myPugetSound, the university’s new PeopleSoft portal for accessing academic and administrative information, is now available to students. Located at https://my.pugetsound.edu, myPugetSound provides streamlined access to Student Center pages, including registration and financial aid information, and for those who work on campus, Human Resources pages like time sheet and status of earnings.

See more information on myPugetSound, including sample screenshots and the timeline for rolling out access to faculty and staff.

The Tech Center in Collins Memorial Library will close for fall break Saturday, October 18, and Sunday, October 19. The Tech Center, including the Technology Service Desk, will be open from 8:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m. Monday, October 20, and Tuesday, October 21. Regular hours will resume Wednesday, October 23. Have a great break!

Technology Services is pleased to support the 2014 Race & Pedagogy National Conference! However, this means the Tech Center in the lower level of Collins Memorial Library will close at 6 p.m. on Thursday, September 25, and remain closed Friday, September 26, and Saturday, September 27. Regular hours will resume on Sunday, September 28.

Please note on Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. you may still reach the Technology Service Desk at 253.879.8585 or servicedesk@pugetsound.edu.

William Morse, chief information officer and associate vice president for technology services, is quoted in “How Green Can IT Get?”, a recent College & Planning Management article on sustainability in higher education information technology. He cites efforts at Puget Sound that include green recycling of equipment, installation of blade enclosures to consolidate resources in the server room, and the use of energy-efficient thin clients across campus. As Morse notes in the article, “We recognize that our resources are finite and want to do everything we can to stretch those for generations to come. After all, those future generations are who we as institutions of higher learning are here to serve.”

Technology Services is pleased to welcome Vikram Nilakantan as our new Web and Database Developer! Vikram is a new alumnus of the university, having graduated in May. As a student, he worked in the Oppenheimer Café and as technical director for ASUPS. Vikram has served on the advisory group for the new portal, myPugetSound, and will now take a lead in its development. Vikram is originally from Cupertino, California, and enjoys hiking, relaxing at home, and playing tennis.

Welcome, Vikram! We are very glad you are here!

The spring issue of the Technology Services newsletter, TechNews, is out!

Topics include myPugetSound, the new portal planned for PeopleSoft, Professor Rob Beezer and the open source movement, Student Financial Services and the launch of the TouchNet payment portal, and a column on blogs by CIO William Morse.

The next issue of TechNews is scheduled for distribution during the fall semester. Please send ideas for articles and other suggestions to technews@pugetsound.edu.

Technology Services is pleased to announce Andrew Wolf has joined our staff as Network and VoIP Technician. VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, which is the network-based technology Puget Sound uses for telephone and voice mail services.

Andrew was born in Tacoma and lives in Gig Harbor. Interested in computers since childhood, Andrew has worked in technology-related positions since his first job at age 16. He interned at the Peninsula School District and worked as a systems engineer with InsynQ, a cloud hosting provider. In his spare time, Andrew enjoys hiking, spending time with his Flame Point Siamese cat, Buddy, playing video and board games, and volunteering for the 501st Legion’s Garrison Titan as a Stormtrooper to raise money for the Children’s Therapy Center in Kent.

Welcome, Andrew! We’re glad you’re here!

As we approach the end of spring semester, hours for the Tech Center in the lower level of Collins Memorial Library will be as follows:

Monday-Thursday, May 12-15, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Friday, May 16, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Closed Saturday-Sunday, May 17-18

Summer hours for the Tech Center will be 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday beginning Monday, May 19.

A round of applause and hearty congratulations to our Technology Services colleagues, Kristen Spiese, Kyle Cramer, and Carol Odland, for being nominated for the 2014 Excellence in Action awards!

According to the call for nominations from the Office of Human Resources, “The Excellence in Action award recognizes university staff members who consistently exhibit excellence in their work at Puget Sound.” See the full list of nominees on the Staff Senate website. Winners will be announced at the Staff Recognition Luncheon on May 23.