About Year 2000 at Penn
Penn's Year 2000 initiative is focused on easing the transition of
faculty, students, and staff through effective communication,
school/center sharing of
best practices, and the coordinated design and execution of a
University-wide process. The project's goal is not just to fix date
problems, but to ensure continuation of the University's core
processes via a strategy of:
- Focusing on what is important for continued success
of the institution,
- Raising awareness and leading by example,
- Getting started early,
- Recognizing the need for latitude in adapting technical
and programmatic solutions,
- Maintaining an appropriate perspective through a
results-focused assessment to identify and prioritize conversion needs, potential problems, and constraints,
- Developing concrete and manageable project plans and
budgets,
- Verifying Year 2000 plans, projects, systems, and devices.
- Developing risk-based Year 2000 contingency plans
The problem is real
The gravity of this dilemma is more than just rhetoric and the
deadline is unforgiving. Year 2000 problems can affect any system
that has a microprocessor, including
embedded systems that control the operation of equipment,
machinery, or plant facilities. Mainframes, client/server
platforms,
personal computers,
research databases, security systems, HVAC applications, elevators etc., are all at risk - at 12:00 a.m. on January 1, 2000 or sooner. Certain systems perform scheduling and/or establish critical action dates
now that look beyond January 1, 2000 and can impact
operations well in advance of the actual date change. For example, Penn's Student Registration System (SRS) has already undergone a complete Year 2000 overhaul and successfully processed the incoming Classes of 2000 and 2001.
Recipients of grants and cooperative agreements (e.g., from The National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Education) may also have a responsibility to ensure that their supported activities are not adversely affected by the Year 2000 problem.
Potentially affected items include computer systems, databases, and other equipment. NSF recently published an Important Notice to Presidents of Universities and Colleges and Heads of Other National Science Foundation Grantee Organizations that reminds its awardees of their responsibilities regarding Year 2000 compliance.
Penn has a plan
Penn has a detailed
project plan to address the Year 2000 problem. It has three
major components:
Core Administrative Systems
Core Infrastructure
University-Wide Coordination
Need more information?
Each administrative and academic unit at Penn has a Year 2000
coordinator. These representatives are most familiar with the
Year 2000 efforts going on in your area. In most cases, you should
direct questions and comments to them. Refer to the
coordinator's list to find out who your Y2K coordinator is and
how to contact them.
Penn's Year 2000 web site provides information about the
project in general,
status reporting,
and timely and updated links to other
resources of interest to the Penn community. We are all learning -
and at the same time searching for the most efficient ways to
address this challenge. For that reason, we encourage you to
visit often and stay current with the latest information,
products, and technology available to assist you in the Year 2000
transition.
If you would like more information about
the Year 2000 effort or wish to submit your own information to
Penn's Year 2000 Web site, e-mail your request to year2000@isc.upenn.edu.
