Penn State | IT Fee

Information Technology Fee • 2010-2011 Overview

How the IT Fee enables Penn State to meet its students' needs

In today's rapidly evolving world, it's essential for students to have cutting-edge IT tools (web, network, research, email, and video technologies) to compete with their national peers -- and it is equally important for faculty and instructors to have state-of-the-art IT resources that they can rely on to manage courses, facilitate teaching, and support pedagogical investigation.

Every year, Penn State's Student Information Technology Fee (IT Fee) makes it possible for students to use technologies that will be essential in their careers after graduation. In addition, the IT Fee enables Penn State to offer students innovative tools and resources, allowing them to manage data, peruse digital collections, and even remotely collaborate with experts from around the world.

Overall Fee Distribution

IT Fee Dollar Bill Image - How fees are used

For fiscal year 2010-2011, Penn State collected $37,831,276 in IT Fees to provide IT services to all students, allocated as seen in the above diagram.

The Specific Campus Services category includes support for student computer labs and other student-oriented computing equipment, facilities, and programs.

IT Fee Library Distribution

IT Fee Libraries Distribution

In addition, IT Fee funds supported numerous services for students at University Libraries across all Penn State campuses. The largest portion of library-allocated funds (60 percent) provides students with access to more than 45,000 electronic journals, 100,000 ebooks, and 500 databases in a variety of subject areas. Another 40 percent of the funds are used to purchase workstations, laptops, and media equipment students can check out, technology in the classrooms, and will support Knowledge Commons activities throughout the Libraries.

Centrally Distributed IT Fee

The remainder of the IT Fee supports services provided centrally through Information Technology Services (ITS). The above diagram is a snapshot of the Central Services the IT Fee made available to students at all Penn State locations during the 2010-2011 fiscal year. The remainder of this report highlights these Central Services.

Computing and Collaborative Services

The IT Fee supported critical computing resources at Penn State, in support of infrastructure, technologies, messaging, and communications.

Penn State Identity and Access Management

The Penn State Access Account: a user ID and password that enables students to use a wide range of digital services for scholarship, such as Penn State and affiliated online resources, email, and digital library services. More than 158,000 active Penn State member accounts are managed, with up to tens of thousands of updates and changes managed daily.
Single Sign-on Services (WebAccess): a technology that provides secure access to numerous online resources such as ANGEL, library services, and WebMail. WebAccess supports over 260,000 Penn State Access ID logins per day by 85,000 unique accounts to more than 980 unique Penn State websites.
Penn State Enterprise Directory Services: a service that manages the account information and searchable data for over 353,000 entries, ensuring proper authorization to many critical applications by allowing retrieval of status and membership information for 178,000 groups and roles.
Friends of Penn State Accounts: 1.7 million accounts for this service that provides a user ID and password to enable prospective students and other affiliates of Penn State to access a variety of Web-based resources and services at Penn State.
Federated Identity Access: a service that provides Single Sign-on capabilities to 29 other institutions for services and collaborative learning environments like AlcoholEdu and several commercial entities such as Lynda.com. Penn State is a national leader in digital identity management through its membership in Internet2's InCommon Federation.

Central Services

downloads.its.psu.edu: free downloadable software for email, file transfer, virus detection, anti-spyware, and web browsers for students, faculty, and staff (there were 600 downloads daily last year).
Penn State Access Account Storage Space (PASS): provides up to ten gigabytes of space allocated per student, faculty, and staff for file sharing and personal online storage. In addition, the IT Fee helped provide 190,000 home directories for personal web space and departmental web space hosting, including online hosting for 186 courses. Over 360 terabytes of storage is managed for these and other Penn State services.
Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM): back up services that support ANGEL, WebMail, and essential PASS services, with over 375 terabytes of data.

Messaging and Collaborative Services

ITS Alerts/News System: a news system that broadcasts the maintenance and availability of Penn State's critical 24/7 IT systems, in support of the University's mission and requirements for disaster recovery and business continuity.
Penn State Blogging Services: support more than 31,000 people creating more than 37,000 blogs, with 207,000 entries, and over 106,000 static pages. The Blog service is the preferred tool for e-Portfolio management among Penn State students.
Central Email: a service with over 7.1 million transactions a day, over 1.5 million spam messages scored as spam daily, and approximately 51 million messages blocked per day.
Penn State WebMail: Web-based email service used by over 85,000 students weekly to receive and send messages anytime, anywhere.
Penn State Secure Chat (Jabber): a secure instant messaging service with an average of 200 concurrent sessions throughout the day.

