Dec 2008 - Wayne County Community College District

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National Cyber Alert
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Changing Word 2007
Holiday Highlights
IE/IT Staff
Vol. 1 Issue 14 December 2008
A Publication from the Institutional Effectiveness and Information Technology Departments
A
The Road to Re-Accredition!!!
What is Accreditation and why it is important to the District?
s the District moves forward with its 2010 re-accreditation efforts, it is essential that there is a fundamental understanding of what
accreditation means and why accreditation is important to all the District’s constituencies.
What is accreditation?
The root word “accredit” according to the Webster dictionary means “to recognize or vouch for as conforming with a
standard.” For educational institutions, accreditation is a voluntary method that colleges and universities use to ensure that they are
providing quality education and services to students, faculty, professional staff, and the communities they serve.
Accreditation for WCCCD is both a status and a process. As a status, accreditation publicly acknowledges and identifies WCCCD as
an institution that provides exemplary education and quality services to its internal and external community. As a process, WCCCD is
committed to ongoing peer review and self-evaluation as prescribed by accreditation standards. WCCCD continuously seeks to ensure
quality and institutional improvement.
Wayne County Community College District is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association
of Colleges and Schools (NCA).
Why is accreditation important?
Accreditation is important to all the District’s constituencies because it:
• Ensures the quality and integrity of WCCCD’s programs and services
• Allows students to transfer credits to other accredited colleges and universities
• Enables students to obtain financial aid and veterans services
• Allows the college to participate in projects funded by federal grants
• Ensures that the college can recruit and retain quality faculty and staff
For more information regarding accreditation, please visit the HLC website at www.ncahlc.org, or visit the District’s Self-Study
Center located on the 5th floor of the Central Administration Building. The center is open daily from 2-3 p.m. on Mondays and
Wednesdays, from 10-11 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and on Fridays by request.
IE/IT Newsletter - page 2
National Cyber Alert System
Defending Cell Phones and PDAs Against
Attack
As cell phones and PDAs become more technologically advanced, attackers are !inding new ways to target victims. By using text messaging or email, an attacker could lure you to a malicious site or convince you to install malicious code on your portable device.
What unique risks do cell phones and PDAs present?
Most current cell phones have the ability to send and receive text messages. Some cell phones and PDAs also offer the ability to connect to the internet. Although these are features
that you might find useful and convenient, attackers may try to take advantage of them. As a result, an attacker may be able to accomplish the following:
abuse your service - Most cell phone plans limit the number of text messages you can send and receive. If an attacker spams you with text messages, you may be charged
additional fees. An attacker may also be able to infect your phone or PDA with malicious code that will allow them to use your service. Because the contract is in your
name, you will be responsible for the charges.
lure you to a malicious web site - While PDAs and cell phones that give you access to email are targets for standard phishing attacks, attackers are now sending text messages to cell phones. These messages, supposedly from a legitimate company, may try to convince you to visit a malicious site by claiming that there is a problem with
your account or stating that you have been subscribed to a service. Once you visit the site, you may be lured into providing personal information or downloading a malicious file (see Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks for more information).
use your cell phone or PDA in an attack - Attackers who can gain control of your service may use your cell phone or PDA to attack others. Not only does this hide the
real attacker’s identity, it allows the attacker to increase the number of targets (see Understanding Denial-of-Service Attacks for more information).
gain access to account information - In some areas, cell phones are becoming capable of performing certain transactions (from paying for parking or groceries to conducting larger financial transactions). An attacker who can gain access to a phone that is used for these types of transactions may be able to discover your account information and use or sell it.
What can you do to protect yourself?
Follow general guidelines for protecting portable devices - Take precautions to secure your cell phone and PDA the same way you should secure your computer (see Cybersecurity for Electronic Devices and Protecting Portable Devices: Data Security for more information).
Be careful about posting your cell phone number and email address - Attackers often use software that browses web sites for email addresses. These addresses then become
targets for attacks and spam (see Reducing Spam for more information). Cell phone numbers can be collected automatically, too. By limiting the number of people who have
access to your information, you limit your risk of becoming a victim.
Do not follow links sent in email or text messages - Be suspicious of URLs sent in unsolicited email or text messages. While the links may appear to be legitimate, they
may actually direct you to a malicious web site.
Be wary of downloadable software - There are many sites that offer games and other software you can download onto your cell phone or PDA.
This software could include malicious code. Avoid downloading files from sites that you do not trust. If you are getting the files from a supposedly secure site, look for a web site certificate (see Understanding Web Site Certificates for more information). If you do download a file from
a web site, consider saving it to your desktop and manually scanning it for viruses before opening it.
Evaluate your security settings - Make sure that you take advantage of the security features offered on your device. Attackers may take advantage of Bluetooth connections to access or download information on your device. Disable Bluetooth when you are not using it to avoid unauthorized access (see Understanding Bluetooth Technology for more information).
