Information Technology

• Added two staff positions, embedding one in the College of Computing and one in the Padnos College of Engineering to bolster direct support of students and faculty.
• Successfully piloted a new DaaS (Desktop environment) for PCE that will replace WinLab for virtualized desktop lab machines. This new environment provides computing capabilities that greatly exceed previously available, improving the user experience for faculty and students.
• Implemented Dryad as the institutional open-access data repository to meet compliance with the Nelson Memo which requires free, immediate (without embargo), and equitable access to federally funded research.
• Made continuous improvements to the High Performance Computing Cluster (HPCC), which now serves more than 50 faculty and student researchers on campus. These improvements include the addition of packages allowing researchers to harness the cluster's processing power from other university resources and pave the way for improved collaboration between internal and external researchers.

The Bridge's Digital Media Developers worked in collaboration with faculty on a variety of faculty projects. In 2024, 705 projects were completed. More information is available on The Bridge website.

The IT Services team has shown exceptional performance across various areas in 2024. High customer satisfaction rates, efficient ticket resolution, and significant process improvements highlight the team's commitment to delivering high-quality IT services. The focus on classroom technology upgrades, staff training, and continuous improvement through Kaizen events further underscores the team's dedication to excellence in IT service delivery.

IT Services Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

• Total tickets resolved: 6,100+
• Service Commitment Goals/SLAs compliance rate: 95% (58,000+ tickets resolved in compliance and within SLA)
• Customer satisfaction rate: 91% (85% very satisfied and 6% somewhat satisfied)
• Total calls received: 31,641
• Average queue wait time: 15 seconds
• Call abandonment rate: 2.7%
• Average talk time: 7 minutes

These metrics demonstrate exceptional overall service performance, with high ticket resolution rates, excellent Service Commitment Goals/SLA compliance, and strong customer satisfaction. The low average queue-wait time and call abandonment rate indicate efficient call handling.

Process Improvement - Service Catalog Reengineering:

• Categories reduced: 69% (from 29 to 9)
• Services consolidated: 89% (from 305 to 33)
• Service offerings increased: 74% (from 58 to 101)
• Ticket types streamlined: 59% (from 117 to 48)

The service catalog reengineering has significantly improved efficiency and user experience, leading to time savings for both the community and IT staff.

Learning Space Technology Upgrades:

• 100 classrooms upgraded with laser projectors
• 187 instructor stations upgraded
• AV upgrades in key facilities (Loosemore Auditorium, Meijer Regency, Exhibition Hall)
• Continued replacement of VGA with USB-C cables

These upgrades demonstrate a commitment to maintaining and supporting modern, high-quality learning technologies across campus.

Asset Management:

• 8,000+ serialized assets identified and marked as retired
• Comprehensive asset inventory update completed

Improved asset management contributes to better resource allocation and cost control.

Training and Development:

• 44 Kaizen Point Events completed in collaboration with eLearning
• Comprehensive training plans developed for AV and IT Services student technicians
• Identity Verification
• Okta – Password reset
• AV 101
• 111 phone audits completed for IT Service Desk student employees and staff

These initiatives showcase a strong focus on continuous improvement and staff development.

Operational Procedures Improvements:

• Successfully migrated team communication from Slack to Zoom
• Implemented a seamless call overflow handling process with enhanced after-hours support, improving service continuity throughout the semesters and during holiday breaks
• Converted Scantron supply requests to the Laker Store, streamlining processes
• Developed and implemented regular phone calls and IT service ticket audits

These system improvements demonstrate adaptability and a focus on enhancing operational efficiency.

Partnering with others on Campus:

• Nearly 1,100 laptops were loaned to future lakers during 2024 Orientation dates to allow for class registration. This was a new format for class registration that allowed for more 1:1 time with advisors, and new students to promote a better class registration process. This directly impacted nearly a quarter of all new Lakers
• Worked with MOS to improve stickers on public-facing printers to permit easier requests of new consumables or services.

Knowledge Base Improvements:

• Kick-started the process for improving KB articles with consistent use of tags, call-out boxes, organizational categories, and implementation of related SOPs.

This effort will provide a comprehensive knowledge base experience through better support agents' and student technicians' training, leading to faster resolutions of issues.

