Information Technology Department
Annual Progress Report 2004

Contents

1. Vision 2005
2. Service Organization
3. Our Mission
4. Accomplishments in 2004
5. A Closer Look at the Numbers
6. How Do We Compare

Vision 2005

In 1995, a campus task force created a futuristic document entitled Vision 2005. An important part of the vision and one of its strategic priorities concerned technology (see attached). In the first few months of 2005, it’s time to assess how USP has met the technology needs laid out in that document.

Since Vision 2005 was developed USP has met the challenges. The campus IT infrastructure is robust and current, consisting of Internet, intranet, and e-mail access for all members of the USP community. Many of the classrooms are now equipped with the latest technology integrating electronic educational techniques into the learning process. The IT department and the Library have the trained and skilled staff members to help students, faculty, and staff take full advantage of today’s technology. The IT department relies upon collaboration and feedback from various national higher education IT survey databases, peer schools, and internal committees to guide its course of action and to minimize risk. And, senior administration encourages the full use of educational technology by all students, faculty, and staff through management support and sufficient financial resources.

The Center for Advanced Pharmacy Studies (CAPS) is a facility on the USP campus and was developed in collaboration with several partners in the health care industry. CAPS is an example of USP’s commitment to technology as a means to enhance curriculum. In addition to being equipped with the latest computer and audio/visual hardware CAPS allows:

• Use of Diagnostic Reasoning software
• Internet based laboratory exercises
• Incorporating professional and lay public drug and disease information resources into the Pharm.D. program
• Use of computerized exams to assess student knowledge
• Simulation of pharmacy retail operations using real retail chain software
• Database analyses

This instruction occurred across diverse course offerings in both graduate and undergraduate programs in Pharmacy Practice, Pharmacy Administration, Computer Science, Information Science and Technology, Biology, Physical Therapy, and Physicians Assistant.

Other significant examples of how the challenges of Vision 2005 have been met:

• All faculty and staff are equipped with current technology desktop computers networked internally and externally.
• All resident hall rooms, all classrooms, and all faculty and staff offices are equipped with high-speed Internet access and telephone
• All residence hall rooms and all classrooms have access to 62 cable TV channels including 6 premium channels.
• Students have over 300 public access computers available on campus.
• 240 courses are available and offered online.
• 50% of the campus has wireless connectivity available.
• IT staff has grown from two people in 1995 to 17 and still growing in 2005 (see attached organizational chart).
• The Library’s information resources are increasingly electronic rather than print and accessible both on and off campus.

Service Organization

The Information Technology Department (IT) provides a spectrum of technologies and expertise to support the learning, research, and administrative goals of the University. Each member of the organization’s four distinct units – Administration and Help-Desk Management, Computing and Network Services, Database Management, and Telecommunications – plays a unique role in ensuring that students, faculty, and staff have the tools and infrastructure they need to excel in both work and scholarship at USP.

Our Mission

• Provide the technology needed for effective teaching and learning.
• Support student life and learning with a robust network, telecommunications and computer resources.
• Create and sustain a technical environment that enables leading-edge research
• Improve inter-department collaboration to enhance use of technology to increase productivity opportunities for the University Community.
• Establish the information technology infrastructure necessary to maintain USP's day-to-day operational needs

Accomplishments in 2004

• Over 500 students participated in USP’s first on-line registration, an event leading to full on-line registration by the fall of 2005.
• Students, faculty and staff gained on-line access to administrative and academic databases.
• 240 courses are now available on-line through Blackboard’s Course Management software.
• 138 faculty & staff have full off-campus access to network resources through VPN.
• Public access computers available to students, now over 300, have increased by 10%.
• A newly implemented anti-spam system filters over 100,000 messages per week.
• Three additional classrooms were enhanced with a/v capability.
• Wireless access increased from 25% of the campus to 50%.
• Students in the residence halls now have 10 times the network speed they had in 2003.
• Highly popular Web access email for students is now available as an added option to USP’s email.
• Local telephone service, with increased range, is now offered at no cost to students.
• A new cable TV system offers more channels and more premium channels.
• Students now have online access to grades, registration and add-drop through Datatel’s WebAdvisor.
• Internet access capability has been doubled over the entire campus network.

A Closer Look at the Numbers

How Do We Compare

Data From Cost of Supporting Technology Services (COSTS)

COSTS is developed from 58 participating colleges & universities