Office of Information Technology hosts tech summit, lays out plan for future of technology at university
Central Michigan University is doing its best to stay ahead of the curve in the rapidly changing world of technology.
CMU's Office of Information Technology hosted Technology Summit 2011 on Wednesday in the Bovee University Center. The daylong summit focused on where CMU stands technology-wise, and where it plans to go in the future.
Roger Rehm, vice president of Information Technology, said in the keynote presentation "CMU Technology Road Map" that the university's primary goal is making sure that students, faculty and staff are getting the most for their money when it comes to technology.
"We have focused our investments on standardization and tech consolidation, but it has to work for people," Rehm said. "We have an opportunity to focus on things that get the university the most bang for its buck."
Much of his and physical therapy Professor Peter Loubert's question-and-answer presentation focused on what CMU is doing to cut costs and run more efficiently by utilizing certain technologies.
One of the policies Rehm discussed was the PrintQ policy, which limits undergraduate students to $10 worth of printing a semester and graduate students to $15, which he said, along with other policies is estimated to save the university close to $100,000.
He said when OIT was developing PrintQ they wanted to make sure they "did it right" and that it would actually reduce the amount of paper used on campus. He added he would like to see CMU move more toward cloud technology, which is Internet-based technology located off-site, to save paper.
"We'd like to make things more efficient, especially employee production and eliminate the paper form and instead rely on technology," Rehm said. "We're looking to find ways to have technology help us."
Rehm also discussed at length that CMU does not believe that centralizing services is always the best idea. He said certain technologies, like Cmail, are better when centralized because it makes everything easier for the user. But other technologies like desktop management are more individualized based on users' preferences.
He said when OIT looks at adding new technology to the university it considers what is best for everyone, not what is easiest.
"What's the best way to deliver services?" He asked the audience.
He continued saying that OIT is aware that there is no cookie-cutter technology for the classroom and that every instructor at CMU utilizes the technology available differently.
"We start (trying new technology) with the people who are most interested, but we have to find out how to hit the 'easy button,'" Rehm said.
OIT technical writer Kole Taylor said he was very excited for the summit because he is excited for the future of technology at CMU.
"The whole purpose of this event is to show students, faculty and staff where we are and where we are going," Taylor said.
He added that the summit was designed for both students and faculty so they could not only be informed on the state of technology at CMU, but also participate in it as well.
Clinton Township senior Julie Kusnery said the most beneficial aspect of the summit was the presentation on social media. She said she is always careful of what she posts online, but that the presentation was very informative.
"I learned a lot of how to build my personal brand, which is one of the most important things to do today," she said.
