Frequently Asked Questions

What is UCCSC?

UCCSC stands for "University of California Computing Services Conference."

Begun as a grass roots effort by UC campuses to share knowledge and information, computing professionals from the UC campuses (and others for whom technology constitutes a significant portion of their daily activities) have met each summer since 1982 to discuss common issues associated with providing and supporting information technology services at the University of California.

Each summer a different UC campus hosts UCCSC.

How did UCCSC get started?

The first "conference" was at UC Santa Cruz in 1982. It was hosted by Jim Mulherin, a consultant who suggested that UCSC find out what other UC campuses were doing with respect to academic software. The focus was strictly on academic software and it was held in a conference room on campus. Twenty-one people attended.

Where and when have past UCCSCs been held?
  • 2002 - Berkeley
  • 2001 - Los Angeles
  • 2000 - Davis
  • 1999 - Santa Barbara
  • 1998 - Santa Cruz
  • 1997 - San Diego
  • 1996 - San Francisco
  • 1995 - Riverside
  • 1994 - Berkeley
  • 1993 - Irvine
  • 1992 - Davis
  • 1991 - Los Angeles
  • 1990 - Santa Cruz
  • 1989 - Santa Barbara

Who attends UCCSC?

Each year, UCCSC draws approximately between 200 and 300 computing professionals (and others with a variety of job titles and/or appointments for whom technology plays a significant role in their daily activities) from across the University of California.

Participants include technical support staff, system administrators, unit directors and managers, librarians, information security experts, and others.

What types of presentations have been made at UCCSC?

Topics range from campus technical issues and projects to organizational and policy issues. Below is a sampling of past topics:

  • Online Collaboration Made Easy
  • Web Application Security
  • UC-Wide Datacenter Colocation Services at UC San Diego
  • IT Security Policy Compliance and Auditing at UC Davis
  • Scientific Computing in the Cloud
  • Getting Started with Moodle: Lessons learned at UC San Francisco in the first year of implementation
  • UCSB's Web-Based Systems and Network Management for the Helpdesk
  • Electronic Exam Return: save time, space, and money
  • DLs, LITS and Global Desktop - Managing Client Relations @ UC Santa Cruz
  • Credential Stealing Attacks – A case study of a recent major international incident
  • The UC Berkeley Calendar Network: Development of a Campuswide Event Calendar
  • Designing Accessible Web Sites
  • Legal2Share – Fostering an Innovative Marketplace for Online Entertainment Services
  • Online Class Evaluations
  • QuickTemp - "An IT Innovation for Managing a Temporary Staffing Process"
  • Panel Session on Scientific Cluster Management
  • Interoperability and UC's New Image Service
  • UCR Smart Classrooms
  • Current Identity Management Initiatives at UC & Beyond: UCTrust
  • UC Davis Vulnerability Scanning and Remediation
  • UCLA’s Shibboleth Plan
  • UC Irvine's New Anti-Spam Measures

What can I expect to learn at UCCSC?

Aside from the subject matter discussed in the seminars, you will learn what other people are doing at other campuses in IT. You will have opportunities to network with people from other campuses who do the same thing as you, enriching your understanding of how things operate UC-wide.

How can I subscribe to the official UCCSC listserv?

Fill out the subscription form at http://maillists.uci.edu/mailman/listinfo/uccsc

How can I contact the UCM team hosting this year's conference?

Send email to uccsc@ucmerced.edu. Also follow us on Twitter "@uccsc2011".

What is the theme for this year?

"Information Technology On The Horizon". We are embracing our geographical location (you should see a lovely and unobscured sunrise in the morning), and we also are looking at future technology paths so we can better plan for what is coming.

What were some of the themes at previous UCCSCs?
  • 2010 - No Limits!
  • 2009 - Focus on Security
  • 2008 - Now UC IT...
  • 2007 - Celebrating 25 Years of Technology Excellence
  • 2006 - Imagine What's Next
  • 2005 - Getting IT Done. Getting IT Right. Getting IT Done Right.
  • 2004 - Fast Forward: UC IT 2010
  • 2003 - Threads in the Academic Fabric
  • 2002 - Improving Life Through Technology
  • 2001 - Universal Access: Anytime, Anywhere
  • 2000 - Portal to the Future
  • 1997 - Connections
  • 1995 - Preparing the Inn Along the Information Super-Highway
  • 1994 - Building Quality Computer Services
  • 1993 - Using Networking and the Network to Create Less Net Work
  • 1992 - How Do We Leverage Our Diversity?
  • 1991 - Computing Sourcebook Instead of Annual Reports