New Employees:
Assisted in the addition of 3 new positions to the division and successfully onboarded and welcomed 11 new employees.

Technology Acquisition:

• Processed and ordered over 5,962 technology requests of Dell/Apple desktops & laptops, monitors, printers, software, cables/adapters, iPads, and technology peripherals.
• Technology Acquisition partnered with Procurement to enhance the review process for potential expense card violations, with ongoing collaboration to refine the process as additional functionality becomes available in Workday.
• Supported the campus community in acquiring approximately $2.4 million worth of technology.
• Streamlined the entire ordering process, allowing departments to directly order stock items without the need to receive a quote first.

Campus and Community Outreach:

• Increased communications and connections with students, faculty, and staff to foster awareness of IT resources. Tactics included monthly newsletters, events, and social media.
• We actively participated in 18 distinct campus events and maintained a strong IT presence while also engaging with over 30 freshman orientations.
• Mass Communications: Created and sent 55 targeted mass emails to the university community.

Budgets/Contracts:

• Maintained and renewed over 200 contracts for the division and added 23 new contracts.
• Operations worked to move budgets to specific IT cost centers for software and contract purchases/renewals. This created more effective divisional and departmental budget oversight.
• Operations finalized costing allocations to assign student employees to their appropriate cost centers (between IT Operations and Enterprise Services), enhancing wage tracking and forecasting. Additionally, IT Operations implemented Activity Codes for key student job areas to provide a detailed breakdown of spending in each area.

Operational Enhancement

• In collaboration with IT Services, Operations transitioned Scantron supply orders to the Laker Store. This change streamlined the ordering process for campus users and resulted in cost savings for the university through the Laker Store's supplier and shipping partnerships.
• In collaboration with Enterprise Architecture, Operations transitioned purchase requests for MS Visio, MS Project Plan, Camtasia, and SnagIt to TDX by implementing the Software Acquisition Request ticket. Users are now automatically added, eliminating the need for manual processing.
• The technology van run is now managed through Mail Services, ensuring faster delivery to IT Services and enhancing overall efficiency. This change reinforces our commitment to streamlined operations and improved service delivery across the multiple campuses.

• Developed numerous APIs in MuleSoft to assist with integrations between systems. We now have 7 system APIs that connect to Banner, Givecampus, Workday, TeamDynamix, Slate, Pathify (Laker Dock), and Raiser's Edge. These are then used to create processes, of which we currently have 5 that are built for Assets, Accounts, Employee Data, Student Data, and Gifts. Finally, we have developed 2 “experience” APIs that provide final data to external systems. These APIs were developed for VIA TRM and Zoom. The build-out of our integration ecosystem in MuleSoft will continue to provide quicker and higher-quality integrations with systems in the future.

• Collaborated with Human Resources, Payroll, and Business & Finance to stabilize and continue to optimize our Workday Platform deployment.

• Successfully implemented and released The Laker Dock engagement platform to students in the Fall. Since the launch, nearly 5000 community members have utilized the platform accounting for nearly 200,000 sessions during the Fall semester.

• Reviewed and selected Ferrilli as our managed service provider for Banner. By contracting with an outside consultant to manage our Banner environment, the Enterprise Applications team can shift focus to Workday Platform and Student instead of spending time maintaining our legacy system.

Modernization of Data Center
Modernizing data center systems and environments remains a priority for the IT division. As of this year, 150 servers that had been running aging, end-of-life operating systems have been upgraded. In this project, emphasis was placed on enhancing and re-architecting Academic systems, such as HPC Clipper, RStudio, RedCap, Winlab, and specialized learning environments for Academic departments. As an additional focus, work is being carried out to improve the designs of Enterprise Systems, including Banner, Campus Printing, ERP systems, www.gvsu.edu, access controls, and security environments.

System/Client/Cloud Updates:

• RStudio Updates
• School of Computing labs upgraded
• Deployment of 25+ lab software installations and upgrades
• 80+ servers deployed to modernize services and applications.
• MacOS Deployment Refresh
• Windows 11 – Project

Network Modernization
The implementation of GVSU's next-generation networks continues to progress. A five-year plan and budget are currently being developed to enhance and improve the network services provided to the GVSU community, both on campus and remotely. Modernizing wireless authentication services and upgrading the core and edge network infrastructure were among the projects completed.

