This year, the Educational Programs Committee (EPC) partnered with OIT to enhance the efficiency and consistency of program proposals. In collaboration with the Provost’s Office, this initiative focused on simplifying the submission and approval process for faculty proposing new programs, adding classes, or discontinuing existing ones—all through DocuSign.
The project, which launched this semester, was the result of several months of dedicated work. Jorg Cruz, Systems Administrator for DocuSign, explained, “One of the biggest challenges was creating document templates to ensure standardization. This was time-consuming due to the complexity of the forms. Once we standardized forms and approval processes, we used DocuSign to create 22 tailored templates for different types of program requests. These forms allow easy updates and allow us to ensure consistency and standardization.”
Faculty can now visit the EPC website to access the appropriate forms, which are designed to collect comprehensive information and include necessary attachments. DocuSign makes it simple for the team to update forms as needed, such as for personnel or departmental changes.
The implementation involved rigorous testing by Jorge Cruz and fellow Systems Admin Brian Hart, alongside the Provost’s Office, incorporating feedback from deans and key stakeholders across campus. While the project is live, additional forms are expected to be added in the future.
This initiative marks another milestone in SMU’s continued pursuit of digital transformation and streamlines the program proposal process, benefiting both faculty and administrative staff. The collaboration between OIT and the Provost’s Office has been key to its success.
