The IT Services team demonstrated continued commitment to excellence in 2025, focusing on enhancing service delivery, optimizing operational efficiency through automation, and strategically upgrading computer labs, classrooms, conference rooms, and other office computers.  

IT Services Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
The 2025 metrics reflect the dynamic environment of IT service delivery. While maintaining high satisfaction, increased demand and complexity are evident in some areas. 

• Total tickets resolved: 61,000+ 
• Service Commitment Goals/SLAs compliance rate: 94% (Percentage of tickets resolved in compliance and within SLA) 
• Customer satisfaction rate: 92% 
• Total calls received: 31,641 
• Average queue wait time: 41 seconds 
• Call abandonment rate: 5%  
• Average talk time: 9 minutes 
• Equipment deliveries: Approx 1,500

Maximize Automation for Improved Service Efficiency
Automation efforts advanced service efficiency through the integration of Zoom Contact Center (ZCC) with TeamDynamix (TDX), enabling faster and more accurate ticket creation. Additional automations were implemented for equipment delivery, asset management, and ticket reporting, reducing manual effort, improving data accuracy, and accelerating ticket routing—resulting in faster resolution times and increased operational efficiency.

Standard Operating Procedures, Knowledge Base Articles, and Re-Image RequestsSOPs, KB Articles & Re-image Requests
Significant progress was made in developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Knowledge Base (KB) content, with 217 new IT Services KB articles created and 248 existing articles updated. In addition, the team completed 471 computer re-image requests in 2025.

Asset Management Improvement
While asset management efforts in 2024 focused on inventory and asset retirement, 2025 reflected a sustained high volume of equipment deliveries and a shift toward process automation. This targeted use of automation streamlined workflows, improved lifecycle management, and positioned the university to standardize a four-year equipment replacement cycle.

Technology Enhancements
Investments in technology upgrades continue to modernize learning and collaboration environments.

Learning and Related Conference Space Technologies
In 2025, in partnership with the Project Management Office (PMO), five new Zoom Rooms were created and seven additional spaces upgraded, significantly enhancing collaborative capabilities. A comprehensive review of learning spaces and labs was completed, with recommendations submitted and the multi-year upgrade plan updated. These improvements provide modern, integrated solutions for hybrid meetings and learning, boosting collaboration and accessibility while ensuring technology investments support long-term educational and operational goals.

Training and Talent Development 
A comprehensive customer service training program was launched to elevate IT Services standards, standardizing interactions, enhancing communication and problem-solving skills, and improving overall customer satisfaction. Ongoing assessments ensure competency and continuous improvement.

New Employees
Assisted with the addition of three new positions within the division and successfully onboarded and welcomed 17 new employees. These efforts supported organizational growth and ensured a smooth transition for new team members into their roles.

Technology Acquisition

• Processed and fulfilled 7,791 technology requests, including 2,023 Dell and Apple desktops and laptops. Additional requests covered a wide range of equipment such as monitors, printers, software, cables/adapters, iPads, and other technology peripherals. This volume reflects strong campus-wide demand and the team's efficiency in meeting diverse technology needs. 
• Partnered with Procurement to enhance the review process for potential expense card violations, strengthening oversight and accountability. This collaboration is ongoing, with continued efforts to refine and optimize the process as new functionality becomes available in Workday. 
• Supported the campus community in acquiring approximately $3.5 million in technology, ensuring alignment with institutional standards and operational needs across departments and academic units. 
• The ordering process was streamlined to allow departments to directly order stock items on Workday without requiring a quote. This enhancement has increased efficiency, reduced administrative delays, and simplified departmental purchasing. 
• Resolved 500 tickets, addressing a wide range of technology-related inquiries and requests. This reflects the team’s ongoing commitment to responsive service and operational support across the university. 

Campus and Community Outreach

• Expanded communication efforts with students, faculty, and staff to increase awareness and utilization of IT resources. Engagement strategies included monthly newsletters, campus events, and targeted social media outreach, fostering stronger connections and improved visibility of available services. 
• Maintained strong engagement through monthly newsletters in 2025, achieving an average mailing score of 9.0, a 49% open rate, and roughly 144 link clicks per month, demonstrating consistent reader interest and effective communication reach.
• Participated in 18 campus events and maintained a consistent presence across the university community. Additionally, the teams engaged with over 30 freshman orientation sessions, strengthening early connections with incoming students and supporters, promoting awareness of available technology resources. 
• Created and distributed 63 targeted mass email communications to the university community, supporting a range of institutional initiatives, events, and informational updates. 

