Dear University of Memphis Undergraduates,

How are you using technology?  Do you own a desktop computer, notebook, tablet, or smartphone?  Ever heard of MOOC’s?  What about e-textbooks or e-portfolios?  Are you using social media? These are examples of questions the national ECAR survey on Student Technology Experiences helps us answer and the survey is now open. The survey helps us understand how you are using technology compared to participants from other universities.

We are interested in improving student experiences with information technology, and your response is very important to us. Your participation in the study is voluntary, and your responses will be completely confidential.

It will take approximately 15 minutes to complete the survey and your participation would be greatly appreciated. The survey will remain open until April 11, 2014. Please click this link to complete the survey:

https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1524684/ECAR-Student-Study-2014?eid=9257&us=y

Thank you in advance for your participation.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Dr. Robert Jackson at rjax@memphis.edu.

Ellen

Colleagues,

ITS has received some questions regarding extension of XP support, and we are actively exploring this possibility with Microsoft. Although we are continuing discussions with Microsoft, our latest information indicates that such an agreement would be costly for the University and may not be the best use of financial resources.

We encourage everyone to continue efforts to upgrade to a supported operating system to remain in compliance with University policies.

Thank you,

Ellen

Colleagues,

Microsoft’s support of Windows XP and Office 2003 will end on April 8, 2014. After this date, there will be no new security updates, non-security fixes or technical content updates from Microsoft.

Please note the risks associated with maintaining an unsupported machine, and take steps to minimize your risk.

• Security Risks: Unsupported and unpatched environments are vulnerable to security risks and cyber-attacks.
• Software Vendor & Hardware Manufacturer’s support – Software vendors are unlikely to support new versions of applications on Windows XP.  Research also notes that most PC hardware manufacturers will stop supporting Windows XP on the majority of their new PC models.
• Windows XP is not supported for Office 2013: Office 2013 requires that the client operating system be Windows 7 or later.

Actions to Consider:

• Get current with Windows and Office: Newer versions of Microsoft Windows and Office increase PC security and management, and user abilities. Upgrade your personal device to a supported version of Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office. Windows XP and Office 2003 will no longer be installed on university-owned systems.
• Isolate Systems: in compliance with University policies UM1566 and UM1691, unpatched, insecure, and outdated operating systems will not be allowed on the network.
• Review impact:  Ensure that unsupported systems do not contain sensitive data.

If you have additional questions or concerns regarding Microsoft XP or Office 2003, please contact the Service Desk at Extension 8888.

Thank you,

Ellen