Network upgrades:

• Au Sable Hall - Completed upgrade of both Wi-Fi and wired network equipment.
• Calder Arts Center - Completed upgrade of both Wi-Fi and wired network equipment.
• Kindschi Hall of Science - Completed upgrade of wired network equipment.
• Maple, Oak and Pine Living Centers - Completed upgrade of both Wi-Fi and wired network equipment.
• DeVos, Pew, Pickard Living Centers - Completed upgrade of wired network equipment.
• Calder Residence - Completed upgrade of both Wi-Fi and wired network equipment.
• DeVos Center - Completed upgrade of Wi-Fi network equipment.
• Holland Police Academy - Completed upgrade of both Wi-Fi and wired network equipment.
• Grand Rapids Art Museum Store - Wi-Fi and wired network connectivity installed for the new store.
• Lubbers Stadium - network upgrades to support the new concessions and deck.
• Seward parking Ramp - Completed network upgrades for new parking payment system.

In 2024, the Data and Analytics Department enhanced the university's data infrastructure and accessibility through strategic partnerships, technological advancements, and process improvements.

Key Accomplishments:

• Data Validation and Integration: Collaborated with Academic Affairs, Advisors, and the Data Advisory Committee to validate academic data, ensuring accuracy. Integrated new sources like TDX, MuleSoft, and Splunk into the Lakehouse, enriching the data ecosystem.
• Dashboard Modernization: Created a centralized Power BI Dashboard Repository for easy access to all Lakehouse reports. Partnered with Microsoft to modernize dashboards, making them more interactive and user-friendly, while implementing secure access controls.
• Process Optimization: Enhanced data pipeline processing times for improved efficiency and set up Azure DevOps for effective data workflow management.
• Future Planning: Collaborated with Microsoft Azure engineers to improve Power BI dashboards and plan for future Lakehouse features, laying the groundwork for additional data source integration.

These efforts reflect the Data and Analytics Department's commitment to building a secure, scalable data infrastructure, empowering stakeholders with reliable insights, and supporting the university's mission.

Security Awareness Training

• KnowBe4 Training: All faculty and staff were assigned security training
• Test Phishing Emails: Simulated phishing emails were randomly sent to various university accounts to evaluate the community's awareness of phishing red flags. Users who interacted with these emails were prompted to complete or review security training. This annual exercise, conducted in compliance with GLBA requirements, raises awareness of phishing threats while teaching participants how to identify and report suspicious messages.

Okta Implementation:
Okta development and rollout continue to improve the security and user experience at GVSU.

• MFA for students: Students are now required to use MFA for most major applications.

PCI DSS:
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) establishes robust security requirements to safeguard cardholder data, and we have recently completed a comprehensive compliance review to ensure a successful migration to the latest DSS 4.x framework.

Process Improvement:

• We successfully migrated Splunk to new system hardware and completed version upgrades to enhance performance and reliability.
• Dashboards were created to visualize and distribute vulnerability data, enabling system owners to address potential risks effectively.
• Involvement in the VPN replacement project prioritized enhancing security measures and ensuring robust, encrypted connectivity for users.
• Participation in the Apple Professional Services initiative focused on streamlining macOS deployments to enhance security and improve device management processes.
• Contributed to mail security projects leading to the full enforcement of DMARC, DKIM, and SPF, strengthening email authentication and reducing phishing risks.
• Contributed to the Workday project to enhance system integration, streamline processes, and improve data security and accessibility.

Data Categorization and Data Retention:
Conducted information gathering to support data categorization and retention efforts, ensuring compliance with policies and enhancing data management practices.

Workday Platform (ERP) Program

• Workday Platform – Go-Live January 2024
• Time Clock Replacement – Go-Live January 2024
• Workday Components – 10 Rolling Adoptions
  • Strategic Sourcing – Go-Live/project closed April 2024
  • Advanced Compensation – Go-Live/project closed May 2024
  • People Analytics – Go-Live/project closed June 2024
  • Journeys – Go-Live/project closed July 2024
  • Learning – Go-Live/project closed August 2024
  • Help – Go-Live/project closed August 2024
  • Endowments – Go-Live/project closed November 2024
  • Prism – Project is in progress and on track.
    • Use Case #1: Retiree database go-live December 2024
    • Use Case #2: Background check go-live February 2025
  • Peakon – Project is in progress and on track. The pilot survey was launched in November 2024. Leadership will determine the launch of GVSU's full employee engagement survey in 2025.
  • Adaptive Planning – The project is in progress and on track to go live in May 2025, with the project closing in June 2025.

