NEIUworks, NEIUport - what are they?

On Jan. 2, 2007 Northeastern students will be able to use a single log-in to access the university-wide Internet portal, as they are created

To access the university e-mail and Blackboard. group functionality and RSS feeds will be added eventually to the NEIUport system.

According to an online PowerPoint presentation created by the NEIUport team on neiu.edu, the information portal will, "streamline the process for enabling student, faculty and staff member access to campus systems and services based on individual roles and status."

Students will eventually be able to receive updates from their degree departments, access student groups, and view articles from the Chronicle of Higher Education, as well as other media sources. Erika Krehbiel, director of public relations, said that NEIUport "will be a process of loading things as they become available."

A group forum took place on Sept. 5 in an effort to start a dialogue about what features students need to make their interactions at NEIU as positive as possible. Group communication proved to be a top priority for students. NEIUport will allow students to create and maintain groups by inviting members and sending group-wide messages. According to Krehbiel, there will be more of these forums in the future as the system grows.

Online class registration will become available in the next two years. The ability to register online and have enterprise resource planning (ERP) software is something that the university has "always had a desire" to provide, according to NEIUport Director and Dean of Libraries and Learning Resources Brad Baker. "You can't make old machines do new tricks," he added.

NEIU's $15 million paycheck to SunGard, the ERP company that has been hired by Kent State University, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Wake Forest, Northeastern University in Boston and others, will remedy NEIU's outdated technology.

According to Baker, this "anytime, anywhere, self-service" tool will "empower people."

For more information, click the NEIUport icon at neiu.edu.