Budgets and Contracts

• Successfully maintained and renewed over 203 contracts for the division, and initiated 37 new contracts, ensuring continued operational support and compliance across departmental functions. 
• Transitioned operational budgets for software and contract purchases/renewals to dedicated IT cost centers, enabling more effective oversight and management at both divisional and departmental levels while enhancing transparency, accountability, and financial planning.
• Finalized costing allocations to ensure student employees are accurately assigned to their respective cost centers within IT Operations and Enterprise Services, improving wage tracking and financial forecasting. In addition, Activity Codes were implemented for key student job functions, providing a detailed breakdown of spending by area and enhancing budget transparency and accountability. 

Operational Enhancement

• Transitioned Scantron supply orders to the Laker Store in collaboration with IT Services, streamlining the ordering process for campus users and generating cost savings through the Laker Store’s supplier and shipping partnerships.
• Moved purchase requests for MS Visio, MS Project Plan, Camtasia, and SnagIt to TDX by implementing the Software Acquisition Request ticket in collaboration with Enterprise Architecture, automating user assignment and eliminating manual processing.
• Shifted management of the technology van run to Mail Services, improving delivery speed to IT Services and enhancing operational efficiency across multiple campus locations.

Workday Projects
Workday Student 

• Developed or supported 155 system integrations.
• Completed the CTCT2 data conversion build on March 24, 2025, meeting the 90% target and validating student, academic, and supporting data domains. Validation results exceeded expectations with ~95% accuracy.
• Prepared for the End-to-End (E2E) cycle, concluding March 2, 2026, including implementation of multi-level course logic to track students enrolled in multiple courses.
• Consulted with functional workstreams on business processes and system configurations.

Workday Orchestrate
Expanded Knowledge Base articles and increased team usage of the Workday Orchestrate product. Many team members completed Workday training sessions, and multiple projects are underway and scheduled for production deployment with the Workday Student go-live.

Workday Platform
Workday Platform integrations included punchouts to CDW and Staples, an Office 365 license feed, multiple Azure Data Warehouse feeds, Academic Impressions learning integrations, and automation to support the addition of academic appointments.

Other
Created a Workday Extend application to automate Academic Participation reporting, approval, and reimbursement. 

Mulesoft Integration Platform
Continued the build-out of Mulesoft. This included: 

• Developed integrations between TeamDynamix and other systems to automate account requests.
• Built APIs connecting Zoom with Banner and Workday to support contact center data.
• Created a framework for administrative requests for Windows 11 and macOS devices.
• Built an API to import gift data into Raiser’s Edge.
• Began developing APIs to support Workday Orchestrate integrations.

Apache Airflow
Apache Airflow is now playing a larger role in the automation of workflows. The team has leveraged the capabilities of the platform, and it is well positioned to be the future scheduling platform for the Enterprise Applications team. 

Transact
Supported Student Accounts and Business & Finance in replacing Core with Transact for student billing and cashiering. This included creating integrations to Banner and Workday and setting up SSO. 

Zoom Contact Center 
Built out integrations and automation in Zoom Contact Center to support the transition from Five9.

Additional Projects

• Worked alongside IT Security and Enterprise Architecture to begin planning the transition of our Identity & Access Management to a new platform or system. 
• Supported the implementation of Adobe Creative Cloud and Express to provide access to the campus community. This included integrations, SSO configuration, and automation. 
• Continued working with Institutional Advancement on data stabilization and reporting needs for RENXT. Supported the selection of EverTrue as the institution’s DXO platform and began assisting with implementation. 
• Worked on major updates to GVAssess and GVAdvance systems. 
• Implemented around 20 new applications with Single Sign-On. 

Modernization of Systems & 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, 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.  Projects included: 

• RStudio Updates
• College of Computing labs upgraded
• Deployment of 25+ lab software installations and upgrades
• 80+ servers deployed to modernize services and applications
• Private cloud upgrades to enhance performance, reliability, and security
• New lineup of Dell laptops/desktops added to our supported model list
• Audit and subsequent conversion of shared mailboxes to enhance usability 
• MacOS Deployment Refresh
• Windows 11 upgrades and deployment project
  • 6,000+ clients converted to Win11 between office and lab environments 
  • Converted ~600 printer installation scripts to Windows 11 
• DFS to OneDrive: 
  • Approximately 29,000 faculty/staff/students data migrated to OneDrive

Network Modernization
Implementation of GVSU’s next-generation networks is ongoing and aligned with an established five-year plan and budget. Network enhancements benefiting the GVSU community, both on campus and remotely, include modernization of wireless services, upgrades to the core and edge network infrastructure, security appliances, and VPN services.

