Inside Furman September, 2001

Around Campus

ALUMNI AFFAIRS
Life in the Alumni Office is crazy as usual. The highlight of the summer was our Alumni College program. From June 28-July 1, alumni and friends returned to campus to take a "Closer Look at the New South." They attended classes covering a variety of topics, including the politics, religion and theatre of the "New South." Participants also dined on fine southern cuisine, including shrimp and grits, buttermilk biscuits and mint juleps.

The weekend concluded with dinner at White Oaks and an address by former Governor and Secretary of Education, Richard Riley. By all accounts, the program was a raging success and every participant said they would like to attend next year's Alumni College.

Furman Clubs have also seen a flurry of activity. In conjunction with the Admissions Office, we hosted numerous summer sendoffs to welcome the new freshmen to the Furman family. A few other club highlights were a dinner with President Shi for the Triangle Area of North Carolina, a summer picnic in Atlanta, a low country boil in Savannah, and a young alumni happy hour in San Francisco.

Other events include a gathering with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops in Washington, D.C., dinner and tailgate in connection with the football game at Wyoming, and receptions in Seattle, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The Alumni Office staff has changed a bit in the last few months. In May, Susan Jones left our office and Jason Curtin stepped in to take over on-campus programming. Jason is very busy working with volunteers to plan Homecoming and reunion activities. He is also gearing up for the return of the Student Alumni Council, which he will advise.

Additionally, Wendy Hamilton will be leaving the Alumni Office in October to attend nursing school. We are currently interviewing candidates for the off-campus programming position and look forward to welcoming a new staff member to the Alumni Office - hopefully before Homecoming!!

- Shannon Wilson

COMPUTING AND INFORMATION SERVICES
Randy Dill, administrative programming manager, reports that users of Datatel's administrative software system should expect a new user interface sometime this fall.

This interface will be more user friendly and will have the look and feel of most Windows applications. Also this fall, work will begin on the installation of Datatel's new release of the software. The plan is to have the new release live by next summer.

Wade Shepherd, scientific computing specialist, installed enhanced security software on several of the academic computing systems in the science division. Users of Linux machines should check with Wade to be sure that these systems are appropriately protected. The first of the machines in the second cycle of leasing for labs and faculty are being installed. Labs to be refreshed include the Mac lab in theatre arts, and Windows labs in Plyler 8, Riley Hall 108, North Village commons and the EBA lab in Furman Hall.

A new, 24-hour lab is also being set up in Mauney Commons. Most of the new machines will feature 128mb RAM and 1ghz processors. C&IS will host forums for faculty and staff technology liaisons on October 30 and again on November 5.

The theme for the fall 2001 forums is "Liaisons: the strongest link." Liaisons will be provided information about upgrades, new applications and plans regarding the network infrastructure. A Storage Area Network (SAN) is being installed to enhance network storage space. Several departmental shares will be moved to this expandable storage facility.

- Susan Dunnavant

PERSONNEL

In July, staff members received data statements showing personal information. Statements for faculty will be sent out in September. Please review your statement for accuracy and return it to us with changes so that your file can be updated.

Thanks to all who participated in the United Way School Tools program. For the third year, your contributions have helped 100 area children begin the year with new school supplies.

One of the concerns raised by staff members in the benefits survey was the need for a short-term disability insurance product. As a result of these concerns, subgroups from the benefit and staff advisory committees have been evaluating several short-term disability products and are close to selecting a provider.

Additional information on the short-term disability coverage will be sent to employees in the fall. The annual service awards luncheon for staff members celebrating employment anniversaries of 20, 25, and 30 or more years is October 10.

Invitations will be sent through campus mail. Mark your calendar. The TIAA-CREF retirement counselors will return to campus on October 23 and 24 for individual meetings. Don't miss this opportunity to discuss your retirement and financial planning needs. Spouses are welcome to attend. Sign-up information will be provided through campus mail and e-mail. Their next visit to campus will be in the spring of 2002.

Fall wellness events will include osteoporosis screenings, stress management, parenting classes and flu shots. Additional information on these programs will be provided at a later date.

- Doris Foster

MARKETING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS

If you have not met him, you will soon. Ryan Fisher has joined our department as Web development director. A native of Charleston, Fisher is a 1999 graduate of Clemson University and worked as the Webmaster for Bi-Lo before coming to Furman. He replaces Jake Breeden, who left Furman this summer to pursue a Master of Business Administration degree at Duke University.

Our office has been in the middle of plans for celebrating Furman's 175th anniversary. In addition to organizing events associated with this occasion, the staff has helped to launch a Website, developed a marketing plan to generate publicity for the celebration, and designed a 175th logo that will be featured on university stationary and other items throughout the year. Many of you have probably seen this design, which is featured on the commemorative banners displayed around campus.

In another Web-related endeavor, our office has worked closely with Admissions and with Stamats Communications of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to develop a new Admissions Web page and viewbook.

The Web page, which will be launched soon, features a video, updated campus tour, on-line freshman diaries and panoramic shots of the campus. We are very excited about it.

Lastly, John Roberts has been working closely with Chuck Hussion, sports marketing director, to coordinate and market United Way night at Furman. They hope their efforts will result in a big crowd at the September 8 football game against Elon College.

-- John Roberts