Jennifer Demski of Campus Technology posted a great article today about the use of mobile technologies to not only enhance communications on campus, but to also provide access to increased administrative information. The article profiles the usage of mobile technology at three institutions: Tompkins Cortland Community College (TC3), Illinois State University and Dartmouth College.

Demski’s first profile discusses TC3’s work with SunGard Higher Education’s web applications to create myMobile, an initiative that allows faculty and staff to send e-mails over the school’s existing SMTP server, which are then received by standard cell phones as text messages. The exciting thing about this initiative is that it is designed to adapt the school’s existing web services for a mobile interface, enabling instant access to vital information over a cell phone or PDA. Students can check their grades, class schedules, and campus news, all with real-time updates. The mobile portal also allows faculty to view class lists, e-mail students, and check their schedules right on their phones.

The article goes on to profile Illinois State Univesity’s adoption of Agilon’s Mobile Access for Development Officers. ISU’s executive director of development information and donor services, Jill Jones, initiated this adoption because she wanted to make sure that her traveling development officers had the most up-to-date donor information when they stepped into a meeting with a potential benefactor. Consequently, development officers at Illinois State can use their smart phones to update prospect proposals on potential donors, examine demographic details of donors and alumni, review a donor’s giving history, and more, all in real time.

Finally Demski discusses Dartmouth College (NH) partnership with Agito Networks to install a campuswide mobile network that allows dual-mode phones to switch seamlessly between cellular signals, campus WiFi signals, and 3G/4G technology, depending on the location of the user. Via “fixed-to-mobile convergence,” Agito’s RoamAnywhere Mobility Router (in conjunction with a little piece of Agito software downloaded directly to the phone) monitors the location of an active cellular device and adjusts its signal accordingly, without any disruption to the call.

Be sure to check out Demski’s full article at Campus Technology.