[Foundation-l] Wikiversity Re-launch

[Robert Scott Horning]

Due to a major misunderstanding about the whole issue about the role of 
Wikiversity on Wikibooks, I am doing a "Re-launch" of Wikiversity as an 
ordinary new Wikimedia "sister project".  I already added Wikiversity to 
the new project proposal page:

http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Proposals_for_new_projects#Wikiversity

I think that the initial scope of Wikiversity can and should be toned 
down to something realistic that can be accomplished with the current 
set of tools available with MediaWiki software.  Waiting a year or two 
until "appropriate changes" to MediaWiki software are done is IMHO 
totally unacceptable.  I am proposing the following time table for this 
project:

Now to 15 Sept 2005:
Discussion for modifying the scope of this project (done on meta and not 
Wikibooks) will take place over the next month.  *BE BOLD* and change 
the goals to something that can happen realistically.  I certainly will 
be making changes/proposing new goals over this next month.

15 Sept 2005 to 1 Nov 2005:
Formal voting to accept/reject this project, as per 
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/New_project_policy and general policies 
adopted after Wikinews.  The English version of the voting page has 
already been written, but translations need to be done to other 
languages before voting begins.  Hopefully the german version can get 
written quickly as it already has its own wiki run under the Wikimedia 
server farm and semi-official status as it is.

1 Nov 2005 to 15 Nov 2005:
Formal submittal to the Foundation Board for acceptance/denial/rework of 
proposal.  This has been kicking around long enough that hopefully there 
are enough opinions already about the value of this project.

15 Nov 2005 to 1 Jan 2006:
If approved, a transwiki to en.wikiversity.org from en.wikibooks will 
begin.  This will be a complicated process, and there is going to be 
some arguing about what parts need to stay on Wikibooks and what parts 
need to be moved.  This may get ugly simply because the distinction 
really hasn't been in place so far.  Some discussion about this is more 
than likely going to take place on Wikibooks, as it already has with 
with the VfD discussion currently taking place.  This e-mail is going to 
be noted in that VfD.

2 Jan 2006 to 30 Jan 2006:
(If approved) Cleanup of Wikibooks to remove links/redirects/other left 
overs from Wikiversity.  The current group of admins/users on Wikibooks 
can easily handle this issue.

----

If you think this sort of discussion is out of order, and that no new 
Wikimedia projects can or should be adopted for the next year or two, 
please state so **boldly** on this mailing list, specifically why, and 
what the fate of new projects like this ought to be.  This is a new 
project proposal that has clearly been done on a stealth tactic and not 
submitted through normal channels.  I am trying to change that approach, 
but I also know that significant resistance has been mentioned from 
earlier discussions about new project proposals.

What the fate of Wikiversity ought to be if it fails to become a 
Wikimedia sister project is up to further discussion, but I don't think 
it ought to stay on Wikibooks.  In that vein the VfD discussion on 
Wikibooks is totally in order.  As can be seen, at least from my 
viewpoint I am not trying to make a rash decision to kill Wikiversity 
from Wikibooks, and I think the above time table can be acceptable from 
most parties involved.

-- 
Robert Scott Horning