Message from the CIO: Many Goals Accomplished This Fall Semester

Portrait photo of COP Brian Keltch dressed in dark siut, white shirt, burgabdy tie.It is hard to believe another semester has ended and we are heading into the holidays. I hope you have had a great semester!

This semester IT Services has been busy on several fronts with new applications, the Workday Student implementation, and increasing the cybersecurity stance on campus.

In the applications area, a large group of faculty and staff are working on the Workday Student Implementation. This will be a generational update to the current Banner/BOSS Student Information System. Workday Student will be the primary student administration system used to support the processes and services associated with a student’s progression from admission through graduation. The system will support student records, registration, course rosters, grading, advising, and transcripts. Workday Student will be used by all faculty and students and is easily accessible via a mobile app for Android and iOS.

IT Services is part of the team implementing SLATE on campus which will replace the current student applications system.

As a result of increased cybersecurity attacks on other Arkansas higher education campuses, cybersecurity audit findings, and recently the Little Rock School District cyber attack, IT Services has put a tremendous amount of effort into increasing the protection of campus data and systems. This includes Mobile Device Management, applying Data Loss Prevention on the email system, requiring Multi-factor Authentication, and bringing MAC users on campus into the network.

These changes can be disruptive, but the campus is clearly facing increased threats. It is important that each person on campus be aware of threats including email phishing attempts.

Together with the university’s entire IT Services organization, I take great pride in the accomplishments we have made this semester. The university, supported by IT Services, has made tremendous strides, and we have accomplished many of the goals set out in prior year’s strategic plans. We are anxious to develop an IT Component Strategic Plan next semester that tiers off of the five goals developed in the Chancellor’s Strategic Planning Committee.

Brian Keltch, Chief Information Officer

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