CVC recently received a $25,000 sub-contract to produce a multimedia history of Voyager as well as a review of the science of the solar wind. The CD is wonderful. C&C is investigating how CVC's talents in this area (video, audio, graphics, animation, and macromedia development) might be put to further use facilitating campus fund raising and communications efforts.

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Please visit http://cvcstaff.ucr.edu/john/mail_services/.

C&C has developed and deployed a web-based system that allows PIs located in California and Mexico to submit proposals for UC Mexus financed research. The system allows PIs to upload their science and budgets as Word or Excel documents and save them (via the internet) to the UC Mexus database. The system also contains "work in progress" functionality that allows a proposal to be saved (on UCR's internet available database) for ultimate completion at a latter date. UC Mexus management seems very pleased.

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C&C continues its preliminary efforts to consider an upgrade to its OS/390 / VSAM based Student Information System (UCR purchased Information Associates system about 10 years ago; this product / firm was subsequently acquired by SCT). SCT recently visited UCR as part of this preliminary planning effort.

UCR's currently deployed Physical Plant web / work order system will shortly add new wireless network enabled functionality. Selected Physical Plant staff will be given PDAs that feature bar code readers. These hand held devices browse the web (using UCR's wireless network) and allow Physical Plant staff to scan worker orders (via bar codes) and enter labor hours for job costing. Other than the PDAs, the functionality was completely developed by C&C programmers.

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UCR's Enterprise Reporting System (ERS) queries the campus Data Warehouse from WITHIN Microsoft Excel and produces formatted spreadsheets (with formulas) for financial analysts. A new version of the ERS was just released for the Vice Chancellor of Administration (VCA). This version automatically produces 70% of the quarterly VCA budget recap (last years actual, current year budget, permanent budget) allowing managers to complete the recap in hours instead of days.

C&C has just released a series of tools to facilitate central management of the campus Accounts Payable system. Specifically, enhancements include a web based Purchase Order aging system (P.O.s are aged, by status, telling accounting and departmental management which orders might lead to problems with a vendor). This effort (as well as others such as an automated e-mail notification system) has reduced the average "match exception" report to 100 or so P.O.s. The goal is to reduce this quantity to 50.

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During FY 2000 / 2001, C&C provided Accounting with tools to greatly improve the closing process. Importantly, one tool was the "Trial Closing / Carry Forward" system that calculates "pro-forma" closing and carry forward balances (by FAU distribution) for Accounting's review. This system can be run iteratively as part of the campus closing process. C&C is attempting is creating additional tools to facilitate Accounting's closing efforts (notably, this fiscal year, completely automated financial schedules as well as a more table driven closing UCOP reporting / translation system).

In partnership with Environmental Health and Safety, C&C is investigating LBL's ASP / Oracle based Competency Management System (and data warehouse). If adopted at UCR, the Office of Research Affaires and Human Resources would utilize this system to track and manage their training and certification efforts.

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After many months evaluating various products and deployment strategies, C&C has acquired the Mirapoint web mail system. The system is a web mail (POP, IMAP) "appliance" that C&C hopes to have operational by September 2002. The purchase includes 850 GBs of usable disk. The initial roll out will be to students with faculty and staff currently scheduled to follow in January 2003.

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To meet growing C&C / campus needs for reliable and robust Solaris served disk space, C&C has invested in a 1.3 TB Network Appliance disk system. This disk will initially be deployed to support student-computing needs. The system will also provide support for the campus Learning Management System (Blackboard) as well as CorpTime (campus calendaring system). The system will be evaluated for ultimate deployment supporting the campus Financial System.

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Campus / student growth has required C&C to rethink how it provides technical support to undergraduates. A C&C study earlier this year indicated that 10 or so common issues result in the majority of questions received at the student help desk. Therefore, C&C put together a team that built a series of student self-service kiosks that answer student questions or resolve issues without C&C staff intervention (for example, how to obtain a Blackboard account, how to utilize student e-mail, how to change a password, how to increase the print quota, etc.). This new service has provided a tremendous boost to C&C productivity and students are receiving much better service. C&C has also implemented a "lab monitor chat room". C&C monitors can interact with one another to route students to the least busy facilities and to collaborate real-time to resolve technical problems (brought to them by students).

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SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Program) is a project aimed at providing uniform, nationwide reporting on foreign students with certain visa types. Data is to be gathered and reported to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) in XML format. C&C's AVC and the Dean of University Extension have been asked to co-chair a campus work group. Currently, INS is requiring the first submission of this data by January 2003.

France Cordova, Vice Chancellor for Research and Professor of Physics at UCSB, has been Named to Replace Raymond Orbach as Chancellor at UCR.