The University of St. Thomas' future looks bright as the Office of Information Technology (OIT) brings digital transformation (Dx) to campus. 

"OIT has been extremely busy this summer completing more than nine projects across the institution," Dr.Reginald Brumfield, Chief Information Officer, said. "Their goal has been to identify ways to create efficiencies while implementing automation that will be the foundation of UST's success in the coming years. 

"The era of Digital Transformation is upon us," Brumfield said. "We are looking for ways to optimize the University through shifts in culture, automation, and increased use of technology. Digital transformation involves technology solutions to meet the institution's mission and goals. Dx is the key to moving the campus forward and modernizing how we do business."

Some notable summer projects include:

·         The New Digital Wall at Crooker Center is part of a digital signage solution that has allowed OIT to partner with departments and display important content for students, faculty, and staff.

·         New Digital Interactive Campus Maps in CSHP & Admissions provide 3D views of the campus. They include wayfinding directions (walking/driving), office buildings, campus police, campus parking, residence halls/student housing, blue emergency phones, restaurants, and IT Genius Bars.

·         The new SharePoint Hub provides a one-stop collection of all departmental SharePoint sites. To include a central repository of information and resources and offers quick and easy access to commonly used documents, forms, and tools.

·         The new Physical Key Control System eliminates the paper-latent process the University has used for years. Securing and tracking physical keys helps make the campus safer for students, staff, faculty, and visitors; it also saves costs and protects against loss. 

·         New Virtual Emergency Operations Center (vEOC) leverages the power of the Microsoft Teams platform to centralize incident response, information sharing, and field communications for hurricanes, active shooters, and disaster recovery efforts.

·         New Blackboard Ultra Course View changes the look and feel of an old solution. Partnering with the Cameron School of Business and School of Education and Human Services as a pilot group and moving courses from Blackboard Classic to the new Blackboard Ultra course view.

·         Coming soon, the New HR Onboarding System in Peoplesoft eliminates paper and multiple emails by providing UST with a streamlined solution for onboarding new staff and faculty.

OIT has also returned to the Crooker Center and CHSP with the IT Genius Bar, where faculty, staff, and students can get their technology questions answered in person. Also, the classroom hotline support number still supports classroom in-progress issues. 

Dr. Brandon Green, Technical Service Director, said, "Our team and student technicians worked tirelessly on demanding projects over the summer, making significant progress in achieving our goals. Witnessing the digitalization of our campus was exhilarating, resulting in improved productivity and innovation."

"Lastly, in the first week of the fall 2023 semester, OIT has assisted more than 200 students, faculty, and staff and has helped with 36 in-progress classroom issues, most of which resulted in a crash-course training for the faculty member with the understanding that every minute not teaching takes away from the students learning time," Brumfield said. "We are excited to see what the Office of Information Technology will bring to UST over the next year."