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The UTB/TSC plan to increase creativity and productivity in education, research and public service calls for the introduction of modern information systems at all levels in order to take advantage of the rapidly evolving and expanding sources of information available through worldwide computer networks. In realizing this vision, UTB/TSC has a profound interest in providing access to computer network resources and incentives to encourage the broadest possible participation in the use of information technology.
The computing environment of UTB/TSC is characterized by a diverse and widely distributed set of computer systems and networks. This wide range of systems reflects the wide range of campus computing needs and they are all linked together through a campus-wide network. Where institutional information resources in the 1970s and 1980s were dedicated to research and administrative processes internal to UTB/TSC, the increasing importance of shared information across computer networks has changed not only the way information resources are used, but individuals who use them as well.
The Internet has become such a powerful tool in higher education, the question is not “if”, but “when,” every single student, faculty member, and staff member will be using the campus computer network. Right now, the Internet is used to assign and submit student course assignments and to consult with faculty and advisors by means of electronic office hours. It is used to participate in “virtual” field trips. It is used to deliver and distribute scholarly publications. It is used to participate in topical forums and real-time seminars on a wide variety of subjects. It is used for electronic collaboration on projects. It is used to gather and share information through electronic forums and topical conferences, seminars, newsletters and mailing lists. It is used to communicate with project sponsors, professional associations, colleagues, friends and family. It is used to obtain product information and to get answers to questions about product features, prices, availability, and order status.
Trying to figure out where this is all going is like asking what the impact of the personal computer was going to be when it was introduced in 1980. The speed and reach of electronic communication will most certainly have an ever-increasing impact on the way in which students, faculty and staff conduct their business at UTB/TSC. Text-based material dominates email use as we know it now, but this, along with the uses of email, will most certainly change since nearly all expression (voice, music, video) can now be converted into data bits and transmitted almost anywhere by email.
The Internet functions like a global post office that operates 24 hours a day and does not charge postage. Within UTB/TSC, every individual affiliated with UTB/TSC of Texas automatically has access to an Internet electronic mailbox. UTB/TSC maintains an electronic mail directory accessible from anywhere on the Internet.
The Information Resources Department maintains a multi-line dial up pool that extends 24-hour access to the campus network to any remote location where there is not a direct network connection. The Information Resources Center handles active UTB/TSC email accounts.
Outside UTB/TSC, schools, libraries, publishers, professional associations, banks, manufacturers, bookstores, retail merchants, and companies of all kinds are signing up with computer services to connect their students, staff, customers, suppliers and business associates throughout the world.
Whether UTB/TSC’s position in the worldwide electronic community makes it a mere on-ramp to a network highway or an entire cyber frontier, one thing is clear - the use of modern information resources plays an enormous role in the pursuit and achievement of excellence at UTB/TSC.
To assure the quality and consistency of UTB/TSC’s publications and web pages, we follow established graphic and editorial standards based on widely accepted reference works, such as the Associated Press Stylebook and the Chicago Manual of Style, as well as several editorial recommendations specific to UTB/TSC. We follow many of the guidelines outlined by The University of Texas System Office of Public Affairs, and follow a set of guidelines that govern the use of the University logo and seal.