Buildings on Valley Campus had Wi-Fi network equipment upgraded: 

• Alumni House
• Au Sable Hall
• Art Gallery Support Building
• Calder Fine Arts Center
• Calder Residence
• Central Utilities Building
• Children’s Enrichment Center
• Cook-DeWitt Center
• DeVos and Pew Living Centers
• Frey, Hills, and North C Living Centers 
• Grand Valley Apartments
• Hoobler, Johnson, and Ott Living Centers
• Jamie Hosford Football Center
• Kirkpatrick Living Center 
• Kleiner Commons
• Lake Michigan Hall
• Lake Superior Hall
• Manitou Hall
• Maple, Oak, and Pine Living Centers
• The Meadows
• The Blue Connection
• The Commons
• Thomas J. and Marcia J. Haas Center for Performing Arts
• Seidman House
• Service Building
• South Utilities Building 

Buildings on Valley Campus that had wired network equipment upgraded:

• Au Sable Hall 
• Calder Fine Arts Center
• Calder Residence
• Cook-DeWitt Center
• Copeland Living Center
• DeVos, Pew, Pickard Living Centers
• Fieldhouse Pool Area
• Kindschi Hall of Science
• Kistler Living Center
• Maple, Oak, and Pine Living Centers
• North C Living Center
• Robinson Living Center
• Seidman House
• Service Building 

Buildings on City Campus that had Wi-Fi network equipment upgraded:

• Bicycle Factory
• Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences
• Richard M. DeVos Center
• Daniel and Pamella DeVos Center for Interprofessional Health
• L.V. Eberhard Center
• Watson Building 

Regional Campus Buildings that had Wi-Fi network equipment upgraded:

• Battle Creek Regional Outreach Center
• Holland Policy Academy
• Traverse City Regional Center (both Wi-Fi and wired upgraded)
• Lake Michigan Center in Muskegon 

In 2025, the Data & Analytics team successfully established the foundational architectural elements necessary to position data as a strategic institutional asset. 

We are currently in an intensive, yet critical, build and maturation phase. In addition to these scale-up efforts, we are simultaneously managing high-priority operational demands and delivering new capabilities and pilots. This dual focus is centered on two core objectives: 

Focus Areas
Foundation & Governance: We have established the technical landscape using Microsoft Synapse Data Lakehouse and Power BI.  We have formed and operationalized the Data and Analytics Committee (DAC) and associated working groups for strategic intake, prioritization, resourcing, and training. 

Student Success: Key reports that support Student Success Advising have been successfully implemented.  We have recently prototyped the Student Success KPI Dashboard and ingested initial data for the Graduate Enrollment Funnel Dashboard, both of which directly support efforts to accelerate enrollment and retention. Furthermore, a separate initiative to assist faculty and staff with accreditation processes is underway. 

We have successfully integrated EAB Navigate data with Blackboard data to create a consolidated reporting solution that demonstrates how student success is enabled at GVSU. This integrated EAB Navigate report provides insights into student engagement, academic activity, and success indicators across systems. In addition, we developed a single-student view report designed to support Advising and intervention needs. 

Organized and trained cohorts of advisors across the university through in-person and hybrid sessions, showcasing the Advising and Student Engagement dashboards to support student success. Established recurring Power BI office hours for trained cohorts to address usage questions and ongoing support, held every Friday at 1:00 PM. 

Adoption: The program sees initial engagement with Power BI reports of 34 unique active users with 329 views in 6 production workspaces for November 2025. 

Key Accomplishments
Data Advisory Committee and Working Groups:
Formed and operationalized the Data Advisory Committee and working groups.

• Intake process
  • Developed, approved, and operationalized Service Portal project intake and ticketing processes
  • Developed template for project charters
  • Processed 6 formal project requests
• Prioritization
  • Adopted the newly developed university Rubric scoring system used for all university systems projects.
  • Tested scoring with two projects; Refinements to intake charter forms are being made to align with scoring categories
• Training
  • Developed a training roadmap that outlines future training needs and identifies which modules should be prioritized first to support university-wide data literacy and compliance
  • Fleshed out the two highest-priority training courses, including identifying subject-matter experts, defining intended audiences, selecting delivery platforms, and establishing target timelines for development and launch.
  • Created a detailed outline for the “Ethical and Responsible Use of Data” module, providing a structured framework that content experts can use to build out the full training curriculum.

Governance and Data Literacy:

• Updated Data and Analytics internal/external websites
  • Created an external website: https://www.gvsu.edu/it/data-and-analytics-490.htm
  • Created an internal website:  https://www.gvsu.edu/datalakehouse/our-data-lakehouse-14.htm
• Prepared and presented Data and Analytics Roadshows and shared with AP Executive Committee and AAD monthly meeting. 
• Implemented Azure Synapse technical change control using CI/CD pipelines and Azure Repos as part of a collaborative engagement with Microsoft.
• Capturing Power BI usage logs since October 10, 2025.  Prototype usage dashboard has been built.
• Rolled out Phase I of the Power BI security model, enabling Power BI developers to securely access datasets from the Data Lakehouse for report development, while adhering to established data security and governance controls. Worked in close collaboration with Enterprise Architecture and IT Security teams to design and implement the Power BI security model.
• Developed secure processes for provisioning accounts within the Data Lakehouse, working closely with IT Security and Enterprise Architecture to enable controlled, secure access to datasets.
• Created datasets for secure consumption by developers across the university, ensuring consistent, trusted data access aligned with governance and security standards.
• Developed and deployed a Power BI standard template for use across the university, ensuring reports conform to established accessibility requirements and institutional accessibility standards. 

