February 2015

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Division of Information Technology
P.O. Box 6888
Radford, VA 24142
Phone: (540) 831-5173
Fax: (540) 831-6217
Email: cio@radford.edu

Division of Information Technology
Radford University

Technology Assistance Center makes improvements

The Technology Assistance Center (TAC) made great strides toward providing better service to the RU community in 2014. The TAC is constantly looking to improve customer service and technology expertise. Changes that have been implemented:

• The first campus-wide Customer Satisfaction Survey in more than five years was conducted this past fall. Plans have been made to release a similar survey at least once per semester so changes can continue to be made to improve customer satisfaction.
• TAC technicians have begun wearing white oxford shirts with the Division of IT logo embroidered on the front. These shirts will easily identify the technicians when visiting offices and when customers visit the TAC.
• The TAC is now divided into three separate teams which allow specialization in their response to the university's needs. The teams are Helpdesk Support, Desktop Support and Classroom Support.
• A student/employee training program has been developed that includes a focus on customer service, daily processes and procedures, troubleshooting methodologies, networking basics and technical writing.
• A trip to the walk-in center in Heth Hall 157 boasts a new layout that includes a set of tables distinctly separating technicians from customers. This separation provides less confusion for walk-in customers.
• Two televisions have been installed in the TAC walk-in area that will provide campus information and entertainment for customers while they wait.
• The number of students employed at the TAC has more-than-doubled, from 10 to 22. This increase will help to provide faster and more efficient service. As part of this expansion, a student leadership program has been introduced within the TAC.
• The Division of Information Technology (DoIT) has recently implemented a new incident tracking system called ServiceNow. This system will allow the TAC to more efficiently track and respond to requests from the Highlander community.
• DoIT is also working on a self-service portal in ServiceNow that will be known as the IT One-Stop. This portal will provide some automation and other features that will promote efficiency and expediency.

As you see, the TAC has been actively striving to improve your experience with information technology. Great advances were made in 2014, and more improvements are planned. Stay tuned as 2015 will be a year for us to focus on how to better serve and help the RU community.

Mobile printing kiosks now available

Mobile printing is now available to cloud-based printer kiosk stations located in Young Hall and the Hurlburt Student Center.

This solution provides a cloud service that allows RU students to print securely from any mobile device or laptop/desktop to printers anytime and anywhere, utilizing email or web upload. In addition, users can simply walk up to these devices and print directly from a USB drive or other cloud solution such as Dropbox, Google Drive and Office 365.

Printing is available to students as well as faculty and staff for five cents for black and white and 50 cents for color. The money is taken directly from your RU Express card.

So, give it a try…

• Email your document to print@printme.com
• You will receive a 6 digit code.
• Go to the mobile printer kiosk stations at either Young Hall or the Bonnie (be sure to bring RU Express card) and follow the on-screen directions to pick up your document.

It's that simple. Remember, your document won't be released until you insert your RU Express card.

Technology training offered

Academic Technologies and the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL) offer training opportunities to support RU faculty and staff. Technology-focused classes scheduled in February / March include:

Visit the CITL Training and Development System to view the current schedule of classes and enroll in a session. To learn more or request a one-on-one, group or custom technology training, contact the Academic Technologies office at acadcomp@radford.edu or by phone at 831-7521. You can also check the DoIT Knowledge Base for a wealth of online tutorials, Quick Reference Guides, how-to videos and articles to assist you with campus technologies.

New tool to improve campus social media efforts

Radford University has acquired a powerful new tool to make its social media presence more effective and to make monitoring and posting to social media more efficient.

Hootsuite Enterprise will allow social media managers in different departments to post across 25 social networks from one application, including Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and YouTube. Other benefits include:

• Team members using the system will be able to collaborate with other departments and units on campus using the system seamlessly and efficiently;
• Users will be able to track social media performance and better understand what type of content is most effective at engaging audiences;
• Allowing permissions to be set at a micro level, allowing social media managers to review and approve posts created by team members.

Implementation of the tool will take place over the spring semester.

Update your directory information!

The information used for the online directory is taken from the Banner ERP system. This information can be viewed in the directory itself and also through MyRU on the Personal Information page.

This information can be updated through the Edit option on the Personal Information page. Faculty and staff are encouraged to review this information and make appropriate updates. While doing so, please take a look at your emergency contacts as well.

Just one thing to remember: once you update your information, it will take 24 hours to update in the online directory.

If you have any questions, contact Jackie McNabb at jamcnabb@radford.edu.

Meet the DoIT Staff

Carolyn Hicks
Administrative Assistant for Technology Support Services

How long have you been employed in the Division of Information Technology at Radford University? Three and a half years.

Family: I have been married to my husband, Jeremiah, for 33 years. We have two cats, Emma and Johnny, which we love very much.

Hometown: I grew up in San Antonio, Texas, and moved to Pulaski County in 1975.

Education: A.A.S. in administrative support technology and A.A.S. in marketing and business management.

Interests/Hobbies: I love gardening and spending time with family and friends.

Favorite vacation destination: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Favorite part of your job: Having the opportunity to help RU faculty, staff and students.