Institute of Technology
Minutes of the ITICC Meeting,
May 3, 2007
3:35 p.m., Physics 133
Present:
Mark Anderson (Chem), Peter Hudleston (IT Dean’s Office), Terry Jones (Astro),
Phil Kachelmyer (ADCS), Kent Kirkby (Geol), Satish Kumar (CEMS), Jerry Larson
(ADCS), Larry LeMay (ADCS), Jim MacDonald (CSE, IT Labs), Dan MacEwan (Chem),
Kent Mann (Chem), Jeremiah Mans (Phys), Sean O’Neill (Astro), Roger Rusack
(Phys), Dale Swanson (ECE)
1) Status reports from CSciE and ADCS and
PJH
Hudleston
reminded the committee that, following the review of lab operations last year,
ITICC plans to move to a single- entity management structure for 2007-08. This will be through Computer Science and
Engineering. He pointed out that there
will still be a working relationship with ADCS, through IT financial support of
part of the Walter lab and through a fractional amount of technical supported
associated with the Walter lab and with software licensing.
2) Management
Proposal – final presentation
MacDonald presented the
management proposal for 2007-08. A
principal difference from the CSE proposal last year is an increase of two FTE
systems staff and an increase in the number of students, from 50% of 8 students
working 20 hours per week to 64.4% of 15 students working 15 hours per
week. This is to accommodate the
increased management and staffing responsibilities taken on by CSE. The split
between CSE (35.6%) and ITICC (64.4%) is based on this year’s split of student
workers, adjusted for the increase in total ITICC hours to be covered. The reduction in student work hours per week
is at student request – they need more time for coursework. MacDonald
emphasized again the difference between current in-lab support and that
proposed for FY2008. The student workers
will have administrator and root privileges and will be better placed to solve
problems on the spot in the labs than the current student lab consultants.
In response to a question,
MacDonald pointed out that management responsibilities extend to North Hennepin
Community College and to Rochester Center.
The former is in association with the applied science programs run by
CCE and the latter in association with the UNITE program. In both cases the students being served pay
the IT technology fee. Hudleston pointed
out that these constituencies have been served by ITICC since the inception of
the computer fee about fifteen years ago.
Kumar asked about protection of
computers from water damage in the event of fire. MacDonald said that operation of the
sprinkler system would limit the amount of water damage, but that it was not
practical to put a full fire and water damage prevention scheme into
effect. There likely would be water
damage to equipment in case of fire, but data was protected.
With the switch to a
single-entity structure, the total cost of management for FY08 will be about
$100,000 less than in FY07. [The
budgeted amount for CSE ($474,507) and ADCS ($366,962) combined for FY07 was
$841,469 – the actual amount will be at least 20K less than this. The budgeted
amount for FY08 is $701,236 for CSE and an amount for ADCS that will not exceed
$30,000].
Hudleston
said he needed to get the exact amount to put in the proposal for ADCS support
and then would put out for balloting the proposal for management, with a
subsidiary proposal for ADCS support.
3) Other business
With the change in management structure, Larson thanked
Larry LeMay for his service on behalf of ADCS and ITICC over the past nearly 15
years and thanked Jim MacDonald for the good working relationship ADCS has had
with CSE over this period. Hudleston
echoed these thanks and said he hoped that the relationship between ADCS and
ITICC would continue to be a good one.
The changeover to the new management structure will begin on June 30.
Hudleston noted that this would be his final year chairing
this committee, and he thanked the members for their constructive participation
– many of the members having served for many years.