Data Security for Data and Analytics: 

• Set up a monthly recurring meeting to strengthen communication and coordination across Data & Analytics, Enterprise Architecture, IT Security, and Enterprise Applications. This meeting supports the university and its technical stakeholders by establishing consistent practices for capturing, storing, and protecting data ensuring data integrity and quality, maintaining privacy and confidentiality, preventing unauthorized access, and enabling secure value delivery to the institution.
• Key activities include identifying relevant data security requirements, defining data security policies and standards, assessing current security risks, and implementing security controls and procedures.
• Planned deliverables include: Data Security Architecture, Data Security Policies, Data Privacy & Confidentiality Standard, Data Security Access Controls, documented security classification, authentication and user access history, Data Security Audit Report, and regulatory-compliant data access views. 

Projects

• Retooled and updated the IT KPI internal dashboard, transitioning it from static report-based data to dynamic, real-time data sourced directly from live systems via APIs. 
• Created a Total Fund Strategy Power BI app for Institutional Advancement that consolidates and presents the current fund sources for the entire university. The app Integrates data from multiple financial systems to provide a comprehensive, trusted view of funding sources, supporting institutional reporting, analysis, and strategic decision-making. 
• Ingested Raiser’s Edge data into the Data Lakehouse and provisioned secure access for third-party partners to support the development of Power BI reports for University Development.
• Launched the Student Success Advisor dashboard with 90 users
• Cleaned and transformed Slate, Housing, and Banner data to ensure it can be consumed by the business in a meaningful, reliable, and decision-ready manner. 
• Launched the Total Funding Strategy Dashboard in conjunction with Institutional Advancement
• Ingested and curated data to support reporting and analytics for the Office of Institutional Analysis, ensuring reliable, decision-ready datasets.
• Launched the Student Success KPI dashboard pilot with 3 KPIs 
• Led the Workday Data Conversion and Validation initiative and developed a comprehensive “Get to Green” data validation plan. Successfully completed the CTCT2 build in March 2025 with 90% data accuracy and are actively working toward achieving 95% data accuracy for the End-to-End (E2E) build scheduled for March 2026. 
• Developed and began executing a data validation strategy for the Workday implementation in close collaboration with Workday Student functional leads, Enterprise Application analysts, and cross-functional business stakeholders. 

Data and Analytics is moving forward with aggressive milestones in delivery, governance, and technology.  We are evaluating and justifying potential migrating to Microsoft Fabric to enable current IT resources to be more efficient, address capacity restrictions, and reduce scalability risks.   

We are building the Data Lakehouse certified datasets and associated governance processes and training to help support upcoming AI initiatives. 

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
The ongoing development and rollout of Okta continues to enhance both security and user experience across the GVSU community. As part of this initiative, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) has been implemented for students, who are now required to use MFA when accessing most major university applications. This marks a significant step forward in strengthening account protection and safeguarding institutional data. 

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.

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

Process Improvement

• Successfully migrated Splunk to a new system of 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. 

Miscellaneous Projects

• Okta SMS Migration to TeleSign integrates SMS MFA into a third-party telephony as required by contract.
• Palo Alto VPN (GlobalProtect) - participated in the setup, configuration, and deployment of a new firewall replace Ivanti. 
• LIEN Audit - 2025 – Completed an audit required for access to police records for GVPD.  This is required by FIB and MSP.
• eSports Lab – Participated in a redesign of the new eSports lab.  This included new security, support software, and hardware.
• Compliance (PCI, FERPA, HIPAA, Plante Morane, CJIS, Resilience Edge), GLBC – Participated in many compliance audits required for the university by various regulatory agencies.
• Evaluation and development of the requirements for a replacement for NetworkAuth.

Workday Student Project 
The Workday Student project advanced steadily in 2025 and remains on-track for 2026/27 deployment dates. Key progress includes completion of nearly all system design and development of ~150 integrations and hundreds of reports, numerous cycles of testing, conversion of the trove of legacy data, and collaboration with Workday to advance key project improvements. Change Management efforts included initiation of unit readiness planning, establishing Leadership and Liaison Networks as well as other communication mechanisms, updated web resources, and the start of training material development. End-to-end testing preparations have begun, which will be a massive effort in 2026. Risks around data validation and resource availability are actively managed. With 45% of the timeline complete, the project continues toward its next major milestones. 