Technologies and Resources

Student/classroom access to professional computing environments: including Enterprise Database Development platforms, web scripting, computer science programming platforms, and UNIX cluster resources.
Web hosting: for student activities including over 1,100 student clubs and student or faculty led volunteer initiatives (from 17 of the 24 Penn State campus locations).
Student initiative application support: such as BookExchange, a University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) initiative for an online student textbook exchange.
Access to learning resources beyond Penn State via 29 service providers such as: WebAssign, AlcoholEdu, TurnItIn, Symplicity, RefWorks, Ebsco, Monk, Lynda.com, Digital Measures, Omnilert (PSUTXT), NIH, Fast Lane (eAuth), iTunesU, eduCause, CIC Collaboration, Internet2, IAM, e-education Courseware, and CoManage.

Networking, Infrastructure, and Security Services

The IT Fee has additionally increased community security and helped expand a number of telecommunications projects at Penn State.

Computer security and awareness programs.
Free anti-virus software for students, faculty, and staff.
Be Safe, an ongoing security campaign for students.
Management of malware incidents and other security threats.
Detection and blocking of hostile systems.
Network and Infrastructure Support Services
The IT Fee supported interconnectivity of over 1,000 local networks, making voice, video, and data transmissions possible at University Park and 22 Penn State campus locations across the state, via Penn State's Enterprise Network.
Helped expand capacity and connectivity between the University and the rest of the world, through high speed and redundant Commodity Internet services and participation with the national research organizations, Internet2 and National Lambda Rail.
Expanded adoption of wireless technologies and enhanced overall wireless security to allow Internet access by visitors at participating Penn State locations.
Continued to improve wireless coverage and capacity, allowing students to use laptops in classes, libraries, cafes, and most buildings throughout their campuses.
Helped provide next-generation wireless equipment in several University Park buildings, while paving the way for the use of advanced wireless-based video and audio capabilities, to support increased needs for mobility.
Facilitated the expansion and upgrade of the video conferencing bridge service to support distance learning capabilities and opportunities.

Teaching and Learning Support Services

The IT Fee provides for educational initiatives, solutions, and core instructional services throughout Penn State's campuses.

Penn State's state-of-the-art Testing Center: a one-stop location for testing services, information, and resources.
Media Commons: an initiative to help enrich students' education by creating digital content for their coursework —available at all Penn State undergraduate locations and at five locations at University Park.
e-Learning Support Specialists: individuals who assist faculty at four Penn State campuses with new technologies in the classroom, such as blogs, e-Portfolios, Podcasts at Penn State, and Web 2.0.
WebLion technologies: a service that enables student organizations to manage and update websites using easy-to-use tools that require little or no experience.
eLion: a web-based service providing students, advisers, faculty, and parents with secure real-time access to academic and financial records in the University's administrative database.
Educational Gaming Commons: an initiative that investigates the pedagogical potential of digital games.

Instructional Services

Faculty support: for integrating technology into teaching and learning.
Assistive Technology: to improve functional capabilities of students with disabilities.
Cooperative Lab Management (CLM): the joint management of University-wide student computer labs, which leverages ITS' building techniques, infrastructure, and management.
Teaching technologies: such as study modules, e-Portfolios, and plagiarism prevention software.
ANGEL, Penn State's Course Management System: this year, over 90 percent of the total student population used ANGEL with an average of 4 course sections in ANGEL. A substantial investment in the ANGEL infrastructure, yielded more powerful file servers, enhanced storage, and a total of 63 web servers.

University Libraries Support Services

The IT Fee has made extensive digital library resources and collections available to students and faculty at each of Penn State's campuses.
Support for the University Libraries' integrated library system.
Support for access to over 550 online databases.
Storage enhancements for digital library collections (http://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/digital.html).
Support of 1,208 workstations in five library locations at University Park, as well as 21 campus libraries.
Addition of 28 workstations (with an emphasis on collaborative group activities) at nine University Park locations and five campus library sites.
Support of 55 networked printers at all library locations.
Lifecycle replacement of 45 networked laser printers at all University Park library locations and eighteen campuses.
Addition of two color laser printers with multiple-paper-size capability at University Park.
Upgrade of 190 computers at University Park and ten campus locations.
Upgrade of associated local area networks, wireless networks, and collaborative workstation resources in the Pattee and Paterno libraries, in support of University Libraries' Knowledge Commons initiative.