TS Newsletter Makes Its Debut

Technology Services has produced the first issue of TechNews, a quarterly newsletter distributed to faculty and staff and in various public locations across campus. Topics include the launch of Optimize Puget Sound, Visiting Professor Holley Hansen’s use of technology in the classroom, and plans for implementing PrintGreen in the fall semester.

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

TS Welcomes Three New Staff Members!

Technology Services is pleased to note three new names on the department’s staff list.

Alexis Greenwood and Jessica Hartenstine have both joined the Client Support team as desktop support specialists. Alexis is a 2010 Puget Sound graduate with experience in customer relations and marketing. As a student at the university, Alexis worked for Technology Services as part of the ResNet and Telephony teams. Jessica holds degrees from Pierce College and Tacoma Community College. She has extensive educational and work experience in information technology with a strong focus on customer service and technical support. Both Alexis and Jessica will be assisting members of the campus community who contact the Client Support team for technical support.

Emily Precht-Patterson is the new project coordinator for Optimize Puget Sound. Also a 2010 Puget Sound graduate, she specialized in event planning and market research in previous work positions. Emily is assisting with the extensive scheduling of meetings and development of various communications required in the management of Optimize Puget Sound.

Welcome, Alexis, Jessica, and Emily! We are glad to have you as part of the Puget Sound family.

Oracle Press Release Announces Puget Sound Software Selection

A new press release from Oracle Corporation announces the university’s recent selection of Oracle’s PeopleSoft applications and Oracle Hyperion Public Sector Budgeting and Planning. The release details the reasons Puget Sound selected Oracle products and quotes Sherry Mondou, the university’s vice president for finance and administration, and Steve Koporec, vice president, applications, for Oracle Higher Education. Check it out!

Technology Sessions at Professional Development and Enrichment Conference

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 which is held Monday, January 9, through Thursday, January 12. There will be sessions on Buying a New Home Computer or Printer, Google Maps, iMovie, Mobile Devices, Moodle, New to Computers, Photoshop, Presenting with Digital Tools, SoundNet, vDesk, and Web 2.0 Tools.

Representatives from the Office of Communications will present on using the content management system for the campus website, social media at Puget Sound, and the university’s online image library. Sessions specifically related to the work involved in Optimize Puget Sound include Decision Making and Delegation and Adapting to Change, both of which will be presented by Susan Coskey of BrightSpring Consulting.

Most sessions are still open for registration. See the conference schedule for more information, including dates, times, locations, and session descriptions. To register for sessions, email trainme@pugetsound.edu or call 253.879.3369 by Friday, January 6.

Tech Center Hours Extended as Semester Ends

Beginning Thursday, December 8, hours at the Tech Center in the lower level of Collins Memorial Library will be as follows:

          Thursday-Friday, December 8-9, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
          Saturday-Sunday, December 10-11, noon to 10:00 p.m.
          Monday-Thursday, December 12-15, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
          Friday, December 16, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The Technology Service Desk will be open Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m. between semesters. However, the Service Desk will be closed from December 23 through January 2 for the holiday break.

Cascade Upgrade Successful; Follow-up on Account Issues

Planned updates to several of the university’s database systems were performed successfully on Saturday, November 19. Technology Services was able to restore access to Cascade and Cascade Web Forms by noon, and all maintenance was completed by 3:00 p.m., much earlier than had been anticipated initially.

Services have also been restored to those members of the university community impacted by last week’s account issues. If any remaining problems are encountered, please contact the Technology Service Desk at 253.879.8585 or servicedesk@pugetsound.edu.

For more information, see our Service Announcements.

Friday Update on Logon Issues for Affected Staff

Email, Cascade, and most systems requiring a Puget Sound login should be accessible by the 210 staff members affected by yesterday’s account issues. We continue to work on residual issues associated with some of these accounts. Please contact the Technology Service Desk at 253.879.8585 or servicedesk@pugetsound.edu if you experience any problems.

See our Service Announcements for more information.

Your patience is very greatly appreciated!

Latest Update – Logon Issues for Certain Users 11/17/2011

[Updated 11/17/11 6:37 p.m.] Email service has now been restored for affected users. We continue to work to address any residual issues affecting accounts and permissions for these particular members of the Puget Sound community. Your patience and understanding are greatly appreciated!

[Updated 11/17/11 3:37 p.m.] At this time, affected users are being notified individually by the Technology Service Desk that access to Cascade has been restored. We continue to work to restore email and access to other services which require a Puget Sound login. We sincerely regret the inconvenience and thank you again for your patience!

An issue has arisen which affects the Puget Sound login for certain members of the campus community. If you are in this group, you may not be able to log onto university computers or access email, Cascade, Moodle, or other accounts which require your Puget Sound username and password.

We are working to restore service as quickly as possible, but this issue may take several hours to resolve. We appreciate your patience and apologize greatly for the inconvenience.

See our Service Announcements for more information and updates as services are restored. Affected users will be notified directly as new information becomes available.