Empowering Campus Communication:

The University of Texas at Austin

Group E-Mail SystemTim Chamberlain

Deanna Bearden

Introduction

• Ability to manage and distribute official university bulk e-mail

• Can contact any group on campus• Decentralized system designed for flexibility and growth

• Only faculty and staff may send messages

• Background• Web Interface• System Details• Strengths & Limitations• Q & A

Agenda

Background• Late 1990’s UT Austin had need for:

– Ability to reach large number of students & employees

– Ability to target specific groups– Up-to-date e-mail lists using data from Mainframe

– Centralized system with monitoring capabilities

• Group E-Mail went live in 1999• Flexible system design• Keeping up with campus needs

Web InterfaceMain processes: • User requests authorization• Administrator grants or denies request

• User generates unique e-mail list• User sends e-mail through personal e-mail client within UT network

UT Direct Portal

Group E-Mail Home Page

Step 1: Select List

Step 2: Request Authorization

Step 2: Request Authorization, Cont.

Step 3: Await Authorization

E-mail to Administrator

Pending Requests Screen

Grant Authorization Request

Home Page - Authorized

Step 1: Generate E-Mail

Step 2: Generate E-Mail

Send E-Mail

Recipient’s E-Mail

System DetailsMain processes: • User requests authorization• Administrator grants or denies request

• User generates unique e-mail list• User sends e-mail through personal e-mail client within UT network

Authorization Process

Main Natural ModuleTXNPBMOO TXTABLES

Secure E-mail Module

Gatekeeper

Requestor Web Interfac

e

Authorize? The End

Secure E-mail Module

APOLLO

Natural ModuleYes No

TX-TABLES screenshot

E-Mail List GenerationGroup E-mail module finds and calls

specific list creation module TXTABLES

OriginalE-mailDataset

List creation module creates dataset of e-mail addresses

Batch job runs to remove users that have unsubscribed from

Informational messages

FTP step transfers list and policy file to Bulk Mail Server. List name mapped to the unique e-mail

address generated for user.

Policy File

Revised E-mail Dataset

To Bulk Mail Server

E-Mail Delivery

• Must send from UT Network• Plain Text Only• No Attachments• Message Type must be specified in subject• Only one use per address generated• Reply all won’t spam list

Unique e-mail

addressUser’s

E-Mail Client

BMDS: unique address matched to recipient

list, audited, delivered

Strengths– Only University-sanctioned messages

– Real-time list generation– Easily targets specific groups– Centralized interface/decentralized system

– Can accept custom lists– Ability to unsubscribe

Limitations

– Lack of formatting– Possibility of delays– Passive moderation – Must send from University e-mail account

– Lack of control over the decentralized generation modules

Q & A• Questions? • Contact us:

– Tim Chamberlain tim.chamberlain@austin.utexas.edu

– Deanna Bearden dbearden@austin.utexas.edu