Author: Mindi McDowell
Produced 2006 by US-CERT, a government organization. Terms of use
IE/IT Newsletter - page 3
CHANGING WORD 2007’S FILE SAVE SETTINGS
Microsoft Office 2007 is a major update to the office suite. Word and other programs in the suite will use new
document formats. Word 2007 saves files in the .docx format, which is different from the .doc format used in Word 97-2003.
The new document format in Word 2007 can cause difficulties when it comes time to share your documents electronically.
So, if you upgrade to Word 2007, you should consider changing the save settings.You can save your documents in a format that
is compatible with earlier versions of Word. That way, you won’t have any problems sharing documents.
Click the Office button
Click Word Options
Open the Save options
Beside Save files in this format, select Word 97-2003
Click OK
Tech Effect’s Holiday Highlights
We, here at Tech Effect, always look forward to the holiday shopping season, and this year is no exception. During the past twelve months, technology
and electronic sectors have previewed and launched many new and exciting products. The appeal of these introductions may be ‘cutting edge’ and accepted by the public, others may entice only the computer geek among us. A few items that caught our attention during 2008 were real standouts. We
marveled at Apple’s new touch iPhone. We witnessed cars that came equipped with a USB port for mp3 devices. Facial recognition software is being
used for automatically identifying or verifying a person during a pc login. The technologies described above are just a few things of late. There are
many upcoming products for gift giving consideration and may appear on a few wish lists:
The Blackberry Storm – Research In Motion’s (RIM) first touch screen Blackberry. This device is positioned to give the iPhone a little competition.
Apple’s iPod Nano - A brand new line of the iPod Nano. This baby now comes in 10 different colors, and 8 and 16G models are available.
Digital, High-Definition, and Plasma Screen TV’s – The FCC has mandated a digital television signal will be required for all TV viewin
by February 2009. This may be a good time to replace those analog TV sets.
Flash Digital/Micro Drives – Flash drive prices have fallen dramatically in recent months. 8G USB drives can be as low as $20. In addition,
look for newly discounted prices on micro cards; those used for digital cameras, cell phones, and other storage devices. Check your favorite electronic
or computer store either in person or online.
Tech Effect is excited about the upcoming season and wishes you and yours a fun & tech-filled holiday!
IT Staff
“Telling Her Story”
ANGELA CANOY-SIMMONS
In October 1996, I began my employment with Wayne County Community College District as a part-time data entry clerk for the Admission, Records and Registration Department at the Eastern Campus.
In October 2002, I began working in the Institutional Effectiveness
Department as a full-time clerk on the College Contingency Plan,
the Above and Beyond project, Customer Service Staffing Initiatives
and other various college projects and events. I have also had the
opportunity to work at other campus locations assisting with the restructuring of the Cashier department.
Since 2005, I have been the Executive Administrative Assistant in
the Information Technology department. The Information Technology department is responsible for all computer technology needs for
the college. My daily responsibilities are to provide secretarial and
administrative support to the CIO and the District Director. Some of
the projects I am currently working on are the Policy and Procedures Manual, HLC Team project, IT/IE newsletter and the CE
events.
IE Staff
IE/IT Newsletter - page 4
“Telling Her Story”
CYNTHIA JOHNSON-BROWN
My educational journey at Wayne County Community College
District continued when I was hired as a General Clerk for the
Institutional Effectiveness Department in July 2002. In this position I assist the Executive Administrative Assistant and the
Vice-Chancellor with general clerical duties. In addition, I
work on the IE/IT Newsletter, survey projects, and college
community events. I am currently assisting our staff with the
2010 HLC/NCA Re-Accreditation project.
My training, work experience and education have always been
to “be of service to others”; for me, working at Wayne County
Community College District, is a perfect fit which allows me the
opportunity to help others on a daily basis and learn something
new in the process.
I am the proud mom of two sons who are experiencing these
wonderful opportunities at WCCCD and delighted that these
experiences are turning into a family affair! In our limited
spare time we are involved in community-based projects and
neighborhood service organizations which focus on young
people and senior citizens. In spite of a fast-paced schedule, I
do have some hobbies - I like cooking, reading, knitting,
television biographies, suspense movies, legal drama, storytelling, concerts and music. One of my 2009 goals is to write a
musical comedy stage play highlighting parenting follies. I am
a big fan of the Motown Music era and have an extensive
music collection that spans more than 50 years.
I am thankful to be a part of a caring team at Wayne County
Community College District. I have experienced, firsthand, the
difference that WCCCD can make in a life – after all, my sons
are one of many fine examples of how exposure, opportunity
and quality education can be a “perfect fit”.
EDITORS NEWSLETTER COMMITTEE
Angela Canoy-Simmons x2669
Cynthia Johnson-Brown x2529
Toni Martin x2766
Russell Hughes X2779
LAYOUT
Gonnie Sellers x2861
IE/IT DEPARTMENTS
801 W. Fort Street
3rd Floor
Detroit, MI 48226
(313) 496-2600
For comments email us at
[email protected]