 
The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO), Educational Institutions Partnership Program (EIPP) has a mission to promote the development of the technical infrastructure in our nation's Historically Black Colleges andUniversities and Minority Institutions (HBCU/MI's). As a result of this mission, the UnitedStates Department of Defense (DoD) has conducted an assessment providing evidence that HBCU/MI's are not prepared for Electronic Commerce/Electronic Data Interchange (EC/EDI). The DoD assessment also revealed that there has been no known outreach effort extended to HBCU/MI's to promote their involvement as EC/EDI trading partners with DoD.Clark AtlantaUniversity (CAU) has combined efforts with the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), to bring the Historically Black Colleges and Universities/ Minority Institutions Electronic Commerce Initiative (HECI). Clark Atlanta University is currently interacting with HBCU's in the southern region on Electronic Commerce/ Electronic Data Interchange (EC/EDI) as an Atlanta Electronic CommerceResource Center. DISA support allows CAU to extend their experience in EC/EDI to other HBCU/MI's.CAU will outreach and provide EC/EDI services to all interested HBCU/MI communities.The AECRC is a part of a sixteen-center network, which has a primary mission to promote awareness and provide implementation of Electronic Commerce (EC) and related technologies for a competitive U.S Industrial base. The Goal of the HECI project is to introduce, educate, and assist HBCU/MI's in implementing Electronic Commerce (EC) and Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) related technologies. The DoD is aggressively moving towards using EC/EDI technology to process requests for proposals, purchase orders, shipping notices, receipts, invoices, payments,and a variety of other business documents. The Federal Government expects it's suppliers to be EC/EDI capable by the end of 1999. Electronic Commerce (EC)and Electronic Data Interchange(EDI) are terms used to describe business activities conducted electronically through the use of computer technology andstandards.It is simply the application-to-application transfer of key business transaction information in a standard format via a computer-to-computer communications link. Clark Atlanta University will provide EC/EDI services to HBCU/MI communities that express interest in the EC/EDI tool. A Help Desk is available at the CAU Electronic Commerce Resource Center (ECRC)location to facilitate EC/EDI inquiries and this can be reached from the information provided below. CAU/HECI Help Desk Phone:(404)880 6626 Fax:(404)880 6735 Email: ychatmon@visidel.cau.edu back |