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TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 2003 CAPPS II System Draws Criticism from EU and OMB Sun Gains Seat on Web Services Board Gartner Predicts Dissatisfaction with Outsourcing AND Survey Shows Increased IT Spending This Year Growing Popularity of Online MBA Programs CAPPS II SYSTEM DRAWS CRITICISM FROM EU AND OMB The European Union (EU), civil libertarian groups, and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) have urged the government to resolve serious legal, privacy, and operational issues before moving forward with the proposed Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System II, or CAPPS II. The Transportation Security Administration is testing a passenger-screening system with Delta Airlines that provides personal and financial information on each passenger who makes a reservation. The system then assigns a color code indicating that passenger's threat risk. Concerns include unwarranted intrusions into personal data, cost, and effectiveness of the system in evaluating risk. Washington Post, 26 March 2003 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28839-2003Mar25.html SUN GAINS SEAT ON WEB SERVICES BOARD Sun Microsystems, after protracted wrangling over the issue, has been elected to the board of directors of the Web Services Interoperability Organization (WS-I). WS-I was created in February 2002 by several companies including Microsoft and IBM. At that time, Sun was not invited to be one of the founding members--and thereby have a seat on the board of directors--in what many saw as a tactic to minimize Sun's influence on the organization. Though Sun's repeated requests to be allowed to join as a founding member were denied, the company finally did join the WS-I last fall as a contributing member. Having joined the organization made Sun eligible for one of two elected seats on an expanded WS-I board, and Sun's chief Web services strategist will serve a two-year term on the board. Also elected to the board was integration software company WebMethods. ZDNet, 26 March 2003 http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-994183.html GARTNER PREDICTS DISSATISFACTION WITH OUTSOURCING According to a report from market research firm Gartner, half of IT outsourcing projects in 2003 will be considered unsuccessful because they do not provide the anticipated value. Gartner suggested better communication of external service providers with clients and better accommodation of client issues. Both parties are advised to commit to regularly scheduled formal meetings to review progress. Companies are also advised to retain flexibility in long-term contracts to adapt to changing market conditions. Gartner predicted that in 2003 fewer than 30 percent of corporations will have formal plans for managing their relationships with service providers. CNET, 25 March 2003 http://news.com.com/2100-1011-994108.html AND ***************************************************** SURVEY SHOWS INCREASED IT SPENDING THIS YEAR A study by Market Data Retrieval shows a five-percent increase in budgeted IT expenditures at U.S. colleges and universities over the 2001-2001 academic year, compared to a 14-percent increase last year. The study addresses budgeted expenditures, not actual expenditures. This year, academic-computing expenses will account for a larger portion of overall IT spending than administrative computing, returning, as the authors of the report state, to the "historical pattern of academic departments outspending administrative departments." The report also noted that roughly 80 percent of institutions in the survey have standardized on a single brand of computer in an effort to control costs for maintenance and training and to simplify ordering. Chronicle of Higher Education, 26 March 2003 http://chronicle.com/free/2003/03/2003032601t.htm GROWING POPULARITY OF ONLINE MBA PROGRAMS MBA programs are extremely popular, drawing more than 100,000 students currently in the United States. As technology has improved, e-learning programs have been able to offer online MBAs to tens of thousands of overseas students. Some very highly regarded universities are part of online degree programs, including Stanford University, Columbia University, and the University of Chicago, and many students appreciate the opportunity to earn degrees from such institutions without having to leave their homes and jobs and come to the United States. One student said, "These schools are recognized around the world" and that his degree "will be truly international." Harvard University has so far chosen to restrict its online offerings to noncredit courses, granting degrees only for campus-based students. New York Times, 26 March 2003 (registration req'd) http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/26/nyregion/26MBA.html ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change your settings, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/edupage.html Or, you can subscribe or unsubscribe by sending e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To SUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SUBSCRIBE Edupage YourFirstName YourLastName To UNSUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SIGNOFF Edupage If you have subscription problems, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For past issues of Edupage or information about translations of Edupage into other languages, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/edupage.html ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE PUBLICATIONS EDUCAUSE publishes periodicals, including "EQ" and "EDUCAUSE Review," books, and other materials dealing with the impacts and implications of information technology in higher education. 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