Stay informed and explore updates at Workday @ GVSU. 

Workday Platform (ERP) Program – Rolling Adoption Components  

• Prism – A data management and reporting tool that integrates financial, HR, and operational data from multiple sources. The project closed almost two months ahead of schedule on January 9, 2025, exceeding timeline expectations. Delivered two major use cases: 
  • Use Case #1: Retiree database go-live December 2024
  • Use Case #:2 Background check go-live February 2025
• Peakon – Collects employee feedback through regular surveys to track workplace satisfaction and engagement. The pilot survey was launched in November 2024, and the project closedin  March 2025. University Leadership will determine the launch of the GVSU full employee engagement survey.
• Adaptive Planning – The implementation of Adaptive Planning delivers an integrated approach to budget modeling, initially supporting the University Budgets Office for General Fund planning and the Division of Student Affairs for Housing budget modeling. This behind-the-scenes functionality integrates budget modeling with Workday and streamlines processes by replacing multiple spreadsheets, databases, and manual calculations.

Gray DI 
GVSU successfully closed the Gray DI implementation project in April 2025. The initiative enhances institutional capacity assessment and strategic planning through integrated data systems. Gray DI’s platform enables predictive modeling, program evaluation, and alignment with enrollment trends and growth opportunities. The project included stakeholder engagement, data integration, training, and workshops, supporting GVSU’s Reach Higher goals and improving decision-making across academic and operational domains. 

Team Dynamix Ticketing System
The GVSU Art Museum is set to go live with TeamDynamix in May 2025, marking another milestone in the university’s ongoing effort to enhance operational efficiency and service delivery. This follows the successful implementation of TeamDynamix by Admissions and Institutional Advancement in 2024. The transition to this centralized ticketing system has significantly streamlined workflows, improved communication, and elevated the quality of support services for these departments. 

MCR Housing Implementation
The MCR Housing project advanced key deliverables, including SSO setup, initial configuration, and migration testing. After a thorough review, GVSU decided to pause implementation due to functionality gaps that could impact operations and student experience. This decision reflects a commitment to quality and strategic alignment. Housing and Residence Life will continue monitoring vendor enhancements while exploring alternative solutions that better align with institutional needs. Current systems remain in place to ensure continuity and support for students and staff. 

Windows 11 Rollout
GVSU’s Windows 11 migration initiative, led by Enterprise Architecture and PMO with collaboration across IT departments, is 99% complete. Over 6,000 clients across office and lab environments have been upgraded, and approximately 600 printer installation scripts were converted for compatibility. Remaining work involves a very small number of use cases, which Enterprise Architecture and IT Services are managing directly with users. Windows 11 delivers enhanced accessibility, performance improvements, and integrated AI features. Positioning GVSU for future technology needs as support for Windows 10 comes to an end. 

PM Solution
The PM Solution Recommendation Project was conducted in two phases to identify and recommend a project management solution that would strengthen project oversight, collaboration, and efficiency within the IT division. 

Phase 1: The team identified critical tool requirements and evaluated potential solutions. This included testing Microsoft Planner Premium and engaging with implementation partners to assess Microsoft’s project management offerings. 

Phase 2: Following a comprehensive evaluation and alignment with defined requirements, the team established the project scope and recommended a preferred IT Project Management Solution. The proposed tool is designed to improve project tracking, collaboration, and efficiency while remaining independent of the existing ticketing system to ensure flexibility and optimal functionality. The next steps include developing an implementation and funding plan to support successful adoption across the IT Division. 

This recommendation positions the IT division for improved operational effectiveness and streamlined project delivery. 

Account Lifecycle 
In 2025, the project completed its discovery phase, which included assessing the current network authorization system processes, gathering requirements from key stakeholders, and evaluating potential tools to meet institutional needs. These efforts established a clear foundation for the next phase focused on solution design and implementation. 

Omni Prior Learning and Micro Course Grant 
The GVSU Omni Prior Learning Accelerator and Competency-based Elevator (Omni PLACE) initiative accelerates degree completion for adult learners by recognizing prior learning and introducing AI-driven, competency-based microcredentials. In partnership with Michigan community colleges, the project targets 100 students and includes 25 competency-based education (CBE) courses plus a non-credit construction management certificate. Key milestones achieved include establishing stakeholder engagement and curriculum identification within GVSU Allied Health Sciences and IT Computing programs. Upcoming priorities include engaging faculty and launching the pilot phase in spring 2026. 