Workday Student
The Workday Student project officially kicked off in July 2024. Workday Student is scheduled to have various go-live dates in 2026 and 2027.

Azure Platform Implementation

The platform went live on April 8, 2024, as part of Grand Valley's partnership with World Wide Technology (WWT) to build a modern data warehouse on Microsoft Azure. This solution streamlines data systems, integrates multiple sources, and enhances student analytics, delivering actionable insights while establishing a scalable foundation for future data and analytics initiatives.

PCI DSS 4.0 Compliance

The PCI DSS 4.0 Compliance project ran from March to September 2024, focusing on meeting the latest Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. The initiative assessed current practices, standardized best practices, and developed a prioritized roadmap to align with compliance deadlines. These efforts strengthened security measures and ensured adherence to the updated PCI DSS 4.0 requirements.

Laker Dock (University Portal)

Grand Valley, in collaboration with Pathify, created and launched a university portal to serve as a central hub for students, faculty, and staff. It offers easy access to notifications, emails, news, and events on both desktop and mobile devices. The rollout began with a soft launch in March 2024 for a small group of student testers, expanded to incoming students during summer orientation, and culminated in a full launch for all students in Fall 2024. The project initially focused on setup and deployment for students, and the platform is now ready to support additional groups as content and use cases continue to evolve.

TeamDynamix Ticketing System
Additional departments, Admissions and University Development, have successfully implemented TeamDynamix as their ticketing system. This transition has helped streamline operations and enhance service delivery for their departments.

Advanced AV Technology in Event Spaces
Kirkhof Center Refresh – Information Technology and Events Services are collaborating to upgrade the audio-visual (AV) technology in the Grand River, Pere Marquette, Thornapple, and all other event rooms in the Kirkhof Center. This enhancement aims to improve meeting efficiency and communication, ensuring seamless and effective interactions during events and conferences. Additionally, it will project a professional image to the GVSU community and support a more dynamic and engaging environment for all participants.

Lubbers Stadium Laker Deck – The Laker Deck at Lubbers Stadium has been successfully upgraded with six high-definition displays. This enhancement allows fans to watch the game without leaving the deck, encouraging longer stays and higher spending. The project, which included equipment, installation, and integration, is now complete and promises to boost both the fan experience and stadium revenue.

Innovative Learning Environments
Cyber Lab – We are pleased to introduce the new Cyber Security Lab for the Computer Information Sciences (CIS) program. This initiative involves converting the general-purpose classroom MAK D-2-311 into a state-of-the-art facility equipped with new furniture and advanced technology. This transformation will meet the evolving needs of our students and faculty, providing an enhanced learning environment for cutting-edge cybersecurity education.

Holland Campus Renovation for Police Academy – Facilities Planning and IT collaborated to renovate the Holland Campus, which serves as a dedicated facility for the Police Academy. This transformative initiative marked a significant step toward expanding the Police Academy's offerings, enabling year-round education and training. IT played a pivotal role in the AV Technology installation for this endeavor. The PMO worked closely with Enterprise Architecture, IT Operations, IT Services, IT Security, and Facilities Planning to design and implement cutting-edge audio-visual technology across classrooms, conference rooms, common areas, and other spaces, ensuring a state-of-the-art learning environment. This strategic partnership underscored GVSU's commitment to fostering innovation and providing a conducive space for continuous academic and professional development.

Zoom Room Integration for Enhanced Collaboration
The university continues to enhance collaboration by expanding and optimizing Zoom Rooms across conference rooms, event spaces, and classrooms. This initiative aims to create seamless, high-quality video conferencing experiences with improved audio-visual capabilities, easy connectivity, and smart room management features. By integrating Zoom Rooms with existing technology infrastructure, teams can foster more efficient communication, remote participation, and hybrid work solutions.

