University of Michigan official: Switch to Google will change campus communication
University of Michigan switched more than 113,000 students, faculty and staff to Google mail and tools this month, marking what officials say is the start of a new way of collaborating at U-M.
In a recently posted video, Laura Patterson, U-M associate vice president and chief information officer, said the switch to Google systems brings more than a new mail and calendar system. It also introduces online tools that allow people to work simultaneously on a project and encourage collaboration, such as Google Documents and Google Plus.
"In the Google environment you start with a document that everyone can go into and edit at the same time," Patterson said. "You can watch each other's edits, you can comment on each other's edits, you can chat while you're editing."
"This real time editing... it dramatically decreases the amount of time that it takes to produce the document," she continued. "The impact of this? We will be more productive."
The school finalized an agreement with Google in October . The switch —dubbed the NextGen Collaboration Project— will cost roughly $1.8 million to initiate and is expected to create a more uniform, streamlined and collaborative communication system at U-M, Bill Wrobleski, U-M director of infrastructure projects, told AnnArbor.com recently. It's also expected to reduce costs $750,000 annually.
The school has switched all current students to the Google platform and plans to continue to gradually phase staff and faculty into the program throughout spring and summer.
In her video, Patterson acknowledged that some faculty and staff are wary of the switch but said "the university will grow into" the new platform.
"We'll just go places that we cant even envision right now," she said.
U-M's switch to Google follows a trend of universities adopting the platform. University of Delaware, Northwestern University, and Yale University each use Google tools.
Comments
Lastand
Thu, Mar 22, 2012 : 12:54 a.m.
Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated. Google err i mean accenture accenture is an outsourcing company hired by the University to "consult" on centralizing IT at the University with the goal of saving 27 millon by 2015. The only way to save that amount of money is to outsource IT support to a foreign comapany.
Rita Girardi
Wed, Mar 21, 2012 : 9:35 p.m.
Clarification: Per the terms of U-M's agreement (which covers Mail, Calendar, Talk/Chat, Docs, Sites, and Contacts), Google may only process or otherwise use UMICH account data as required for the purpose of providing services and performing its obligations under the agreement. This includes processes for preventing spam and ensuring the technical functioning of Google's network. U-M account holders using Google Apps within the U-M domain will not see advertising when using the services listed above. Those interested in this issue can find more information in the project site's Q&A section: https://sites.google.com/a/umich.edu/going-google/top-faqs#TOC-Security-Privacy They might also find this recent article from the University Record helpful: http://www.ur.umich.edu/update/archives/120312/google Rita Girardi Communications Specialist U-M Google Project Team
Dan
Wed, Mar 21, 2012 : 5:26 p.m.
Most students, probably more than 90%, already had gmail, so this really doesn't change anything except that administrators will use more buzzwords now.
Ignatz
Tue, Mar 20, 2012 : 5:48 p.m.
To springboard off of javajolt1, I heard that the healthcare units opted not to hop to Google because they could not guarentee the privacy of patient's information. Any truth to this?
Russ Miller
Wed, Mar 21, 2012 : 3:49 a.m.
It would be more correct to say that the Google services do not meet the HIPPA requirements for safeguarding protected health information (ePHI - patient information and such), but the existing umich.edu email didn't either. UMHS will continue to run a separate system.
2WheelsGood
Tue, Mar 20, 2012 : 4:28 p.m.
This map may interest you folks who seem so concerned. It's a map of the schools already using Google Apps. U-M isn't hardly alone in this. http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/edu/customer_list.html
2WheelsGood
Tue, Mar 20, 2012 : 6:17 p.m.
"So what is that intended to prove?" It's proof that this isn't some back room deal between Google and U-M. And it should demonstrate well enough to anyone without a tinfoil hat that Google would be really stupid to play games with their customer's data. That map shows that they have an incredible amount to lose. What exactly are you worried that Google will get a hold of that they don't already have? And the U has contracts with thousands of vendors. Why do you assume Google will be the one to violate that contract?
javajolt1
Tue, Mar 20, 2012 : 5:49 p.m.
So what is that intended to prove? Of course Universities are going to rush top adopt technology that tells them more about the people from which they will be shaking down for donations. It's a conflict of interest. My point was the legislative process to attempt to monitor privacy abuses is non-existent. If I were a large institution, I'd be rushing to do this, too. Google, like Microsoft before them, is getting too monolithic.
G. Orwell
Tue, Mar 20, 2012 : 3:56 p.m.
"Switching to Google will change campus communication." It certainly will. Google just struct up a partnership with the uber spy agency, the NSA. Remember Google, "do no evil." Or, did you come up with that phrase to fool the public?
M
Tue, Mar 20, 2012 : 3:49 p.m.
I'm waiting for the first massive lawsuit to come as a result of this. Forcing students into Google means that Google gets access to their data for advertising. That's a massive privacy issue. The school has sold out the students so they can chase dollar signs.
Hmm
Tue, Mar 20, 2012 : 7:14 p.m.
"Second, there is NO advertising in the U's Google mail accounts." you forgot to add "yet" at the end of that sentence
2WheelsGood
Tue, Mar 20, 2012 : 4:10 p.m.
You clearly don't understand this move. First, there is a contract in place between the U and Google; these are NOT standard Gmail accounts. Second, there is NO advertising in the U's Google mail accounts. Massive lawsuit... try holding your breath for that one.
xmo
Tue, Mar 20, 2012 : 3:43 p.m.
A U of M Grad is one of the founders of Google but University of Delaware, Northwestern University, and Yale University all starting using Google before U of M? Don't they trust their grads?
javajolt1
Tue, Mar 20, 2012 : 3:34 p.m.
"University of Michigan official: Switch to Google will change campus communication" True, it will also give Google and The University of Michigan troublesome access to far more sensitive and private data than it deserves. We are all willingly trading our privacy for the next Apps that claim they will make our lives easier. This will give Mary Sue of Michigan all sorts of access to interesting tid-bits of her UM community. Google already knows all about us. Unfortunately our slow-moving legislative process has long ago lost the battle to even marginally keep up with the erosion of everything we used to hold dear. Don't get me wrong, technology is great, but in our haste to embrace it we are giving away the essence of what we used to hold dear: privacy...... .....and most of us aren't even aware of it.
2WheelsGood
Tue, Mar 20, 2012 : 7:27 p.m.
Google has never been found guilty of breaking a contract.
Hmm
Tue, Mar 20, 2012 : 7:12 p.m.
If it was just the email then you're right there would really be nothing different, however it's more than just the email. " It also introduces online tools that allow people to work simultaneously on a project and encourage collaboration, such as Google Documents and Google Plus." Google plus has already been cited for breaching people's privacy whether they like it or not. Javajolt is right on target and can see the forest from the trees!
2WheelsGood
Tue, Mar 20, 2012 : 4:15 p.m.
"True, it will also give Google and The University of Michigan troublesome access to far more sensitive and private data than it deserves." So Google housing U-M's mail will give U-M more access to personal data than they already have while mail is sitting on U-M's own servers (like it currently is). How exactly does that make sense?