Technology Today: IRT gives summer update
From Information Resources and Technologies
This summer, IRT has been busy working on a variety of projects across campus.
Here are a few highlights of our summer activities:
New IRT Web site – The new Web site provides technology support and services for students, faculty and staff with important information to support learning, teaching and administration. Creating the content and producing a cohesive presentation for the 700-page site has been a large undertaking; it combines the former IRT, Teaching and Learning with Technology, and Enterprise Web sites. Information Resources and Technologies invites the St. Thomas community to visit its newly designed Web site.
Wireless coverage – IRT has been working actively to expand wireless coverage on campus. This summer, we widened our coverage to include the following areas: in Minneapolis , the entire campus now has wireless coverage; in St. Paul, additional coverage areas include all of O’Shaughnessy Science Hall, Owens Science Hall, Summit Avenue Classroom Building , Murray-Herrick Campus Center and the new McNeely Hall. We will continue to add coverage areas as time and resources allow. For a complete list of wireless areas on campus, visit the wireless page.
New Managed Printer Program for faculty and staff – As a university cost-savings effort starting this fall, UST is implementing a managed printer program. This program will provide better and faster repair service, decrease overall costs, help the university improve tracking of printing costs, and make it easier to maintain an up-to-date printer fleet. The return on investment (ROI) for this effort is estimated to be as much as $100,000 annually for the university. For more information about this program, visit the managed printer page.
New McNeely Hall – McNeely Hall, home to the University of St. Thomas ’ Undergraduate College of Business, employs the latest technologies to provide an innovative approach to learning and scholarship. The new building offers more than 75,000 square feet of state-of-the-art classrooms, conference rooms, study rooms, and faculty and administrative work spaces. These new spaces are designed with technology in mind to accommodate the latest teaching and problem-solving techniques that businesses require of top college graduates.
Installed in this high-performance building are technologies like wireless access, thin client computing, LCD projectors, cutting-edge servers and VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol, which allows you to make telephone calls using a broadband Internet connection instead of a regular [or analog] phone line). The wireless network technology designed into the building fosters collaboration by allowing students, faculty and staff to stay connected. Classrooms and study areas, equipped with integrated technology, support interactive learning, team projects and discussions. The new home for the Undergraduate College of Business strengthens the educational process through an enhanced use of technology.
MyStorage – MyStorage is the name of the central storage directory at UST created for all students, faculty and staff. IRT has increased the amount of storage space from 200 MB to 500 MB. MyStorage is available from any workstation or lab computer on campus, and from off campus by using WebDAV. WebDAV stands for “Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning.” A set of extensions to the http protocol, WebDAV allows you to use drag-and-drop functionality to edit and manage files on the university servers.
WebDav – On Monday, July 24, a new URL went into effect for individuals accessing MyStorage via the Web or a Mac. The address for accessing your MyStorage documents is now: https://MyStorageWeb.stthomas.edu/username. Access for on-campus PCs will remain unchanged and continue to be mapped as your U:\drive.
A few general reminders …
Registering your computer – To use the wireless network or the wired residence hall network, you must first register your computer. Registering your computer helps us to prevent virus outbreaks by tracking some unique numbers that identify your computer on our network. For additional information visit the registration page.
Passwords – Passwords expire every 120 days. If your password has expired, you will need to reset it at www.stthomas.edu/password. If you have questions about your password, please contact the IRT Tech.
Technology questions – For any technology-related questions, please contact the IRT Tech Desk at (651) 962-6230 or send e-mail to IRTHelp@stthomas.edu.
