The March 2013 issue of College Planning & Management features an article on the disaster recovery partnership between the University of Puget Sound and Pomona College in Claremont, California. The illustrated article can be found on page 53 in the digital version of the full magazine.

College Planning & Management is published by the Peter Li Education Group.

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

Topics include the March 25 go-live of the Campus Solutions module in PeopleSoft, digital pedagogy in a liberal arts setting, and the new HR recruiting system coming in April.

The next issue of TechNews is scheduled for distribution in August. Please send ideas for articles and other suggestions to technews@pugetsound.edu.

Spring break hours at the Technology Service Desk will be 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Service Desk will be closed March 16-17 and March 23-24. Normal hours will resume at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, March 25.  Have a great break, everyone!

Our own Jeff Strong! Okay, so it isn’t the Academy Awards, but we in Technology Services are extremely proud of Jeff for his winning entry in the university’s recent 125th anniversary video contest. Spend four minutes watching To The Heights and you’ll understand why. It’s a wonderful tribute to Puget Sound and yet another example of Jeff’s amazing multiple talents. So add award-winning video producer to photographer, sand sculptor, and yes, development lead for Technology Services. Congratulations, Jeff!

Puget Sound’s network share servers have new names!

For faculty, the server formerly known as “alexandria” is now FacultyFiles
(so use \FacultyFilesyour username to map your drive)

For staff, the server formerly known as “merlin2” is now StaffFiles
(so use \StaffFilesyour username to map your drive)

For students, the server formerly known as “alexandria” is StudentFiles
(so use \StudentFilesyour username to map your drive)

Please note “alexandria” and “merlin2” will still work for those who have already mapped their shares using those names. For more info, see Map to a Network Share within vDesk.

The latest Optimize celebration took place Monday, January 28, to mark the successful implementation of the PeopleSoft Human Resources module. Colleagues, dignitaries, and just general fans gathered in the garden level of Howarth Hall to congratulate team members on going live and making payroll in the new system (twice now!).

There was  greeting, eating, and, of course, music to enjoy. All team members autographed the individual HR logo sign, and team leads Jessie Carter (general HR), Katie Holmes (payroll), Mona Lawrence (Career and Employment Services), and Shannon Briggs and Ana Burns-Johnson (benefits) added their signatures to the Optimize wall in the project lab.

Congratulations, HR module team!

The new Human Resources module in PeopleSoft went live this week! Special thanks to those involved in this major accomplishment, including colleagues in Accounting and Budget Services, Business Services, Career and Employment Services, Human Resources, and Technology Services. A number of these folks worked during the winter break closure to make this happen, and their dedication is appreciated greatly!

Sherry Mondou, vice president for finance and administration, has sent faculty and staff an email message detailing what they need to know and do as part of this transition. Key points include:

• PeopleSoft Human Resources has replaced the Kronos timekeeping system for staff and the Student Employment Time Entry (SETE) system for student staff. Reporting and approving staff and student staff time will now be done in PeopleSoft Human Resources, which can be accessed through the Cascade menu. Also, student staff are now on the same semi-monthly payroll as faculty and staff.
• It is important to get trained on how to enter time and, if a supervisor, how to approve time in the new system. Register for a training session and see the training handouts on the Optimize Training site (requires Puget Sound login).
• It is critical to meet timesheet deadlines. For the current pay period, these are January 7 for submission by staff and student staff and January 8 for approval by supervisors.
• Expect to see changes under Your Employment Information in Cascade. Most of the items there will be removed soon (eventually such information will be accessible through PeopleSoft). Note that Form W-2 wage and tax statements will remain available there for some time.
• Please contact the Technology Service Desk at servicedesk@pugetsound.edu or 253.879.8585 if you have any questions or issues. Since the implementation team is still very busy with configuration and other issues, please do not contact Career and Employment Services, Human Resources, or Payroll directly with PeopleSoft questions. The Service Desk will be very glad to assist or get the answer you need.

The patience and support of the campus community is very much appreciated at this time!

TS staff will present on a range of technology topics and tools during the annual Professional Development and Enrichment Conference for university faculty and staff to be held Monday, January 14, through Wednesday, January 16. Topics include Adobe InDesign and Photoshop, Buying a New Home Computer or Printer, Choosing a Mobile Device, Google Maps, iMovie, iPad User Group, Microsoft Publisher, Moodle, and SoundNet. Sessions on PeopleSoft Timekeeping will be offered as part of training related to Optimize Puget Sound.

Representatives from the Office of Communications will present on this year’s planned upgrade to the content management system for the campus website, social media at Puget Sound, and the university’s online image library.

See the conference schedule for session descriptions, dates, times, and locations. To register, send a list of requested classes to trainme@pugetsound.edu or call 253.879.3369 by Monday, January 7.

The TS team extends best wishes for a happy holiday season. Our offices will close today, December 21, at 5:00 p.m. and will re-open January 2 at 8:00 a.m. We look forward to serving the campus community in 2013!

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

Topics include faculty use of Moodle, TS staff who got their start as student staff, the new Project Management Office, the January 1 go-live of the Human Resources module in PeopleSoft, and planning for the March go-live of PeopleSoft Campus Solutions.

The next issue of TechNews is scheduled for distribution in February. Please send ideas for articles and other suggestions to technews@pugetsound.edu.