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Division of Information Technology
P.O. Box 6888
Radford, VA 24142
Phone: 540-831-5173
Fax: (540) 831-6217
Email: cio@radford.edu

Division of Information Technology
Radford University

Multimedia Enlivens Radford.edu

Over the next several months, visitors to radford.edu will see more and more multimedia content begin to populate the site. An important part of an online brand, videos and other multimedia elements is to actively engage website visitors and provide RU the opportunity to demonstrate its brand elements to prospective and current students, faculty and staff, donors and other visitors.

DoIT's Web Communications team recently hired Jaslyn Gilbert to serve as the university's multimedia producer. She will be working closely with the Web Communications team and the Cabinet Web Advisory Group to produce multimedia content ranging from video profiles of students to videos highlighting commencement to multimedia tours of RU's campus. Colleges and departments considering a multimedia project can contact Gilbert at jgilbert3@radford.edu to request a consultation.

DoIt Implements New RU IT Security Standard

For the past several months, the IT Security Office has been writing the university's new IT security standard based on ISO/IEC27002. As part of this process, DoIT worked with the Information Technology Advisory Committee as well as the Office of Audit and Advisory Services to develop a standard that is well suited for Radford University. The new standard can be found on http://cio.asp.radford.edu/policy/policy.aspx.

The goal of the standard is to provide additional flexibility for local administrator access on computers, passwords, wireless networks and several other items to be better meet the needs of our higher education community. DoIT strives to have a top-notch IT Security Program with the strong requirements in place, while at the same time accommodating the needs of our faculty, staff, students, alumni and campus visitors.

DoIT Introduces BOC Committee

Heard of the BOC? Is it - bucket of chicken, bag of chips? No, BOC is not a picnic item. The Banner Operations Committee (BOC) is a working committee that began meeting in January, and that will provide guidance and direction while the ERP enters into its operations and maintenance lifecycle. The BOC will review upcoming projects and new functionalities in the Banner Suite and other integrated components. Chaired by Director of Enterprise Systems Jackie McNabb, BOC membership includes Banner data owners and other representatives from administrative offices.

The BOC will have a standard meeting schedule including a monthly meeting on the first Thursday. Every quarter, the BOC will set a monthly meeting to review and prioritize upcoming projects and review new project requests received by Enterprise Systems.

In January and February, the BOC reviewed the scheduled projects on the slate as the campus continues to improve processes and streamline procedures through the use of the Banner ERP. Manager of Software Engineering Debra Johnson worked with the BOC to prioritize the expanding list of projects on the post-implementation plan for Software Engineering. This process ensured that projects from all areas receive appropriate attention and that all parties are aware of the schedule.

"As the BOC continues to look at better ways to utilize Banner and its related components, we ask the membership to pass on information and get feedback from their departments," said McNabb. "All directors are encouraged to attend the BOC meetings or to send representatives to ensure that priorities are appropriately set for projects that involve your areas."

The BOC formed a Data Standards group as one of its standing sub-committees that is chaired by Registrar Matthew Brunner. The sub-committee is currently developing a process by which student and employee address and phone information can be updated through Self Service Banner and MyRU to eliminate extra paper forms and ensure accurate and current contact information. It is anticipated that RU students and employees will have the capability to update addresses - permanent and mailing - and phone numbers via MyRU before the beginning of the fall semester.

In March, the BOC members who attended the SunGard Summit Conference were introduced to new functionalities that will be forthcoming in Banner products and gave presentations about their experience at the April BOC meeting. The May BOC meeting featured a quarterly project prioritization session and updates from the Data Standards sub-committee and the MABUG planning committee.

For more information on the BOC and its upcoming events, contact Jackie McNabb at jamcnabb@radford.edu.

Website Update: Content Management Migration Continues

Since Radford University's new site- www.radford.edu - launched in January, over 25 departments have begun moving their content into CQ5, the new content management system. By the end of the summer, it is hoped that all seven colleges will have transitioned into the system. From there, the Web Communications team will begin working with various schools and centers to develop their new sites.

Administrative and academic departments who don't want to wait their "turn" to have Web Communications do the migration can attend a training session and begin the migration themselves. All self-service sites are given a Web Communications liaison to answer questions and help departments make decisions about their navigation architecture and site structure. The next round of training sessions for self-service sites will be in late May and early June. Contact webcomm@radford.edu to be notified when sessions open.

DoIT Premieres "Behind the Scenes: A Time Lapse Video of Commencement Day Set-up"

Preparing for the thousands of graduates and guests who attended graduation on May 7, on Moffett Field was no mean feat. Multimedia Producer Jaslyn Gilbert captured the site preparation work done by Facilities Management in a time-lapse "behind the scenes" video of the set up for commencement.

For six hours on May 5, Gilbert snapped a photo every 30 seconds as Radford University facilities staff set out and precisely aligned 9,200 chairs on Moffett Lawn. On May 7, she enlisted Director of Enterprise Systems Jackie McNabb to snap a photo every 15 seconds from 8:30 a.m. through the conclusion of the ceremony at 11:30 a.m. The result of Gilbert's and McNabb's efforts is a one minute and twenty-eight second video featuring 1,381 images shot over a period of about 11 hours. Watch the video at: http://www.radford.edu/content/commencement/home/time-lapse.html.

DoIT Staff Spotlight

Jaslyn Gilbert
Web Communications Multimedia Producer

How long have you been employed in the Division of Information Technology at Radford University?
I am freshly imported from the Midwest and started March 10.

Family:
I live in Christiansburg with my cat, Calvin.

Hometown:
My family moved around a lot as I was growing up, but I spent a good portion of my childhood in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.

Education:
B.A., Photography, Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan

Interests/Hobbies:
I spend a lot of my free time traveling and exploring new places. I enjoy spending time outdoors, biking, hiking, camping and lounging on my deck. I like to cook and bake, preferably from scratch, using as many organic ingredients as I can find in the local grocery stores or farmers' markets.

Favorite Vacation Destination:
One of my goals in life is to fill my passport with stamps from as many different countries as I can. When my wallet cannot handle a trip out of the country, I like to be any place warm with a beach or scenic/adventurous hiking trails.

Favorite part of your job:
Radford University is a really beautiful campus. I love that I get to capture that beauty with still photos and video. Every day is a new adventure.