The 2020-21 academic year was full of significant change and growth for the Division of Information Technology. I am proud to preface this year’s almanac with the promise of stories from around the division showing our staff’s great strides to impact and
Key decisions helped maintain communication through the storm
Many Bobcats struggled through last winter’s snow and ice storm, which crippled Texas and led to power outages and water shortages. But thanks to some smart long-term decisions and the hard work and dedication of staff in the Division of
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Staff excellence: Academic and professional leadership and service
Lisa Ancelet, research, instruction and outreach librarian; Dianna Morganti, research, instruction and outreach librarian; Jessica McClean, research, instruction and outreach librarian; Stephanie Towery, copyright officer; Amanda Price, monograph acquisitions librarian; and Laura Waugh, digital collections librarian, were recognized and awarded
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Network infrastructure enhancement, better reliability
Workers from Consolidated Communications (CCI) spliced together high-speed fiber lines and activated a new telecommunications facility on the San Marcos campus in Spring 2021, which created a more reliable Texas State University network. Mike Krzywonski, director of Network Operations in
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Buck Winn mural unveiled at Alkek Library
In the Fall of 2020, the Albert B. Alkek Library received a massive new addition in décor. There is now an 82-foot mural hanging on the second floor of Alkek – one with an interesting history. James Buchanan “Buck” Winn
Staff excellence: Outreach
Kenneth Pierce, vice president for information technology and CIO, attended the virtual EDUCAUSE Annual Conference in October 2020. The conference calls together the best thinking in higher education IT to become even better at what they do. Professionals and technology
Level Up! Next-level classrooms for remote learning
Distance Learning Platform (DLP) classrooms are a level up from the previous ITV technology, allowing faculty to connect to classrooms in Round Rock and to individual students in different locations. The next generation of DLP classrooms installed June 2021 in
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Improved system for securely sharing and receiving files
Bobcats received access to an improved, secure file transfer system on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020, called TXST File Transfer. TXST File Transfer is powered by LiquidFiles, a virtual app that helps companies and organizations send, receive, and share large files
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Staff excellence: Degrees and certifications
Debbie Bilbrey, administrative assistant III, received a master of arts in Applied Sociology from Texas State University in August 2021. Kristy Patteson, buyer III, received her Certified Texas Contract Manager certification from the Texas State Comptroller of Public Accounts in
Insider look at TXST esports arena in LBJ
The Texas State Esports Club got a new arena in the LBJ Student Center in 2020, which features top computer gear and accessories sponsored by the Division of Information Technology. The club plays competitive multi-player games online against some of
Canvas officially arrived at Texas State
On December 15, 2020, Canvas officially became the new learning management system at Texas State. The IT Division led the project management and implementation of Canvas. Still, even before that, we organized calls for proposals from prospective vendors, sent out
Staff excellence: Publications
Laura Waugh, digital collections librarian, co-authored “Accessibility in Institutional Repositories” survey. This study is intended to establish a baseline measurement of current accessibility practices in hopes that studies such as this will help inform the wider community of the challenges
Microsoft Seamless Single Sign-On
Do you get tired of entering your password repeatedly? The Division of Information Technology understands! We have a goal to reduce the number of times you must enter your password. The fewer times you need to enter a password, the
The newest star of Alkek One: YouStar Video II
Alkek One is the Albert B. Alkek Library’s shining gem, and it was recently upgraded! The YouStar Video II is now open. It has many of the same great features patrons love in YouStar Video I: an automatic greenscreen, 4K
Staff excellence: Awards
Jessica McClean, research, instruction, and outreach librarian, was recognized as Texas State University Employee of the Month in December 2020. Several Division of Information Technology staff members were part of the SACSCOC Technical Support team as recipients of the May
Streamlined course evaluations with EvaluationKIT
EvaluationKIT is now the system for course evaluations at Texas State. Online end-of-semester course evaluations received a new and improved design in 2020. There are many advantages to using EvaluationKIT. Most notably, it integrates with Canvas and is mobile-friendly. This
New feature can help protect against phishing
The Division of Information Technology released a new tool in the fight against phishing. As of May 2021, any email a Bobcat receives from an email address outside the Texas State domain (txstate.edu) is considered “external” and includes a visual