As part of our commitment to driving innovation, the collaboration of the Project Management Office (PMO), IT Services, and Facilities Planning, has led transformative initiatives to implement state-of-the-art audio visual technology across key event and learning spaces. These environments are purposefully designed to enable dynamic presentations, ensure seamless connectivity, and deliver immersive engagement experiences that support both large-scale events and student-centered active learning. Explore below how these efforts are transforming the way we teach, learn, and connect. 

Renovation of Strategic Spaces
Kirkhof Center Refresh: Information Technology and Events Services successfully collaborated to upgrade the audio-visual (AV) technology in the Grand River, Pere Marquette, Thornapple, and all other event rooms in the Kirkhof Center. These enhancements have improved meeting efficiency and communication, ensuring seamless and effective interactions during events and conferences. The upgrades also project a professional image to the GVSU community and support a more dynamic and engaging environment for all participants. 

SCB Simulation Center Sales Lab: This initiative successfully enhanced business education by transforming existing spaces into client-interaction simulation environments using Elevate Healthcare. Elevate Healthcare is among the world leaders in developing cutting-edge healthcare simulation learning tools for today’s professional healthcare providers. The scope included light remodeling, CAE simulation technology integration, A/V installation, and network infrastructure upgrades. 

Innovative Learning Environments
Wireless Sharing for Active Learning Classroom: Au Sable Hall 2130 has been fully transformed into a dynamic Active Learning environment. Building on Phase 1 renovation, featuring mobile furniture, collaborative whiteboards, and multiple displays, Phase 2 successfully implemented wireless content sharing and instructor-controlled A/V systems. The selected wireless content sharing solution, Vivi, was piloted with key faculty in Fall 2025 to refine workflows and ensure effective integration. It gives instructors full control to manage and distribute content across multiple displays, while allowing students to share their own work, fostering interactive, tech-driven learning experience. Faculty training and workflow optimization were completed in collaboration with Vivi, ensuring smooth adoption and enhanced engagement. This upgrade supports flexible, collaborative teaching and positions the classroom as a model for future learning spaces. 

Psychology Labs Renovation: Completion of the project modernized facilities to support interactive, tech-driven education.  Upgrades include a seminar room with a standard instructor station, ASH Room 1205 configured as a medium Zoom Room, five evaluation labs with new displays, and four testing/computer rooms equipped with updated computers. These enhancements align with institutional goals for hybrid learning and collaboration. 

Active Learning Classrooms 2025: The initiative will modernize multiple classrooms with collaborative, tech-enhanced designs to boost student engagement and learning outcomes. Upgrades include standard active learning and Zoom Room configurations across key locations such as DEV 201A, DEV 138E, HON 220, and College of Computing Zoom classrooms (DCIH 505, 507). Additional updates include relocating EC rooms and system adjustments. This initiative supports institutional goals for innovative, technology-driven education.

Regional Campus Initiatives
Battle Creek Center: Renovation of the former Kendall Center in Battle Creek to house the expanding Omni program. The project includes a new reception area, a Zoom conference room, two active classrooms (one Zoom-enabled), a large conference center, and added collaboration and podcast spaces on the second floor. Phase 1 was completed in October 2025, and Phase 2 is wrapping up with further enhanced meeting and learning spaces. 

GVSU Moves to NMC Main Campus: From January through September 2025, Grand Valley State University (GVSU) successfully executed a major relocation project in partnership with Northwestern Michigan College (NMC), moving from the University Center to the James Beckett Building on NMC’s Main Campus. This initiative required extensive coordination across IT, Facilities Planning, and multiple stakeholders to ensure readiness for Fall 2025 classes. 
Key Accomplishments:

• Infrastructure & Construction: Completed IT networking upgrades, electrical work, and classroom renovations to support advanced learning environments.
• Classroom Transition: Installed and relocated multiple Zoom Rooms and classroom setups.  
• Office Relocation: Packed and transitioned GVSU staff offices from UC to JB, including furniture moves and IT equipment setup. 

This transition was a true cross-enterprise achievement, requiring close collaboration among simulation teams, IT, Facilities Planning, and the College of Health Professions. Despite the complexity and volume of tasks, every milestone was met on schedule, ensuring that GVSU was fully operational at the new location for Fall 2025. The project not only delivered a seamless move but also significantly enhanced learning environments and faculty resources. The dedication, attention to detail, and teamwork demonstrated by all involved were instrumental in making this ambitious relocation a success. 

Zoom Room Integration for Enhanced Collaboration:
The university continues to advance collaborative experiences by expanding and optimizing Zoom Rooms across conference rooms, event spaces, and classrooms. This initiative focuses on delivering seamless, high-quality video conferencing with enhanced audio-visual performance, easy connectivity, and smart room management features. By integrating Zoom Rooms with the existing technology infrastructure, teams can foster more efficient communication, support remote participation, and strengthen hybrid work and learning environments. In 2025, additional spaces were upgraded to Zoom Rooms, including JHZ 3000, JHZ 1003, and the Alumni House Perry Dining Room. 

