IT Outcomes 2022
Raymond Lefebvre
Vice Chancellor and CIO
Welcome!
Welcome to fourth edition of IT Outcomes—an annual publication dedicated to highlighting the many partnerships between IT and members of the UMass Boston community with a focus on opportunities, collaborations, and results. Each year we seek to share IT success stories and this year, 2022, we continue the tradition.
We closed out 2021 with tangible results as described in last year’s IT Outcomes, and 2022 turned out to be just as productive thanks to our focus on “SimplicITy”— a continuous improvement theme throughout 2022.
This publication captures the essence of “SimplicITy” experienced in 2022 and every story makes me beam with pride. From improving the recruitment and admissions process, to streamlining access to software for students and setting up the first-ever network & security operations center at UMass Boston, 2022 IT accomplishments are impressive when considering the new normal of hybrid teaching, learning, and working.
As we look back on 2022 fondly, and ahead to 2023 and beyond, our sights are set on “One IT”. One IT that uses all available IT resources collaboratively with the goal of IT becoming a trusted partner in providing secure, transformative, and innovative Information Technology services to advance teaching, learning, research, and administrative practices through dynamic and adaptive customer service.
You will see in the pages that follow the ways in which people, process, and technology intersected to improve the lives of students, faculty, and staff. I truly hope that you enjoy every story as much as the UMass Boston IT team has enjoyed—through “SimplicITy”—being a trusted partner in advancing the UMass Boston mission.
We are committed to achieving even greater alignment in 2023 as we strive to achieve our vision of “One IT” so that together we can improve the lives of students, faculty, staff, and all related constituent groups at UMass Boston through Opportunities, Collaborations, and Results.
Enjoy!
In Memoriam
We would like to dedicate the 2022 edition of IT Outcomes to the memory of our colleague Jim Wyse, who passed away this year. You are missed by all your friends in the IT Department.
Enriching Student Learning
Open Educational Resources—Making Education More Affordable
Over the past few years a fabulous innovation in higher education has given college students the best news they’ve heard in a long time. It’s called Open Educational Resources (OER) and it’s a real game changer.
Network & Security Operations Center—A First of its Kind at UMass Boston
Cybersecurity—the state of being protected against criminal or unauthorized use of electronic data and the measures taken to achieve a protected state—requires tremendous time, effort, and resources (staff).
BeaconFlex Here to Stay
The last time we checked in on BeaconFlex—a hybrid teaching/learning modality—we described how this innovative educational system came to UMass Boston’s rescue at the height of the pandemic, when the university had to unexpectedly hold courses remotely in Spring 2020.
Microsoft OneDrive: Cloud Storage for All
What do you do when you realize that you have run out of file storage space and need more? Well, at UMass Boston you don’t even have to worry about it because of the recent adoption of Microsoft OneDrive, which provides up to a terabyte (TB) of storage in the cloud.
Increasing Efficiencies
Audio Visual Upgrades: AV Sets Sail on the Columbia Point
The last time we checked in on BeaconFlex—a hybrid teaching/learning modality—we described how this innovative educational system came to UMass Boston’s rescue at the height of the pandemic, when the university had to unexpectedly hold courses remotely in Spring 2020.
Network Upgrade: Future Ready Internet Access
Connecting to the internet for students, faculty, and staff at UMass Boston has never been more important. Before the pandemic, campus internet access was used for teaching, learning, and work, but now there’s so much more.
Updated Campus Map: A New Way to Get Around
SimplicITy—a continuous improvement theme for UMass Boston IT in 2022—produced some interesting results when Web Services Senior Web Designer Lisa Link realized that the UMass Boston campus map was in dire need of an upgrade.
Technovation: Supporting Student Success
What happens when you combine technology and innovation at UMass Boston with an earnest interest in helping students, faculty, and staff be as successful as possible? The answer is “Technovation”—a unique approach to leveraging technology in innovative ways to address complex, real-world student success challenges.
Two UMass Boston students proudly displaying the new Technovator sign. 
The Old North Church site of virtual tour for UMass Boston History class. 
A UMass Boston student uses a VR headset and hand controllers to experience the virtual tour. 
A model of the Old North Church printed with a 3D printer at the Technovator.
Simplicity
Secure IT A More Cyber Safe UMass Boston
Cybersecurity threats around the globe and at UMass Boston are relentless and evolving, so the university’s cybersecurity operation must be as well.
Software Made Simple umb.OnTheHub.com
Acquiring extra software at UMass Boston was tedious and time-consuming before Software Support Specialist Rocky Haggard of the IT Service Desk took it upon himself to simplify the process.
Partnerships
Improved Scheduling
X25 Analytics
Acquiring extra software at UMass Boston was tedious and time-consuming before Software Support Specialist Rocky Haggard of the IT Service Desk took it upon himself to simplify the process.
Slate: Streamlining Recruitment & Admissions
Recruiting students to enroll in college is no easy feat nowadays given the demographic decline in college age students in New England and across the nation. UMass Boston’s Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management John Drew knew that for the university to meet today’s student recruitment challenges, he had to find a better recruitment and admissions business system than the Salesforce TargetX platform his department was using.
IT Cares
Digital Access & Inclusion: Access for Everyone
Acquiring extra software at UMass Boston was tedious and time-consuming before Software Support Specialist Rocky Haggard of the IT Service Desk took it upon himself to simplify the process.
IT Briefs
Inclusive Identity and LearnIT
UMass Boston is working to cultivate an inclusive campus community and healthy social environment, and this includes allowing our students to identify themselves as they desire.
Information Technology (IT) is a rapidly evolving career field, a fact not lost on Ray Lefebvre, Vice Chancellor & Chief Information Officer, at UMass Boston. Lefebvre established an IT professional development program in 2019—aptly titled “Learn IT”—which provides all IT personnel the opportunity to seek and receive professional development on an annual basis.
Star Performers
IT Student Photo Project—Eight Years and Going Strong
Eight years have passed since the start of the UMass Boston IT Student Photo project and the program is still going strong thanks to Lisa Link, Senior Web Designer/Developer, who spearheaded and continues to oversee this student-success focused program.
Workforce Development—IT Student Employees
Student employees have always played a vital role in the work of UMass Boston’s Information Technology (IT) division and the 2021-22 school year was no exception. As we do every year, we would like to recognize all our IT student employees and highlight some of our 2022 IT Student Leadership Award winners and other top performers this year.
Salina Allen-Sharpp—34 Years of Dedicated Service
Even the greatest careers can start inauspiciously. But “inauspicious” may be an understatement when describing Salina Allen-Sharpp’s debut as a computer operator in what was known as the Computing Services department at UMass Boston in May 1988.