University News Release
Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:49:23 +0000
BOSTON, September 22nd, 2009
-- PaperThin, Inc., a leading Web content management solution provider, today announced that The University of South Dakota is using CommonSpot to manage content for its newly launched website (www.usd.edu) and for “myU”, the University’s faculty, staff and student portal powered by uPortal.
The University of South Dakota integrated CommonSpot with uPortal—a free open source portal platform designed by and for the higher education community—to enable the easy management of portal content. myU provides convenient and easy access to a wide variety of information and services, such as teaching technology, training, student information, calendars, and so on through a single Web interface. CommonSpot’s unlimited API’s and XML framework make it possible to integrate with university portals (such as uPortal and Luminous) as well as other applications. Once integrated, content contributors can also take advantage of other CommonSpot capabilities (such as form creation) not commonly available in portal systems.
<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /?>
“CommonSpot amplified the power of uPortal by enabling content to be easily managed—a capability uPortal lacks. With CommonSpot, we can easily create and customize myU, including ‘channels’, for massive productivity gains. What used to take IT a week to produce, we can now do in a matter of minutes. When you are developing hundreds of channels, that time savings really adds up,” said John Flack, web team lead for The University of South Dakota. “CommonSpot has also enabled non-technical users to manage myU content. Time to published content has improved dramatically. This integration truly gives us the best of both worlds.”
“CommonSpot’s XML framework enables Higher Education institutions to easily integrate with open source applications such as portals in any language, and easily customize those applications using our Application Development Framework for enhanced productivity, interoperability, and content re-usability,” said Bob Cellucci, senior vice president of PaperThin, Inc. “myU is a perfect example of the flexibility in CommonSpot.”
CommonSpot is a flexible, scalable, and easy-to-use Web content management solution that enables higher education institutions to improve productivity and achieve better results from their Web initiatives. CommonSpot empowers non-technical users to publish any type of content (text, forms, video, images, RSS, etc.) via any delivery channel (Web, streaming media, mobile phone, iPod) with minimal IT involvement making them more self-sufficient and productive. The solution’s inherent flexibility and scalability empowers IT and site administrators to easily adapt the system—whether you want out-of-the-box applications that you can customize; the ability to create your own applications through a development framework; or the ability to easily integrate with, or import and export applications. CommonSpot serves as a Web foundation that maximizes the delivery, value, and timeliness of the content you create.
About The University of South Dakota:
Founded in 1862, The University of South Dakota is designated as the only public liberal arts university in the state and is home to a comprehensive College of Arts and Sciences, School of Education, School of Health Sciences, the state's only School of Law and School of Medicine, the accredited Beacom School of Business and the College of Fine Arts. It has an enrollment of approximately 9,200 students taught by 400 faculty members. More information is available atwww.usd.edu.
About PaperThin:
PaperThin, Inc. is a privately held MA-based company. Founded in 1993, PaperThin’s flagship product CommonSpot™ is a leading content management solution that empowers organizations of all sizes to improve productivity and derive more value from their Web strategies. PaperThin’s customers span multiple industries, including: government, healthcare, higher education, and association/non-profit sectors; and include organizations such as American University, Cornell University, ESAB Welding & Cutting, Hasbro, National Park Service, Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Sharp HealthCare, Sir Speedy, Stanford University, University of Wisconsin, US Senate, and the United Way of America. Visit PaperThin atwww.paperthin.comor follow us at twitter.com/commonspot.
ARLINGTON - Civic leaders, student athletes and University supporters joined Mayor Robert Cluck and President James D. Spaniolo today to break ground on UT Arlington's $78 million Special Events Center.
The multi-purpose center, designed by HKS Inc., will rise on the University's east side, between Second and Third streets east of South Pecan Street. The facility offers UT Arlington's basketball and volleyball teams their first true home court, a venue that will move the teams from the Texas Hall stage, where they have played since 1965.
The Special Events Center also gives downtown Arlington a signature venue for world-class concerts, conferences, commencement ceremonies and other community events. The center will accommodate up to 7,600 patrons for a center-stage concert and more than 6,600 for a traditional court-based athletics event.
"We cannot fully predict the impact that the Special Events Center will have on our University community and on our city," President Spaniolo said. "We pledge to pack this world-class facility with sports, entertainment and community activities. It will play a pivotal role in making Arlington a true College Town."
The center is expected to open by December 2011.
Among the center's features:
- A 3,000-square-foot hospitality suite that can be subdivided based on space needs
- A 3,100-square-foot academic center with a computer lab, group study room and advising offices for athletes and other students
- A state-of-the art media center for full event coverage
Cluck noted the city's recent pledge of $18 million toward the planned College Park, a mixed-use development to the north of the center that will wrap residence halls and street-level retail space around a four-story parking garage. College Park is expected to open in 2012.
"We've all seen what Cowboys Stadium has done for Arlington, and UT Arlington's Special Events Center will have a similar effect," Mayor Cluck said. "This venue is at the heart of our revitalization efforts in the central business district. It will be a catalyst for development and re-development in our city."
The Special Events Center is the newest of several key developments along Center Street and UTA Boulevard. The University's 230,000-square-foot Engineering Research Building will open in early 2011. First Baptist Church of Arlington, at 300 S. Center St., underwent a major expansion and renovation in 2006. The Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts opened in October 2008 at Abram and Center streets.
In addition, UT Arlington and the City of Arlington are partnering to develop the Center Street Green, a pedestrian plaza that will connect to the Center Street Trail on the south side of the Special Events Center.
HKS has designed the 218,000-square-foot events center to meet LEED Silver standards. The building incorporates many energy-efficient features, including low-emittance glazed windows, a highly reflective roof that will reduce the solar load on the building and a low-use water system. The building will incorporate regional materials and will include native landscaping.
Hunt Construction Group Inc. of Dallas has been named as construction manager for the Special Events Center.
Contracting inquiries should be directed to The University of Texas System Office of Facilities Planning and Construction at http://www.utsystem.edu/FPC/ or 512-499-4600.
Visit www.uta.edu/eventcenter for more information.
###
- Posted in Cartoon Toronto University