Notable achievements included

• Reaching a record of nearly 87% of all Bb courses being made available to students in 2024 and 94% utilization of due dates.
• Panopto usage remained high, with 13, 248 hours created and 189,158 hours of Panopto content viewed across all of 2024.
• During the fall semester, Blackboard recorded breaking numbers with over 221,000 sign-ins during the first week, and 96% of students and 97% of faculty accessed the platform within the first two days. In the first 30 days of the fall semester, over 1million+ users logged into Blackboard.
• The team created 121 new knowledge base articles during 2024 and helped contribute to the reorganization of the service portal to improve resource accessibility for the GVSU community.
• eLearning Technologies resolved over 7, 100 support tickets with 92% of users providing a very satisfied ranking to the TDX anonymous surveys.
• 12 eLearning newsletters were published focused Bb enhancements, professional development offerings, and best practices for integrating technology into teaching and learning.
• The eLearning Technologies team was recognized with the Administrative Professional Outstanding Team Project award for their successful LMS migration.
• The eLearning Technologies team earned Anthology's Catalyst Award for "Leading Change” for our contribution and creation of Bb Ultra Transition website which has been shared internationally with other schools migrating to Bb Ultra.

The IT Innovation + Research team was established in February of 2021 with a focus to “reach higher” by leading, coordinating, and facilitating the discovery and exploration of emerging technologies and innovative solutions that lead to digital transformation (DX) across Information Technology at Grand Valley State University. The following highlights from 2024 include:

• The Atomic Object Technology Showcase has engaged with nearly 16,136 visitors since January 2024.
• New technologies were acquired and put on exhibit in the showcase including Apple Vision Pro, Bambu Lab X1 Carbon 3D Printer, Meta Quest 3
• In collaboration with the Seidman College of Business, an AI-generative video solution was created. This "ProfAI" application provides personalized lecture content based on long-form lecture notes.
• I+R's Student Technology and Innovation Guild (STING) completed a virtual reality (VR) patient movement application that was presented at the American Occupational Therapy Association Conference. Additionally, a 360 Courtroom and Ghana Slave Castle project was completed that featured 360 interactive video content. These projects were featured at the Stanford Digital Learning Conference.
• A state-of-the-art volumetric studio was established using 7 Microsoft Azure depth-sensing cameras. This studio was pivotal in creating an engaging opening for the Blue Dot Experience that was part of Tech Week GR.
• Work began to establish a comprehensive "futurEDlab Innovation Model" via Discovery Sessions with the Provost Cabinet, key stakeholders, IT SLT, and IT Leadership.
• Facilitation was provided to investigate and research Transact Campus with key campus stakeholders to review opportunities to modernize GVSU campus IDs with mobile credentials. This work, resulted in a completed project to transition Aramark's point of sale and campus dining meal plans to the Transact platform.
• I+R contributed to thought leadership for the Blue Dot Lab initiative with Eric Kunnen chairing a Blue Dot Lab Tiger Team subcommittee focused on innovation, computing talent, business, community, entrepreneurship, design studios, co-working, and research.
• Campus visits, vendors information sessions, and conferences were attended, to explore and expand GVSU's strategic vision for innovation and emerging technologies including Dell Executive Briefing Center, ASU+GSV Conference, AWE Conference, EDUCAUSE Annual Conference, Stanford Digital Learning Conference, Miller Knoll, Steelcase Workspace Futures team, Ohio State University, Notre Dame, ASU Next Lab, Utah State University, University of Michigan, Ludenso, ArborXR, Uptale, Dell, and Pryon.
• I+R facilitated 14 presentations, including representation at national events including EDUCAUSE, Stanford Digital Learning Conference, Blue Dot Experience, and Tech Talks as part of Tech Week GR and Confluence Festival, and the Notre Dame AI Summit.
• Welcomed Robert Talbert as a Presidential Fellow, focused on the advancement of learning and as lead facilitator for "Laker Learning Futures".
• Hosted 2 innovation open houses on February 6 and October 29, featuring extended reality and artificial intelligence.

See additional 2024 Year in Review [FIX LINK] accomplishments from the Innovation + Research team.

Technology Acquisition maintains a real-time PowerBI dashboard that tracks year-to-date technology purchases and monitors spending.