Category: Elevate the Stakeholder Experience

Free AI Micro-Credential Courses for Staff

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Now is the time to increase your working knowledge of AI through professional development short courses offered by UF. The Provost’s Office is making the four-hour version of each course available to faculty and staff at no cost. The seven course topics, developed in collaboration with the Colleges of Business, Engineering, Liberal Art & Sciences, and Agricultural and Life Sciences, are:

1. Fundamentals of AI
2. Fundamentals of AI (STEM majors)
3. Applications of AI (Engineering)
4. Ethics of AI
5. Business and AI
6. Data Science and AI
7. Agricultural & Life Sciences and AI

The courses were developed to provide a foundation in machine learning and its impacts across a range of careers and disciplines. The micro-credential option provides a way to learn the lexicon of artificial intelligence, its current uses, and understand the near-limitless possibilities of the AI-supported environment. Upon successful completion of the assessments in the course, participants are eligible to earn a certificate of completion and 0.4 continuing education units (CEUs). To register, visit https://pwd.aa.ufl.edu/ai/courses/.

The discount code for UF faculty and staff is available by emailing Dr. Regina Rodriguez. Anyone wanting more information on the AI micro-credential, or who has questions about the registration process, may also contact Dr. Rodriguez.

Tech Support for All Gators

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Whether you are in Gainesville, Lake Nona, Leesburg, The Villages®, UF Scripps Biomedical Research, UF Health-Jax, or an IFAS extension or research center, IT support is just a call or service ticket away.

The UFIT Help Desk provides 24/7 support for account resets and more. Centrally located on the Main campus in 132 Hub, the UF community can get help with VPN access, GatorLink authentication issues, applications within myUFL and ONE.UF, as well as thesis/dissertation support.

IFAS IT enables extension services and agricultural research around the state with technical experts who understand the needs and programs used by IFAS faculty and staff. IFAS IT has an excellent, resource-filled website you can peruse or click the Get Help Now! button to submit a ticket.

The UF Health IT department provides support for clinical applications, like the Epic tool. They also provide expert assistance with instructional technologies, IT Training, videoconferencing needs, SharePoint, myTraining, and for telemedicine issues.

The Scripps Help Desk offers onsite technical support for the scientists, students, and staff at UF Scripps Biomedical Research. Contact them (scrps-fltech@mail.ufl.edu) for assistance with system access issues, technical support, or to order A/V services.

Enhanced UF Alert System Debuts June 21

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A test of the UF Alert emergency notification system is scheduled for Tuesday, June 21. Approximate test times are 9 a.m. for UF Health Shands, 10 a.m. for Lake Nona, and 10:30 a.m. for Gainesville. It will be the first notification conducted using UF’s new emergency alert product, AppArmor.

The text message will include an external (i.e., not from a UFL.EDU address) URL, directing recipients to a verified website displaying the full message. This change allows the university community to quickly receive longer messages during incidents, rather than waiting for several short texts.

The UF community is encouraged to save the alert code “237233” in their phone’s contacts. Saving the alert code number validates the text message as a UF Alert. The test alert will be broadcast to most telephones on the UF campus as well as outdoor speakers in high traffic areas, including Plaza of the Americas and Reitz Union North Lawn. The audio will also be broadcast in many academic spaces, like classrooms and laboratories.

You can update emergency contact information and location preferences in ONE.UF. Navigate to Directory Profile and then UF Alerts to edit current settings. UF Alert texts are only sent when a threat may impact a university campus. In such cases, the UF homepage is the official source of emergency-related information.

Free and Discounted Software Licenses

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UFIT manages the campus-wide software licensing agreements. These contracts enable access to several software programs at a significant discount or even for free, improving academic and research life for Gators while saving them money.

Programs available at a discount include Adobe Creative Cloud Suite, Grammarly, SAS, SSPS, and Amos. Software available at no charge include ArcGIS (GeoPlan) and SAS JMP. Active faculty, students, and staff automatically receive access to UF’s GatorCloud, which includes Microsoft Office 365 applications like Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Excel. Visit the GatorCloud homepage to download these programs for free onto your personal devices. Additionally, faculty and students are eligible for Adobe Spark/Express. More information is on the UF Adobe Spark/Express webpage.

Visit UFIT’s Software Licensing Services website for a complete list of available programs and how to access them. Students with questions about software licenses may call (352-392-HELP/4357) or visit (132 Hub) the UFIT Help Desk. Faculty and staff may also contact the Help Desk or email UFIT’s Software Licensing team with purchase inquiries.

Rebranding of the UF Homepage

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UFIT enabled the Office of Strategic Communications & Marketing (SCM) to lift the University of Florida’s web presence. The full rebranding of the top-level domain (i.e., the UF homepage), referred to as Tier 1 of the project, went live on April 11. SCM initiated the www.ufl.edu redesign project with the agency Stamats and UFIT in June 2021.

“UFIT’s leadership and staff were instrumental in providing technical insights and support for a successful site migration for UF,” said Ana Perez-Olave, associate director of digital marketing. “The collaboration between our two offices was very fruitful, and SCM looks forward to the continued partnership with UFIT throughout the Tier 2 (templates for colleges) and Tier 3 (templates for departments, centers, and business units) phases of the project.”

Approximately 22 members of UFIT are involved in the project, including web developers and designers, along with infrastructure staff involved in load testing and managing the web servers.  While continuing to support clients in TERMINALFOUR, Web Services staff adjusted their techniques and learned new skills to prepare the required infrastructure.  To date, staff have logged more than 4,000 hours to the project. As soon as Tier 1 went live, UFIT focused development energies on the Tier 2 and Tier 3 project deliverables. Anyone needing support with their T4 environment, T4 training, or who has a question about web standards, may use the https://webservices.it.ufl.edu/contact/ form.