Blackboard

• Achieving a record milestone in the Fall 2025, with 93.57% of all Blackboard (Bb) courses made available to students, the highest level since the pandemic.
• As of 12/10/25, there were over 10 million logins to Bb recorded in the fall semester!
• 98.43% of instructors logged into Bb during Fall 2025, and 99.63% of students logged in.
• 91.12% of our Bb courses used due dates during the Fall 2025 semester.
  • The use of due dates in Blackboard is important because it ensures that faculty are collecting assignments online and using the gradebook, which allows students to receive timely grades and feedback.
  • With due dates, students also receive notifications for upcoming and submitted work, helping them stay organized, and it can positively impact student retention.
• We introduced the Bb Design Assistant during the Digital Literacy Summer Institute and the Digital Literacy Friday Fall Series.
  • During the Fall 2025 semester, 197 courses used the Design Assistant with 123 unique instructors. 
  • Information about the Bb Design Assistant can be found on our website.   

Digital Literacy Initiative

• As part of the university’s commitment to strengthening students’ digital literacy, eLearning Technologies partnered with the Digital Literacy Task Force to launch two new self-paced learning modules to accompany the online Blackboard Orientation.
• These modules focus on essential technology skills and cybersecurity basics.  They are available to all students and faculty in the Digital Skills for College Success Blackboard site, alongside the existing Blackboard orientation.
• Students were also able to download a certificate of completion for each module.
• Participation was not required, but statistics of completion for each of the modules included the following:  
  • Cybersecurity = 1,300 
  • Blackboard Orientation = 1,200 
  • Essential Tech Skills = 2,500   

Faculty Messaging Toolkit

• This initiative is a cross-collaboration with the Faculty Teaching & Learning Center, Advising, the Provost’s Office, University Counseling Center, and eLearning Technologies.
• This folder is embedded in every Bb course and is titled, Student Outreach Toolkit and is only visible to instructors.
• It provides customizable message templates and links to campus resources and communication guidance around absenteeism, missing work, academic struggles, and mental health concerns.
• From January 2025 – December 2025, 1,238 instructors used the toolkit across 1,384 courses. 

The Bridge and Panopto

• From January 2025 – December 2025, the Bridge created 331 lightboard videos, 484 video projects, 62 Interactive Modules,/assisted/with 50 podcasts, and scheduled 84 consultations, totaling 1,012 projects.
• The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new studio location in DCIH 260, a Creative Innovation Lab designed as an interdisciplinary space that fosters experimentation, innovation, and collaboration among eLearning Technologies (The Bridge), the Simulation team, and IT Innovation + Research, took place in September 2025.
• The winter 2025 semester marked our highest-ever semester for Panopto views since the pandemic, with an impressive 113,056 total hours watched.
• The Panopto retention policy went into effect in February 2025, with over 58,000 hours of content archived that hadn’t been viewed in 13 months.   

Service Portal Statistics
Between January 2025 and December 2025, eLearning Technologies resolved 6,475 support tickets, with 96% of users providing a very satisfying ranking to the TDX anonymous surveys.

eLearning Newsletters 
12 eLearning newsletters/published, focusing on Bb enhancements, professional development offerings, and best practices for integrating technology into teaching and learning.

Professional Development Offerings and Cross-Collaboration Opportunities

• The eLearning Technologies team offers a variety of professional development for faculty and staff on numerous topics.  Categories include Blackboard, Respondus, Accessibility, Digital Pedagogy, Video, Adobe, Interactive Media, Windows 11, Office 365, and Zoom.
• In addition, several cross-collaboration professional development events were scheduled in 2025: 
  • Digital Literacy Summer Institute 
  • New Faculty Orientation 
  • Digital Literacy Friday Series 
  • GV Technology Summit 

Staffing Nominations

• Kim Kenward was elected President of the Educational Technology Organization of Michigan. 
• Kelley Senkowski and Justin Melick both received Presidential Fellowships.
  • Kelley, Presidential Fellow, OMNI Engagement
  • Justin, Presidential Fellow for State Funding Appropriation Strategy 

The IT Innovation + Research (I+R) team was established in February of 2021 with a focus on “reach higher” by leading, coordinating, and facilitating the discovery and exploration of emerging technologies and innovative solutions that lead to digital transformation at Grand Valley State University. The following highlights from 2025 include:

• The Atomic Object Technology Showcase in the Mary Idema Pew Library Learning and Information Commons engaged with nearly 19,500 visitors from January to December 2025, featuring high-impact, immersive experiences including: virtual reality, augmented reality, 360-degree video, and 3D display technologies.  Additionally, makerspace technologies such as vinyl cutting, laser cutting, and 3D printing provided the campus community with a space to learn and create.
   
