2008 Woodie Awards
District employees poised for migration to new e-mail server
Preparations are being made for the switch at the end of the semester as the old e-mail server is taken down.
By Will Underhill
Issue date: 11/2/07 Section: News
Originally published: 11/1/07 at 4:00 PM CSTLast update: 11/2/07 at 9:10 AM CST
- Page 1 of 1
With a new e-mail server coming online, the college district's old e-mail server is marked for decommission Dec. 15.
All employees using e-mail addresses ending in accd.edu will be switched to mail.accd.edu.
The decommission date for accd.edu was originally scheduled for Dec. 6, however, faculty members felt that decommissioning the server before the end of the semester would cause problems for students trying to contact their teachers during finals week.
"Part of the problem is that district personnel do not teach," said John Deosadade, library and media services and Faculty Senate member.
Deosadade saw the original decommission date for the e-mail server as a lack of faculty consultation.
"They do not consider the academic faculty," Deosadade said. "All we're asking for is consultation."
The district does include faculty members from the colleges on its committees, as seen on the committee members list on the district IT Web site.
Economics Professor Susan Spencer is one member of the E-mail System Advisory Team, however she has been unable to attend the committee meetings because of scheduling conflicts with her classes, underlining Deosdade's point.
"As a faculty member, they have not scheduled a meeting I can go to," Spencer said. "However, they are trying to be conscious of faculty time constraints."
Even though she has been unable to attend the meetings, "Faculty voice is being heard through e-mail discussions."
To make sure that all faculty needs are addressed, Spencer suggests the use of a general survey or query of all the faculty and student organizations. The surveys would then be sorted by committee members to be given to the district information technology department; however, no such system is in place at this time, Spencer said.
According to the Frequently Asked Questions posting on the district IT department's Web site, the new e-mail system is necessary because the current system lacks the durability needed to meet the growing e-mail and spam needs of the district.
In the same FAQ, it is stated that the new e-mail server, mail.accd.edu, is more robust, reliable and offers a single unified e-mail environment.
The system also promises added functionality with e-mail management, calendaring, Web and mobility options.
With this system, Microsoft Outlook Web Access, a Web-based e-mail application, was integrated into PALS. Outlook Web Access is similar to its desktop counterpart in many ways but has limited features such as limited calender options, contact options, no search feature and a different user interface. Help guides for employees detailing how to set up Microsoft Outlook on desktops at work and home are available on the district IT site.
List of committee members can be found at http://www.accd.edu/it/staff/commtask.html.
All employees using e-mail addresses ending in accd.edu will be switched to mail.accd.edu.
The decommission date for accd.edu was originally scheduled for Dec. 6, however, faculty members felt that decommissioning the server before the end of the semester would cause problems for students trying to contact their teachers during finals week.
"Part of the problem is that district personnel do not teach," said John Deosadade, library and media services and Faculty Senate member.
Deosadade saw the original decommission date for the e-mail server as a lack of faculty consultation.
"They do not consider the academic faculty," Deosadade said. "All we're asking for is consultation."
The district does include faculty members from the colleges on its committees, as seen on the committee members list on the district IT Web site.
Economics Professor Susan Spencer is one member of the E-mail System Advisory Team, however she has been unable to attend the committee meetings because of scheduling conflicts with her classes, underlining Deosdade's point.
"As a faculty member, they have not scheduled a meeting I can go to," Spencer said. "However, they are trying to be conscious of faculty time constraints."
Even though she has been unable to attend the meetings, "Faculty voice is being heard through e-mail discussions."
To make sure that all faculty needs are addressed, Spencer suggests the use of a general survey or query of all the faculty and student organizations. The surveys would then be sorted by committee members to be given to the district information technology department; however, no such system is in place at this time, Spencer said.
According to the Frequently Asked Questions posting on the district IT department's Web site, the new e-mail system is necessary because the current system lacks the durability needed to meet the growing e-mail and spam needs of the district.
In the same FAQ, it is stated that the new e-mail server, mail.accd.edu, is more robust, reliable and offers a single unified e-mail environment.
The system also promises added functionality with e-mail management, calendaring, Web and mobility options.
With this system, Microsoft Outlook Web Access, a Web-based e-mail application, was integrated into PALS. Outlook Web Access is similar to its desktop counterpart in many ways but has limited features such as limited calender options, contact options, no search feature and a different user interface. Help guides for employees detailing how to set up Microsoft Outlook on desktops at work and home are available on the district IT site.
List of committee members can be found at http://www.accd.edu/it/staff/commtask.html.
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