Open Enrollment: Working Behind the Scenes to Serve Our Community

As an SMU employee, I’ve never really thought too much about all the work that happens for us before open enrollment in order for us to access our benefits. According to Priyanka Nigam, an OIT employee, “when no one notices, and everything magically works right to access benefits, that’s success.”

woman smiling Meet Priyanka Nigam, a seasoned Senior Business Analyst in the Office of Information Technology (OIT) at SMU. With five years of dedicated service, Priyanka has been a crucial player in the intricate process of setting up the back end of my.SMU for the  prior Open Enrollment period.

In a recent conversation, Priyanka shared Continue reading Open Enrollment: Working Behind the Scenes to Serve Our Community

Championing ‘3X3X3 Digital Accessibility’: SMU Academic Tech Leaders’ EDUCAUSE Focus

Jennifer Culver and Jason Warner presenting at EDUCAUSE.In higher education, where all of us benefit from a dizzying array of always new and changing technologies, two leaders from Southern Methodist University (SMU) are working to encourage all of us to, at the very least, use tools we already have available to advance the cause of digital accessibility. At this year’s international EDUCAUSE conference, held in Chicago, Associate CIO for Academic Technology Jason Warner and Senior Academic Technology Services Director and Online Education Manager Jennifer Culver took the stage to call our community to action on this pivotal issue in their session: “3x3x3 for Digital Technology Accessibility.” Continue reading Championing ‘3X3X3 Digital Accessibility’: SMU Academic Tech Leaders’ EDUCAUSE Focus

SMU DataArts: Streamlining Data into a Unified Solution

SMU DataArts logoAt the core of SMU DataArts’ operations lies a wealth of information from various sources, notably the “Cultural Data Profile,” a historical repository that is available on the SMU DataArts website. This invaluable dataset is meticulously curated to support grantmakers and cultural leaders, encompassing a comprehensive spectrum of data from organizations. Ranging from ticket sales, financial records, performance analytics, leadership insights, to venue specifics, this amalgamation of diverse data serves as a valuable resource for decision-makers. Continue reading SMU DataArts: Streamlining Data into a Unified Solution

Student Spotlight: Mastering Microsoft Certifications

Ryan ClintonRyan Clinton recently caught our eye as we noticed he completed three Microsoft Office Certifications, both as a class requirement and for professional development rather quickly. After seeing he had achieved two out of three exams with perfect scores, we reached out to him to learn more about his desire to get Microsoft Certified. Continue reading Student Spotlight: Mastering Microsoft Certifications

SMU macOS Users, Don’t Upgrade to Sonoma Just Yet!

macOS Sonoma iconWhile Apple has launched Sonoma as their latest update to macOS, we recommend that users wait until the next update before upgrading University-owned computers. We know you may be chomping on the bit to click install, but we are currently reviewing any potential conflicts with other University applications or fixes that might be needed.

While you wait, here are a few features that our Mac users can expect in the upcoming weeks. Continue reading SMU macOS Users, Don’t Upgrade to Sonoma Just Yet!