Due to University regulations, faculty members are restricted from sending sensitive information through conventional email. This includes grades, passwords, and confidential records. However, the Protected Email Attachment Repository (PEAR) enables University of Illinois faculty, staff, and students to securely exchange information in cases where University policy dictates users cannot use conventional email.

PEAR is more secure than conventional email because PEAR messages never pass through any other servers besides the PEAR server. Anyone with a valid University of Illinois NetID can use the PEAR application.

To learn more about PEAR and how to start using the application, please visit this site.

Our college offered 21 courses with 1088 students enrolling and 953 completing their classes. We want to commend LAS instructors for their teaching efforts and helping expand the educational options available to students. We would also like to thank and acknowledge the staff in ATLAS & CITL for being available over the break to support students and faculty.

As part of the ATLAS move to a new framework for creating department websites we have three more departments to announce! At the beginning of January we released new websites for the Spanish & Portuguese, Slavic Languages & Literatures, and Sociology Departments. That makes 13 departments running on the new framework. The new approach uses a Content Management System (CMS) that allows department staff to make changes to the site directly in a web browser; no special software required. In addition to the new back end tools, the framework also includes a clean new appearance that adopts many of the latest web design trends, is mobile friendly, and is highly accessible to all.

The new framework is an optional upgrade that ATLAS is providing free of charge to departments. We are rolling out the new framework to departments as fast as we can and will be contacting each department to consult on migrating their site. The new framework brings some consistency in design but also brings many customization options to allow each department to highlight the things most important to them. You can see the variety of layouts by visiting the other LAS departments using their website to highlight the great work they are doing.

For more information and a complete list of LAS departments using the framework, visit the LAS Knowledgebase. If you have questions about your current department website or any other web based needs, please contact atlas-web@illinois.edu.

Many students have been using the open computing lab that we introduced last summer in FLB G8D that provides walk-in workstations and lounge type seating. During the winter session, we updated another set of classrooms to enhance the experience of our students and faculty with innovations that include Apple TV & high definition projection. The ATLAS Help Desk in FLB G89 as well as the open computer lab in FLB G8 have new hours this semester: 8am-6pm Monday-Thursday & 8am-5pm on Friday.