General Sessions

IT and the Idea of a University

Wednesday, February 21, 2001
1:15 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. GS01

Michael Zastrocky, Senior Advisor, The Chronicle of Higher Education

What role will IT play in shaping the idea of a university in the twenty-first century? How can institutions draw from the well of higher education history and experience to plan for the future? This session will look at how higher education might be reinvented or can effectively use IT to build bridges to the future without destroying institutions and their mission in the process.

IT in Education: New Wine, Old Whines, Lessons Learned - sponsored by Dell Computer Corporation

Friday, February 23, 2001
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. GS03

Daniel A. Updegrove, Consultant

The founders of Educom in 1964 envisioned an international system of education supported by pervasive and creative use of educational technologies and data, voice, and video networks. To what extent is higher education, in the U.S. and abroad, living up to this vision? Is this still an appropriate vision for us in the year 2001? What have we learned from almost four decades of IT infusion into teaching, learning, research, and administration? And is there still a role for collaborative efforts in leadership, infrastructure building, and service delivery?

P2P: Legalities, Policies and Ethics

Thursday, February 22, 2001
9:45 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. GS02

Georgia K. Harper, Scholarly Communications Advisor, University of Texas at Austin

Napster and other file sharing programs raise many issues about the adequacy of university policies relating to the use of shared resources, copyright infringement, liability and education, as well as ethical considerations. The same technology is making big waves in the corporate world: p2p promises to spur demand for faster processing speeds while making business use of the technology commonplace. But the same sticky legal issues remain: can p2p overcome a seamy underside?