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Instructional Support Committee |
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Attending: David Romano, Jon Chenette, Bill Francis, Roger Vetter, Laura Lienemann (SGA), Erin Hurley, Richard Fyffe, Cecilia Knight, Shuchi Kapila, Monty Roper, John Kalkbrenner, Terri Phipps Minutes of 30 January approved. Fast track approval: Writing Lab / Library: LOEX of the West conference ($915) CTS search update: Candidates will be on campus Feb. 19, 25, and 29. ISC representatives are encouraged to attend the round-table discussions if possible. Discussions will be held from 11:00-12:00; presentations will be given from 1:30-2:20. Each of the candidates has strength in a different area (Social Studies, Generalist, Arts). Student Office Application concerns: Proposal was made to have a small, representative group of students work with Bill Francis and/or other relevant ITS staff to put into precise terms what the problems and priorities are for student use of office and collaborative software. ITS will examine these issues to see which will be resolved by planned software upgrades. ITS will report to the student representatives and to ISC by early April in order to discuss issues that will not be resolved. ISC will address the costs and benefits of changing systems at that time. Proposal approved. Laura and Ian will work with Bill to select student representatives. Library Self-Study: The Libraries are behind schedule in having an external review. The last review was completed in 1994. Timeline: Spring/Summer 2008: Select focus areas and assemble teams. Perform research and begin writing self-study. Fall/Winter 2008: Analyze data collected, draft strategic vision. Select external reviewers. Spring 2009: Hold external review Focus areas: What is the current status of the Libraries? What are note-worthy trends in regard to technology and organization/staffing needs? Where are opportunities to enhance Libraries’ impact? What constraints are there to realizing these opportunities? How can progress be assessed? Technology Development and Facilities will not be individually addressed as both are integral to all areas of the self-study. Summer Workshops: NITLE workshop will be offered to Grinnell faculty first. If slots remain available, the workshop will be opened to other schools. This workshop will be open to staff as well as faculty. Two standard workshops were not listed, but will be advertised: “Advising and Mentoring: Vocation in the Liberal Arts” and “What is a Liberal Arts Education in the 21 st Century?”. Other workshops may be added. Jon will contact groups that were expected to submit workshop proposals. Terri will contact leaders to determine dates to advertise. Approved workshops:
Microsoft Vista and Office Software: ITS plans to install MSOffice 2007 and Mac 2008 this summer. Once MSOffice 2007 upgrades are complete, ITS will begin installing Vista. New PCs now come loaded with Vista software. ITS reformats them with XP. As more and more units are scheduled for replacement, reformatting is no longer a viable option. John Stone has submitted a memo to ISC expressing concerns with MSOffice and suggesting a shift to Open Office. Concerns include long-term stability, such as access to documents saved in previous versions, as well as cost. Open Office is currently freeware. Issues to consider:
John will be invited to the next meeting to discuss this issue. Jon will contact him, requesting a clear proposal and implications for the College and the average user. Respectfully submitted, |