• A variety of cutting-edge emerging technologies, were acquired and put on exhibit in the Atomic Object Technology Showcase and X>STUDIO, including the following: Magnetic 3D Display, Sony Spatial Reality Display, 30 Meta Quest 3S Virtual Reality Headsets, Logitech MX Ink Virtual Reality Stylus, Bambu 3D Printer, Raspberry Pi, Root Pro Coding Robot,  Insta360 X5 Camera, Ozobot Evo, NREAL Beam Pro for Spatial Capture, XREAL One Pro AR Glasses, Murda Link Gesture Controls, and a 3DMakerPro Eagle LiDAR 3D Scanner.
   
• STING (Student Technology and Innovation Guild) continued to engage with student developers upskilling in Unity, a game engine software, to create emerging technology solutions for faculty. STING was expanded from 1 to 3 teams. In addition, project management workflows were formalized, with new projects established, including: bioinformatics, health care, and a crime scene simulation. STING also assisted in the transition from Uptale to 3DVista, providing 360 interactive simulation capabilities. 
   
• The I+R team led the creation of a university-wide XR guidelines task force, uncovering procurement, support, and governance plans to expand the use of virtual and augmented reality in teaching and learning. 
   
• An XR Collective initiative was established. This cross-campus and interdisciplinary community of practice includes faculty, staff, and students focused on sharing the value of virtual and augmented reality in teaching and learning. 
   
• Throughout 2025, I+R played a central role in shaping the Blue Dot Lab’s innovation vision, participating in the Furnishing RFP, surfacing emerging technologies such as spatial computing, immersive CAVEs, XR stages, volumetric capture, and AVoIP systems. Additionally, a key area of focus included digital storytelling for placemaking, brand experience, and wayfinding – contributing to establishing a “Blue Dot Experience Center”.
   
• I+R collaborated to hone GVSU’s AI strategy, including the following initiatives: co-leading the AI Steering Team, launching an AI survey, creating a newsletter, and establishing campus resources such as a dedicated AI website. Further, the team experimented with vibe coding and in developing AI avatars, such as an experimental GVSU Policy Chatbot, as well as expanding the use of ProfAI, a tool used by faculty to generate short form videos for courses, powered by faculty avatars. 
   
• The team delivered numerous high-visibility events, including: 
  • XR at the Michigan International Auto Show 
  • Apple Day @ GVSU 
  • Dell Technologies AI Accelerator Workshop  
  • Dell Technologies Guest Lecture “Building an Innovation Mindset with Data and AI” 
  • Reach Higher Celebration 
  • REP4 Midwest Summit 
  • Tech Week Grand Rapids and Confluence Festival Programming  
  • Thunderbolt Thursdays 
  • New Faculty Orientation 
  • AI-Powered Innovation at the GVSU Art Museum 
  • GV Tech Summit 
     
• I+R contributed to co-launching the Creative Innovation Lab (DCIH) in partnership with eLearning and the Simulation Center.  
   
• I+R team members represented GVSU at major national and international venues, including: 
  • EDUCAUSE Annual Conference 
  • ILRN 
  • ASU+GSV 
  • AWE 
  • Gartner IT Symposium and Xpo 
  • MeaningfulXR 
  • Impactful Realities Podcast 

• I+R established or deepened partnerships with: AWS, Dell, Apple, Arthur Digital, Anthology, GRPS Museum School, The Right Place, Steelcase, Crowe X-Lab, Custer Office Furniture, MSU Spartan Innovations, West Michigan Special Olympics, YetiCGI, National Heritage Academies, and TRELLIS. Additionally, peer institution relationships included: UW–Stout, Notre Dame, Case Western, MSU, WMU, and UNLV. 

• Programs such as REP4®, REP4ÇFinLit, and Project Grand Path were supported through XR, AI, and immersive storytelling. Students gained real-world experience, media exposure, and professional skill development. 

• I+R’s team expanded to include an Emerging Technology Developer, futurEDlab Studio Coordinator, and two Presidential Faculty Fellows. 

• Further 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 pilot in leveraging NFC-based mobile credentials in the Transact platform for door access control.

• The "futurEDlab Innovation Model" was established to increase the collection of ideas as well as to accelerate the experimentation of projects contributing to the future of education. Additionally, the 3rd floor of the John G. Russell Leadership Center became the home for the futurEDlab. 

Technology Acquisition maintains a real-time Power BI dashboard that provides up-to-date visibility into year-to-date technology purchases and spending trends. This tool enhances financial transparency, supports data-driven decision-making, and allows for more effective budget monitoring.