1. Influencing the Progress of Advanced Core Technologies
Pablo G. Molina
Associate VP of IT & CIO 
Georgetown University 
June 1, 2011
Southeast Regional Conference
Tweet this session: #SERC11_DISC02

2. ACTI: Advanced Core Technologies Initiative www.educause.edu/acti
Formed in fall 2010
Re-envisioning of former
Members-based initiative within EDUCAUSE
Currently 57 members
Goal: To bring together IT professionals to collaborate on advanced core technologies and help prepare for the imminent future.

3. What are “advance core techologies”?
Core technologies underlie the processing and flow of information within and across applications that support higher education. E.g.,
storage, processing, and networking
middleware layer issues of identification, authentication, security, and database architecture
“Advanced" refers to technologies whose emergence or evolution is already apparent and that might already be in production in the more advanced corners of higher education.

4. What exactly does ACTI do?
Help transfer knowledge from early or experimental adopters to the broader community
Provide technology leaders with a place to lead the adoption and development of core technologies
Develop best practices, recommendations, surveys, and other useful outcomes for the broader educational IT community

5. ACTI Structure Priorities Committee Working Groups
Oversees/supports ongoing work
Determines how ACTI resources are allocated to projects
Provides direction for the initiative
Working Groups
Ad hoc or short-term, project-based groups
Annual members/potential members meeting
July 7-8, 2011 – Boston, MA (hotel deadline: June 15)
Priorities committee is chaired by EDUCAUSE Vice President Greg Jackson and includes chairs of active working groups as well as a few additional ACTI members.
Registration is open now for the ACTI meeting, and a preliminary agenda is available on the event site. Registration is free of charge to members.

6. ACTI Working Groups: Campus Cyberinfrastructure (CCI)
Chair: Guy Almes, Texas A&M
Visualization
Survey led by Jill Gemmill (Clemson)
Data Lifecycle Management
See related upcoming meeting, July at Princeton
Call for papers, registration deadline: June 20
CI Challenges & Sustainability Subgroup
Led by Dave Lifka (Cornell). Some topics being considered are:
Data Archival Technologies
Financial Value Proposition for Research Data Collections
NSF ACCI Task Forces Reports
Currently being reviewed by this group for potential next steps
Working groups are open to ACTI member representatives only.
Meets biweekly via conference call.

7. ACTI Working Groups: Communication, Collaboration, and Mobility (CCM)
Co-chairs: Jim Jokl (UVa) and Mark Katsouros (Penn State)
Topics currently under discussion include:
Voice planning
Survey being developed; building on CSG survey from earlier this year
Mobility for Safety/Security
Communication as a Service
Working groups are open to ACTI member representatives only. ]
Meets biweekly via conference call.
CSG=Common Solutions Group

8. ACTI Working Groups: Potential Future Groups
Data management
Mobility and enterprise processes
Many-to-many conferencing
Teaching & learning core technologies
These are topics for potential future groups. They may become their own stand-alone working group, may be a subgroup to an existing working group, or ad hoc group. These will be hammered out and finalized at the July 2011 ACTI in-person meeting. People interested in joining one of these should send a note to Karen Wetzel, ACTI Program Manager (reminder: group membership is limited to ACTI members). The last one in particular is one that we would need to consider in light of how this topic is currently addressed in other areas in EDUCAUSE, and how that work might be coordinated.

9. Next Steps… July 2011 ACTI Meeting Priorities Committee ACTI Members
Focus ACTI directions
Establish new working groups
Establish outcomes
Priorities Committee
Support ACTI working groups
Consider strategic directions/areas for future engagement
2012 ACTI Member meeting planning
ACTI Members
Continue to grow membership
Establish member-specific communications
Continue to grow/highlight member benefits

10. THANK YOU Pablo Molina: molina@georgetown
THANK YOU Pablo Molina: Karen Wetzel, ACTI Program Manager: