December 23, 2008
New Student Email System Will Make a “Huge
Difference” in Students Lives
A new student email system, Microsoft Live@edu, “will make a huge
difference in functionality for our students,” says Maura Woods,
Executive Director of the University’s Information Technology
Department.
“The new system provides increased functionality,” according to
Executive Director Woods. “It incorporates HTML, has 10 GB of space
and spam control. Students will be using the new web-based
Outlook,” she continues, “with Office Live tools in addition to a
25 GB virtual hard drive called SkyDrive that will allow for
selective file sharing and email collaboration.”
She advises that students will have the new system for the upcoming
spring semester and that old email messages will be retained.
The file-sharing capability should be very attractive to students
who frequently pass files back and forth by attaching documents to
emails. In Microsoft Live@edu, users can place files on SkyDrive
where they can determine which are private, which can be shared
with select individuals and which can be available publicly. All
SkyDrive files are accessible from any location.
“We are so pleased to put this new tool into the hands of our
students. The new email system will allow for better and more
collaboration among students and will increase email interactions
between students and faculty. Providing these technologies as they
emerge significantly enhances our students' learning
experience."
A Technology Leader
Providing students with improved email functionality is another
step in the University’s efforts to provide students with the most
up-to-date technology to support their academic efforts. Since
1988, when its first online library catalog was introduced, St.
John’s has been at the forefront of the higher education technology
revolutions. That small step was quickly followed by incremental
innovations such as an electronic network, an internet connection,
email, student computer labs, faculty laptops, smart-podium
classrooms, and the introduction of the student administration
system, all of which clearly placed St. John’s ahead of the
pack.
Five years later, the implementation of an
Academic Computing Initiative (ACI) placed personal laptops in
the hands of every freshman and provided training for faculty
members. This momentous step positioned St. John’s firmly at the
head of the class.
Today, as a result of ACI, every undergraduate possesses a
University-distributed wireless Lenovo laptop, providing them with
equal access to today’s technology. They also have access to an
extensive support system: the Laptop Shop, an IBM “Care and
Feeding” training session and an NYPD laptop security
presentation.
Full-time faculty at St. John’s are also provided with personal
laptops and can avail themselves of training through the “Portable
Professor” program, allowing them to utilize electronic resources
for enhancing classroom experience and to interact more effectively
with students.
It’s Not Only Laptops
The technology didn’t end there. St. John’s created a campus-wide
wireless network (the University was ranked in the top 10 in
Intel’s “Most Unwired Campuses” two years in a row and received
Computerworld’s Mobile & Wireless World’s “Best Practices in
Mobile & Wireless” Award) and a student/faculty web portal,
where enhanced learning takes place daily through group
discussions, class assignments and round-the-clock mentoring. Add
whiteboards, academic podcasting and a wide assortment of classroom
software and you have a University that’s truly a leader in
technology.
At the same time as students are taking advantage of the technology
on St. John’s campuses, distance—or online—learning has also
blossomed. More graduate and undergraduate students are taking
advantage of this remarkable technology. Whether they take one
online course or earn a bachelor’s or master’s degree almost
entirely via distance learning, the online learning component adds
to their academic experience.
Beyond the Academic Sector
Beyond the academic sector, technology reigns as well. In the late
1990s, as the University transitioned from a commuter school to one
with resident housing, the surveillance system in public areas was
expanded to ensure a safe environment. In 2004, St. John’s moved to
a digital surveillance system, first on its Rome campus and
subsequently, on its three New York City campuses.
The newer technology allows Public Safety to call up one or a set
of the many digital cameras from the Command Center and facilitates
the remote viewing of locations in real time. It also permits
retrieval of stored archival images in a fraction of the time
required with taped footage.
The state-of-the-art system improves the safety and quality of life
for all. The cameras, says Thomas Lawrence, Vice President of
Public Safety, “act as the 12th man on the field, allowing Public
Safety to have eyes in remote locations on and around campus,
24/7.”
To further protect those on St. John’s campuses, University
administrators took a bold step in the summer of 2007 by
introducing a voice- and text-messaging system to alert the campus
community in a serious emergency. That system, which is in use the
four U.S. campuses (Queens, Staten Island, Manhattan and Oakdale,
LI), was put to the test about two weeks later when a man carrying
a rifle walked onto the Queens campus. Eight minutes later, the
first emergency text and voice message to stay in place was relayed
to thousands of cell or landline phones. Subsequent time-stamped
messages kept recipients apprised of the actions being taken by
campus security and the NYPD until the all-clear was sounded. No
one was harmed; the system had been tested and was a monumental
success.
Serving Students Better
The security system has additionally helped to improve service to
students, a major University objective. To measure success in
providing that service, a Quality Service Initiative (QSI) in which
students swipe their ID cards when entering offices that provide
service (e.g., Registrar or Financial Services) was launched. Data
collected is used to upgrade or revise practices and
procedures.
St. John’s emphasis on technology benefits students even before
they enroll. The Fall 2007 class were the first to have their
applications and support documents digitally captured as part of an
electronic “application folder” to shorten the application process.
Once the students were admitted, that material became part of their
electronic “academic folder.”
Students are also better served when provided with pertinent
information on services, events, critical dates, schedule changes,
emergencies and more. On St. John’s three New York City campuses,
University-operated LCD screens are now used to convey many of
those messages. Further uses are being investigated.
National Recognition
That fact that St. John’s is a bona fide technology leader has been
recognized and lauded by two national technology magazines.
Computerworld named Vice President and Chief Information Officer
Joseph Tufano to its Top 100
Premier IT Leaders and the IT Department he heads was rated
“top tier.”
“We define the IT leader as someone who guides the effective use of
information technology to improve his company's business
performance,” Computerworld states in describing how the leaders
were chosen. The magazine also invited St. John’s VP/CIO to serve
on a panel charged with nominating candidates for the 2007 IBM
Global Public Sector Innovation Excellence Leadership Award and to
act as a judge of case studies submitted in the Education category
of the 2008 Computerworld
Honors Program.
In addition, St. John’s was an honoree in CIO magazine’s 21st Annual CIO 100
Awards, as “one of the 100 innovative organizations that use IT
effectively to create business value,” and was recognized on the
magazine’s website and in a special issue of CIO.
Other recognitions and awards have included two from Computerworld
Honors Program (Laureate status) in 2004 and 2006, and an
Outstanding Performance Award for the 4th Quarter of 2007 from
Lenovo’s Warranty Self Maintainer Program.
In order to meet future student expectations, technology must
continually evolve. St. John’s continues to seek opportunities to
use advances in the field to facilitate student engagement, enhance
the academic experience, expand global outreach, and foster the
mission of serving those in need.