Stellenbosch University: Information Infrastructure Initiative

[Ann Okerson <ann.okerson@yale.edu>]

Date: Thu, 10 Oct 2002 09:25:03 +0200
From: "De Beer Jennifer <jad@sun.ac.za>" <jad@sun.ac.za>
Subject: Stellenbosch University:  Information Infrastructure Initiative

Please distribute as appropriate.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 10, 2002

Contact: Jennifer De Beer +27(21) 808 4367 and <jad@sun.ac.za>

STELLENBOSCH UNIVERSITY LAUNCHES INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE INITIATIVE

Stellenbosch, WC, South Africa - The Information Technology Division,
Stellenbosch University, takes pleasure in launching the Information
Infrastructure Initiative, geared to providing Web hosting services to
scholars, scholarly societies and academic bodies not officially
affiliated with Stellenbosch University. The focus of the initiative will
be on providing services to non-profit entities. As such, the Information
Infrastructure Initiative has the altogether modest aim of providing a
platform for Southern African scholars and societies to establish a
sustained Web presence at highly affordable rates - be it to establish a
Web presence, or to take research output online. Its address on the
Internet is http://webhost.sun.ac.za

"It has been said that in order to determine the future, it is best to
look, not ahead, but around [1]. This is exactly what the Information
Technology Division of Stellenbosch University has done," says Jennifer De
Beer, Stellenbosch University Web Administrator and key instigator of the
initiative. Based on the fair number of requests for hosting space
received to date, the Information Infrastructure Initiative has been born
with a view to providing an affordable technological platform for African
scholarship.

We know and acknowledge that scholars and scholarly societies tend to plow
the bulk of their funds into conference attendance, conference hosting and
print journal publication, often lacking the capital outlay for exploring
the use of new media. It is hoped that by means of this initiative, the
entry-barrier to new media is considerably lowered.

1 - Seely Brown, J & Duguid, P. 2000. The Social Life of Information.
Boston, Mass. : Harvard Business School Press, 2000.

Visit http://webhost.sun.ac.za for more information on the Information
Infrastructure Initiative.