evaluating the possibility of upgrading to VISTA in the next school year but there are many variables that must be tested and hardware requirements that would have to be met.  Please refer to the IT web site at http://it.millikin.edu and click on the Windows Vista and Office 2007 icons to read about any compatibility issues with Vista and our network resources.  We will be adding to this information throughout the year for ways to switch back and forth between the newest versions of Windows and Office.  

ADM/Scovill Media Added
Rooms 208, 309, 313, and 315 have been updated with document cameras through funding provided by a State Farm Grant.  All classrooms in ADM/Scovill are now equipped with document cameras and control devices for media.  

New Media Classrooms - Leighty-Tabor Science Center
Through a joint effort between the Biology Department and IT, LTSC 221 and 318 were equipped as multimedia classrooms.  

New Media Classrooms - PMC
Through a joint effort between the Music Department and IT, PMC 105 and 110 were equipped as multimedia classrooms.  

Weck Hall Media Classroom
In order to provide for a special class that is meeting in Weck Hall this year, multimedia was installed in the lounge area of that residence hall.  

New Shilling Hall Media Classroom and Additional Media
Shilling 318 is now a multimedia classroom, Shilling 310 now has access to cable television, and all Shilling Hall multimedia rooms have telephones.  

New Sound System in SPEC
A permanent sound system was installed in the SPEC so that when events need amplification for that area, all they need is a microphone.  No more having to check out and transport big speakers to that facility!  

Laptops in Chemistry
Thanks to a contribution from the Chemistry Department, nine new laptops were purchased for use in their lab.  

Crisis Alert Software Send Word Now
A crisis alert software solution was implemented, which interfaces with several systems including land line telephones, cell phone messaging (voice and text), and emails to deliver messages if a crisis occurs on the campus.  The security department has full control of the system and can interface with it through web pages, cell phones, or a land line phone to send messages.  Testing of the system will take place on a twice yearly basis and students and employees will be asked periodically to update the information in the Send Word Now system and how they would like to be contacted.  

Web Time Entry for Employees
Hourly and student employees of the university now use a web page to enter their hours into the administrative system directly.  Supervisors then approve the time sheets online.  This process used to take one employee two days each week to enter the data from time sheets into the system.  

Budget Form Changes
Online budget forms now provide much more detail about departmental expenditures and the process of turning in budget requests has been automated.  

Transcripts Requests Online
Online requests for transcripts are now possible along with the ability to pay online for the transcript.  

Letter Generation Automated
Many of the manual processes for printing letters for prospective students in Admissions and PACE have been automated.  Letters are now generated when pre-determined conditions are fulfilled.  

Customer Relationship Management with Hobsons
Millikin has made significant changes in the way it interacts with its student prospects, registered students, and alumni by utilizing Hobson’s Connect2 and Retain.  Increased electronic communication and access to data provide Millikin with multiple ways to reach out to our prospective and present students and graduates.  

Banner 8 Test Environment
IT has set up a test environment for the next version of Banner.  We will be asking Millikin employees to test their processes and investigate the new functionality of the system through the academic year.  We have tentatively set the upgrade for either Christmas or Spring break, depending upon testing results.  

Sharepoint
A new content management system for the Millikin Website, Sharepoint, is being implemented during this academic year.  It has a built-in workflow approval process which will facilitate a more consistent design for the entire website and provide a way to respond rapidly to changes in the market.  Stay tuned!  

Dining Services Software Upgrade
An upgrade to the dining services software package, CS Gold, was performed.  It provides functionality for meal plan accounting and the upgrade provided added security for meal and credit card transactions.   ID Card System Upgraded The system that prints ID cards was upgraded over the summer.  It was used for Freshmen O&R during June to print new cards for incoming students and eliminated the lines that used to exist in waiting for the old system to print.  A new card design was implemented at the same time.  You will be receiving a notice about the opportunity to have your picture taken and a new card issued.  

Dragonfly Storm for Athletics
This system implementation allows the athletics department to share game films and footage with other schools in our conference and download game films from them to our network.  

Upgrade Marketing M drive
Network storage capacity for the Alumni and Marketing Department was increased to 1.2TB.  

Guest Wireless Network access in Gorin
The wireless network in Gorin Hall was upgraded to allow for secure guest access.  

Wireless Network in Health Services and Mills 1st floor
Wireless network coverage was installed in the Health Services center and the first floor of Mills Hall.  

Wireless network in Blackburn 1st floor
As a result of moving the Decaturian offices from the Percussion House to Blackburn 1st floor, wireless network coverage was added on the 1st floor of Blackburn.  

Internal Network Firewall
A firewall was installed on the internal network to further protect our data center servers and equipment from network-based threats.

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