Kowalski is the Executive Director of User Services for the Statewide Office of Information Technology. He comes to the University with 20 years experience in public education and technology integration in Rural Alaskan schools. Kowalski is a UAF graduate, holding degrees in Education and Biology. He earned a Master’s degree in Educational Technology Leadership from George Washington University. Most recently, he served as Director of Technology and Information Services for the Northwest Arctic Borough School District. He has also served as adjunct professor for Chukchi College designing and implementing technology courses for K-12 educators and as consultant to the State of Alaska Department of Education, reviewing statewide technology plans. He teamed with state and local agencies and the Lt. Governor’s office to design and help pass the Alaska Waiver of the Federal E-Rate Program. He was appointed member of the Alaska Information Infrastructure Policy Task Force, State of Alaska UNITY project and is a founding member of the Alaska Distance Learning Partnership.

Outside of work, Karl and his wife, Sandy, enjoy spending time in the outdoors with their four growing boys. Soccer, camping, gardening and enjoying all the Interior has to offer keeps them more than busy.

Office of the CITO

The Office of Information Technology (OIT) is pleased to announce that over the summer of 2011 OIT Telecommunications Services will upgrade voicemail systems from Meridian Mail to Unity Voicemail. This is part of phase I of the campus-wide infrastructure and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) upgrade project designed to upgrade the UAF network infrastructure, replace the outdated telephone switch, and merge voice and data traffic into one simplified core network.

There will be no changes to how you access your voicemail; however, after the upgrade you will need to update your password and greeting. Unread and saved messages on Meridian Mail will still be available for retrieval and playback.

As the change will occur during the summer break, faculty and staff will want to check their University email account or the OIT website at www.alaska.edu/oit for updates and notification of the date of the upgrade.

As with any campus technology concerns, please contact the OIT Support Center at (907) 450-8300 or toll-free at (800) 478-8226 for any network or telephone questions. For questions about the infrastructure and VoIP upgrade project contact Kevin Jacobson, project manager, (907) 450-8021.

The Office of Information Technology and project partner World Wide Technologies (WWT) kicked off Phase I of the UAF Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) project on February 8. This project addresses the deferred maintenance needs of UAF’s network and phone systems. The majority of telephony products on the market today are based on VoIP technology and legacy products are generally no longer available.

This project will replace the existing telephone switch, which is past its end of life and is no longer serviceable; converge voice and data traffic to one core network; and upgrade the UAF Network Infrastructure and deploy a deferred maintenance schedule. This is the first of a 3 phase project and is expected to be complete by June 30, 2011, and will include:

• Core VoIP system installation and telephone switch replacement
• Core network upgrade
• New voicemail system for all UAF and SW telephone customers
• Installation of 140 VoIP handsets throughout Duckering Building

The project is being completed as a joint effort between the Office of Information Technology, UAF Facilities, and WWT. WWT has completed projects of this nature for the State of Alaska, as well as the UAA and UAS campuses.

For questions or additional information about the VoIP project contact:
Kevin Jacobson, Project Manager
(907) 450-8021
kljacobson@alaska.edu
OIT Project: VoIP

I am happy to announce that the proposal “Bridging the e-Skills Gap” submitted by the University of Alaska on behalf of 21 project partners has been funded by the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). This project is part of the NTIA’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP), funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

This $4.5 million grant, with an additional $2.4 million in matching contributions, will allow project partners to promote broadband adoption and access across the state. The project will provide computer skills and broadband awareness training to residents in remote villages across the state, particularly targeting dozens of Native American villages that are most in need of improved service and adoption levels.