Tuesday's Daily News

Program Highlights | Feature | News Briefs

• Today's schedule
• Full conference program
• Exhibit hall info
• Registration list
• Internet access
• Conference FAQ

Today's Program Highlights

• Preconference seminars (all day; separate registration required)
• Newcomers Orientation (4:30–5:30 p.m.)
• Opening Celebration in the Exhibit Hall (4:00–7:00 p.m.)
• Today at the EDUCAUSE Booth (#446): Richard Katz (4:30–5:30 p.m.); Cynthia Golden (5:00–6:00 p.m.)

Welcome to EDUCAUSE 2004 in Denver!
IT From A Higher Vantage Point

See how much there is to give
See how strongly you believe
See how much you may receive.

- John Denver, “Aspenglow”

With these lyrics, Colorado’s singer laureate John Denver captured the three reasons that have always drawn people to the high country of the American West. They also capture the three drawing cards that bring you and more than 6,500 seekers from all 50 states and more than 35 countries to the EDUCAUSE Annual Conference: the knowledge you’re prepared to share with your colleagues, what you and they believe about the best uses of IT, and what you’ll take back to advance your institution and your career.

These three touchstones give shape and value to EDUCAUSE 2004, the largest annual international gathering of IT leaders, policymakers, learning shapers, technology partners, computing professionals, and industry analysts in higher education. The higher education IT world has assembled in Denver.

Through more than 40 preconference seminars, 150 track sessions, 120 poster sessions, 30 constituent group meetings, 15 current issues roundtables, on-the-fly birds of a feather meetings, 20 corporate presentations, and 190 exhibitors, the six areas of focus for this year's conference are:

• Emerging Technologies and Practices
• Administrative Information Management Systems
• Networking, Infrastructure, and Advanced Computing
• Leadership, Management, Support, and Funding
• Library, Information Resources, and Digital Content
• Teaching and Learning

Our three General Sessions present James Duderstadt, president emeritus of the University of Michigan; Marcus Buckingham, consultant and author; and Diana Natalicio, president of the University of Texas at El Paso—important figures of our time with much to say about the role of information technology in higher education and society. We also have a stellar group of featured speakers whose presentations go to the heart of what we profess.

In addition to Web-based registration and hotel reservations, you can use the dedicated conference network for online resources, including public kiosks for e-mail and Internet access and wireless access points in common areas of the convention center. The EDUCAUSE 2004 Web site offers a variety of tools for you to make the most of your time in Anaheim:

• Use the online Knowledge Pathfinder and Itinerary Builder to plan a customized schedule, including the ability to map particular sessions to the association's annual survey of the top ten IT issues.
• Beam conference information (including an exhibitor list, exhibit hall map, and program schedule) to your Palm OS or Pocket PC device from beaming stations located near the registration area on the first level of the convention center.
• Check the Frequently Asked Questions page for typical attendee concerns.

For your colleagues unable to attend the conference, EDUCAUSE will provide free, delayed Web media recordings of selected general sessions and featured speaker presentations. These recordings will be available from the EDUCAUSE 2004 Web site at the end of the following day. These and all presentation materials from regular sessions will be archived and accessible from the EDUCAUSE Resource Center after the conference.

For those of you attending your first EDUCAUSE Annual Conference, don’t miss this afternoon’s Newcomers Orientation where EDUCAUSE President Brian Hawkins and others will show you how to navigate and get the most out of your time here. Thursday is "Awards Day" at the conference, when not only will we present this year's EDUCAUSE Annual Awards, but also honorees will describe their award-winning work during the day's track and poster sessions. Balance out the conference activities at two special events: tonight's Opening Reception in the Exhibit Hall and Thursday night's Wild West Fest at the National Western Complex.

Thanks for coming! Now drink lots of water, pace yourself, and see IT from the higher vantage point only EDUCAUSE 2004 in Denver can give!

News Briefs

• Connect with colleagues and vendor representatives, take a look at the latest information technologies and services for higher education, and enjoy food, drink, and entertainment at the opening reception, 4:00–7:00 p.m. in the exhibit hall. Be sure to stop by the booths of the event sponsors, who’ll be serving some delicious hors d'oeuvres: HP, An EDUCAUSE Platinum Partner; Apple Computer, Inc., An EDUCAUSE Gold Partner; Oracle Corporation, An EDUCAUSE Gold Partner; eCollege, An EDUCAUSE Bronze Partner; Anystream; Cognos Corporation; Mirapoint; SAP Public Services; Xythos Software, Inc. Also, in the hospitality areas around the hall, you’ll find dessert and a unique opportunity to meet with the following sponsors who otherwise won’t have a presence in the hall: Intuit Information Technology Solutions, Nolij Corporation, SBC Communications Inc., and XanEdu.
• First time at the EDUCAUSE annual conference? Attend the newcomers orientation (4:30–5:30 p.m., Ballroom 4) for helpful information on how to get the most from your experience.
• Stop by the EDUCAUSE booth (#446) to learn about the association’s latest programs, services, and publications. Also, meet EDUCAUSE leadership there at scheduled times throughout the conference:
  • Carole Barone, Vice President and head of the National Learning Infrastructure initiative.
  • Teddy Diggs, Editor, EDUCAUSE Review, and Nancy Hays, Editor, EDUCAUSE Quarterly, and Director of Publishing
  • Cynthia Golden, Vice President and head of professional development
  • Brian Hawkins, President
  • Richard Katz, Vice President and head of the EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research
  • Mark Luker, Vice President and head of Net@EDU
  • Diana Oblinger, Vice President and head of the National Learning Infrastructure Initiative (NLII)
• Would you like an opportunity to meet informally with other attendees to discuss a particular higher education IT issue? Check out the Birds-of-a-Feather session bulletin board in the registration area to organize and sign up for such meetings, which will be held during lunches Wednesday and Thursday in the exhibit hall.
• If family or friends have come with you to Denver, you can purchase guest tickets for meals and special events at the registration desk. Guests can find out about site-seeing in the Denver area from the City Information Desk in the conference center’s main concourse.
• A job postings bulletin board is located in the registration area for viewing or posting information about job openings related to information services in higher education.
• Find out about dining options and points of interest in the area at the City Information Desk in the conference center’s main concourse.