AWC board hears about tech updates
Technology. Technology. Technology.
Arizona Western College Chief Information Officer Joe McLain informed the governing board Friday about IT updates he is implementing in the district.
McLain, who was hired late last summer, has been put in charge of bringing the college into compliance with a 2016 audit from the Arizona Auditor General’s Office that found lapses in policies and procedures and risk assessment processes.
The next audit, which will be sometime next summer, “will be better,” McLain told the governing board. “We won’t have full remediation, but I expect some of the pieces to drop off. Other things will be in process, and we’ll have clear significant progress to fulfilling (the requirements).”
Some of the items McLain has already completed include reviewing users accounts; applying security patches to all devices; and having all campus employees and students comply with improved password policies.
McLain said his team had discovered more than 20,000 unused accounts, and the bulk of them were deleted, freeing up server space, cutting down on licensing costs and more, saving just over $150,000.
McLain is also planning to move the college to “the cloud,” bringing the district’s campuses under the Microsoft umbrella. The department will also start replacing and retiring desktop computers.
The campus high speed wireless network, both indoors and outdoors, is being upgraded. The 3C and AgScience buildings are now “up to speed” with wireless access.
The board also heard from Michelle Thomas, the director of the TRIO program. TRIO is not an acronym, Thomas said, but encompasses three federal programs: Upward Bound, Talent Search and Student Support Services, which were started by the federal government in the 1960s.
The programs at AWC reach approximately 500 to 800 students from grades six through their second year of post-secondary enrollment. Thomas summed up the programs with a motto: “Helping Other People Excel.”
“While financial aid helps students overcome financial barriers to higher education, the Trio programs help students overcome class, social and cultural barriers to higher education,” Thomas said. The programs have been on AWC’s campus for about 27 years, the first being Student Support Services, which started in 1991, followed by Talent Search, and then Upward Bound.
The board also heard from Dan Riek, who spoke about the history, financial status and future of the college’s radio station, KAWC. The college is soon to be launching 94.7 FM Border Radio.
Professor Kate Turpin presented highlights from the massage therapy program and Dr. JoAnn Chang presented the faculty report.
The board voted to approve a contract with SoftDocs. That will replace the ImageNow software, which is no longer being supported by Microsoft. The board also approved monthly vouchers, and board member Richard Lamb invited the board and audience to attend a screening of a documentary on Colorado River Tribes, which have a reservation in the Parker area.
The board’s next meeting is slated for March 22 in San Luis.