Portal Symposium 2001
Presentations

Barry Walsh and Jake Kupiec

Application Portals/Web and Portal Governance [PDF format]
Portals present institutions with an opportunity to collect and modularize their applications and deliver them to the customer through a common framework. Intermediaries are minimized and service is maximized. Most institutions are either implementing or planning to implement some kind of portal. Many are doing an 'info-portal' with some simple ‘self service’ look-up type transactions; some are beginning to look at an 'application portal' model and that is the focus of this session. Application portals have the potential to provide institutions with ongoing usage information to make the portal more responsive and relevant. Join in a discussion of what an application portal is--and is not.
Among the topics to be addressed are:
- Multiple portal initiatives on campus...some are clinging to ‘identity’ issues;
- Organizational impact issues.

Keynote [PDF format]
The extraordinary growth of the Web as the primary channel for communication offers new opportunities—and pitfalls—for universities. Our success as universities will depend in part on the usefulness, attractiveness and appropriateness of our Web presence. In stark contrast to traditional print materials, electronic content has a very short life cycle and at the same time a much wider audience. Portals represent a significant opportunity for institutions to give their many constituencies a holistic gathering of services. However, the potential for autonomous units to "do their own thing" can undermine the quality of the service. How can a university balance the autonomous decision making with a need for cross-unit cooperation? What is the business case for a single portal? What are the trade-offs? Should Web-based and Web-enhanced education be emblematic of the university or should we let a thousand flowers bloom?

Critical Factors for Success [PDF format]
With the explosion of information about portals comes severe pressure on most institutions to have some kind of portal project, or at the very least a good reason for waiting. Several factors lay the foundation for a successful portal project. While no institution has all the building blocks of a perfect portal, all institutions can assess their ability to embark on a useful portal project. This session will propose the factors for consideration and offer a model for institutions to achieve a balance between the vision and the practical reality.