"Texas Woman’s will express its ethic of service through engagement with our local, state, national, and international communities as a means to empower the lives of those who serve as well as those the university serves."

Empowering Prospective Students through Service

TWU Technology staff participated in the Office of Admissions' Pioneer Preview Day and Transfer Connection events by providing support to prospective students in setting up their Pioneer Portal accounts and connecting to their TWU GMail.

Applicants must be able to log on with Portal credentials to view their admission status and to apply for financial aid. TWU GMail is critical for prospective students as it is the primary communication tool that provides them information about scholarships, events, and services. Technology staff are proud to participate in events where they can empower students through technology.

Handshake Implementation

The TWU Career Connections Center partnered with TWU Technology to implement an upgraded and improved TWU Connect experience for students and alumni. TWU Connect is the university-wide database used for posting student jobs; and, with a new application powering the service, students and employers are now more connected than ever before.

Handshake, a national database that connects student job-seekers to employment, internship, and volunteer opportunities, is the new engine behind TWU Connect. Customizable student profiles, an expanded national job network, and personalized career recommendations are hallmark features of the new platform. With access to over 200,000 employers, TWU students and alumni have greater opportunities to search for meaningful employment. In addition to student benefits, on-campus employers can list jobs and work-study positions and search for student candidates based on student field of study and experience.

TWU Technology assisted with single sign-on integration so that students can easily access Handshake using their TWU email address and password. Technology also set up automated student sync, which regularly updates student Handshake accounts with information from the Registrar, such as major, minor, and classification.

The Career Connections Center and Technology’s implementation of Handshake aligns with the University’s strategic initiative to promote purposeful partnerships and empower students as they transition into careers and development opportunities.

MLK Day of Service

Mai Nguyen, Elizabeth Precht, Ward Durossette, and Heather Davis spent the morning of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day cleaning and painting at Cumberland Presbyterian Children’s Home as part of an arranged MLK Day of Service project through Texas Woman’s Center for Student Development. While many staff in the department regularly give generously of their time to a variety of organizations and causes (on-campus and in the community), this group appreciated the opportunity to give back to the community as representatives of TWU Technology.

Technology Staff & UNIV 1231

In fall 2016, Dennis Hoebee, interim vice provost of technology and CIO, and Lacey Monarch, project coordinator, each taught a section of UNIV 1231, the University’s first-year experience core course. They brought diverse experiences and perspectives to the classroom to the benefit of their students, aligning with the LEARN strategic objective to “capitalize on diversity and multiple perspectives to advance learning and innovation.” UNIV 1231 is a critical retention tool and a course that supports student success.

Silent Services

Much of the work completed by TWU Technology is maintenance and operations of existing systems and hardware. Unlike an implementation project, where the benefits are tangible and apparent, the value of these "silent services" is less obvious. The following are examples of such services.

Audits require significant effort and resources, but their value is one of safety and assurance. Through an audit, the department uncovers opportunities to improve the security of the sensitive financial and student data maintained through enterprise software systems. TWU Technology was involved with four audits this year: THECB Compliance Monitoring, 2016 Colleague Financial Aid - State, Colleague Student Information System - TWU Internal, and 2017 Federal Compliance Audit for Student Financial Aid.

Compliance with federal and state mandates; laws (such as the Affordable Care Act); and required reporting by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, demand a great deal of resources from the department.

Patch management assures that systems are secure. Before most patches are applied, system owners must complete or coordinate extensive testing to determine the impact of the patches on the system. In FY17, over 100 patches were applied to the Colleague and Oracle enterprise systems.

Data backups guarantee that information stored in enterprise applications are available should anything out of the ordinary happen. Most systems are backed up nightly. By scheduling backups during off hours, TWU Technology ensures maximum productivity across its systems.

Scheduled jobs transfer data from one information system to another. Like backups, these are scheduled during off hours, such as nights and weekends, to minimize their impact on the operations of critical systems.

Database accessibility is made possible by dedicated database administrators who deploy patch management and backups, working all hours to keep critical information systems running and accessible.

Information Security Controls

Technology's university regulations and procedures (URP) comply with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Security and Privacy Controls—standards adopted by the Texas Department of Information Resources. Each URP lists the regulations and then specifies the procedures followed by the University. While most of the procedures are overseen by TWU Technology, some are in the domain of other departments. Technology is working internally and with others to continue to move current practice into alignment with regulations and procedures. This is a process of continuous improvement. Compliance with the NIST-standards demands greater diligence and its reward is less risk for sensitive information and systems.