Cal Poly Information Portal Recognized for ‘Setting the Pace’ by Tech Magazine

The publication, a journal for the information technology industry, chose Cal Poly to receive its “Best Practice Award” for the portal – one of only four “Best Practice” awards published by the magazine in 2002. In an article in the January 2003 edition, KM World outlines and praises Cal Poly’s 18-month development and launch of the MyCalPoly portal http://my.calpoly.edu. The portal is an online service providing “one sign-on” access to a personalized information Web site for Cal Poly students, faculty and staff.

Campus users can customize the layout, colors, and information content they want to appear on their own MyCalPoly portal pages. “Real time” (continuously updated) content for students available on the portal includes access to online course registration and services, grade information, student account information, financial aid status, course information, a search directory and more. All campus users receive a Campuswide Announcements information channel and can also subscribe to a Cal Poly News channel, a Mustang Daily news channel, other off-campus online news services, a poll/survey channel, and more.

Cal Poly’s Information Technology Services department launched the MyCalPoly portal in summer 2001, aimed initially at students. Since then, the MyCalPoly portal content has expanded to include offerings for university faculty and staff. The portal now has some 20,000 registered users, said Cal Poly Web Strategist Chris Stavros. An average 6,000 individual visitors log into the portal daily, with up to 10,000 visitors logging in during peak weeks at the beginning and end of each quarter, Stavros said.

ITS intends to continue adding information features to the MyCalPoly portal, including more information targeted to faculty and staff members.

In its recognition of the MyCalPoly portal, KM World noted that “Cal Poly’s aggressive approach to implementing a portal … puts it at the forefront” of university information technology efforts.

“The MyCalPoly portal provides a fantastic foundation that we can use to build more best-of-class, Web-accessible applications and services for our users,” said Stavros. “If you think MyCalPoly is hot today, just wait. We’ve only scratched the surface.

Best Practices: January 2003 Power portal: Cal Poly sets pace with Web services

KMWorld Magazine, January 2003, Volume 12-Issue 1