Tech Equipment Rentals in Smathers Libraries

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A variety of tech equipment is available for checkout in Smathers Libraries. Before buying something new, see if what you need is available through Marston, Education, Library West, Architecture, or the Health Science Center libraries. Items are first come, first serve and can be rented for two hours to a month, depending on the device. After checking availability online, simply present your Gator1 ID at a library front desk and pick up your item.

Forgot your laptop charger? The libraries have you covered. Essential items like device chargers and headphones are regularly loaned to students for a few hours at a time. Several iPads are available to rent for up to a month and can be borrowed from several libraries on campus. Other rentable items include podcasting kits and sewing machines. Virtual and augmented reality headsets, portable 3D scanners and 3D printers, and even a handheld voice translator that supports 70 languages are all available in our campus library system.

For a complete list of rental items, rental procedures, and availability, visit the George A. Smathers Take-Home Equipment page.

Supporting UF’s Campus Master Plan

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UF’s campus master plan directs the use and strategy for university buildings and land resources. When new buildings are proposed or existing buildings are renovated, two teams from UFIT–Construction Management and A/V Design & Installation–work with UF’s Planning, Design, and Construction.

“Our department relies on UFIT’s expertise to drive the success of every project we have on campus,” says UF Construction Director Frank Javaheri. “With their involvement from the concept during the programming phases, UFIT provides the information necessary for budgetary requirements, procurement of telecom and A/V equipment, and coordination and installation. Partnering with UFIT, we can provide the best systems the university needs for our day-to-day activities, education, research, and other advancements.”

UF PD&C sends the plans for UFIT evaluation. UFIT’s Construction Management team evaluates the project’s telecommunications budget, confirms the plans have adequate space for telecommunication rooms, and evaluates the proposed location for conflicts with existing underground telecommunications assets. UFIT’s A/V Design & Installation team, integrated into campus construction projects for the last decade, works with PD&C on all projects with an audio and/or video technology component. Staff meet with stakeholders to determine their needs and ensure a high-quality product at the best cost for the university. A longer story of UFIT’s involvement and commitment to the campus construction process, with focus on the design and build of Malachowsky Hall, is online.

Saira Hasnain Named Associate VP

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On March 24, VP and CIO Elias Eldayrie announced the promotion of Saira Hasnain, Ph.D., to associate vice president and deputy CIO. In this role, Saira will continue to oversee the Infrastructure and Communication Technology department while also helping UFIT achieve the goals in the 2020-2025 UF Strategic Plan for IT.

Hasnain’s additional responsibilities include assisting Eldayrie by:

1. Providing leadership and guidance in critical areas of technology planning and strategy.
2. Developing a roadmap to improve UFIT service quality and overall operational effectiveness.
3. Providing leadership, direction, and support at the institution, state, and national level, with broad-reaching institutional and statewide impact
4. Acting on behalf of UFIT as needed or, in the absence of the VP and CIO, serve as the principal UFIT officer on executive decisions and executive-level committees.

Since joining UFIT in 2016, Saira has demonstrated significant leadership, leading consolidation efforts to enhance service delivery for academic, research, and administrative needs. Under her leadership, the UF Data Center upgrade was the strategic enabler to implement UF’s supercomputer HiPerGator AI. She also led UFIT’s implementation of the OneIT initiative by completing the IT rationalization efforts in voice communication, email, DNS, networking, storage, and cloud technologies. Saira’s transformational leadership style fosters a strong culture of quality, transparency, and innovation, elevating the entire organization and creating standards of excellence.

Organizational Changes Announced

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VP and CIO Elias Eldayrie announced a reorganization of Enterprise Systems (ES) into two departments.

The reorganization will optimize how UFIT works, flatten reporting lines to create a more nimble management layer, and enable progress towards the 2020-2025 University of Florida’s Strategic Plan for IT. The new departments, their inaugural directors, and functional teams are:

Applications, Development, and Integrations (Nicole Garvey Jeffers)
● Systems and Programming (ERP/UX/EDM)
● Business Support & Change Management
● Student Life, Development Services, & CRM

Data Platform and Analytics (Jim Freymann)
● Master Data Management
● Integrations
● DBA & ETL
● Reporting & Analytics
● Data Science & Analytics

Nicole Garvey Jeffers is the director of Applications, Development, and Integrations. Nicole has been with the university since 2005, most recently as associate director of ES. Nicole has held many leadership roles with UF’s PeopleSoft (myUFL) environment, including significant contributions to the HR and Financial upgrades. She also served as the technical lead for the COMPASS program’s implementation.

Jim Freymann is the director of Data Platform and Analytics. Jim has been with UFIT for over 15 years, most recently as associate director of data analytics. He served as the COMPASS program director, led the ES operations and change and release teams, and managed UFIT’s Project Management Office for six years. Jim also was technical lead for UF’s COVID-19 Return to Campus data and reporting initiative.

Both Nicole and Jim are now members of the CIO Senior Leadership Team and report to the VP and CIO.

Progress Towards the 2020-25 Strategic Plan for IT

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The 2020-2021 Contributions Report is now available online.

“This annual report covers July 2020 through June 2021, an extraordinary period of change and challenge,” said VP and CIO Elias Eldayrie. “I am extremely proud of the way our staff not only contributed to the university’s effort to combat COVID-19, but also that we could still support the campus with more than 300 completed projects and enhancements during this time period.”

UFIT is deeply committed to improving UF’s customer experience. Investing in new and innovative ways of delivering campus support is a primary focus for the work underway to achieve the goals outlined in the University of Florida’s Strategic Plan for IT: 2020-2025. Anyone with comments about the publication may send them to UFIT Communications.