IT Updates - May 7, 2026

May 7, 2026

Greetings Colleagues,

This past year, your partners in IT - Data Services, Institutional Research, Network Services, and Service Desk - have made tremendous contributions and improvements in the respective areas of our college. I am pleased to share that by the end of this fiscal year, two critical leadership roles will be filled: Director of User Services, Director of Data Services and Institutional Analytics. These roles will be held by talented, experienced women who will bring innovation, collaboration, and stability to our work. Additionally, our department has been leading with a security-minded focus, which changes how we approach technology delivery and services. This year has been nothing but successful as we came together as a team, student employees and employees alike, working towards a common goal of providing technology services to our college, students, faculty, staff, and guests. We have stood together, and I am nothing but proud of the work we have done. They embody the spirit of the college – whether they are new to our institution or have been with us for over 26 years. I am grateful for my team’s commitment to excellence and look forward to the upcoming summer and year.

While this message is long, there are important announcements and updates to share as we close out the year and prepare for the upcoming summer and fall semesters.

Staffing Updates

Ms. Vicky Shine joined our team as the Director of User Services on April 29, filling a year-long vacancy. She oversees the Service Desk, Audio Visual/Multimedia, Computer Labs and Classroom Technologies, Student Loaner Program, and Student Employees. She will continue the positive changes that we have made; collaboration and community are key components of our work with our stakeholders. Vicky has rich experience in both K-12 and higher education, which is a perfect combination as she builds technical support for our PSEO/dual enrollment programs across our various degrees, certificates, and continuation programs.

Vicky will be responsible for filling a key vacancy: the Service Desk Operations Lead, who supports ticket management, key performance indicators, and metrics. Coupled with the new person’s expertise, we will be able to provide an improved level of service that expands on the marked improvements the department has made over the past year.

Ms. Tabatha Ries-Miller will join our team on June 3 as our Director of Data Services and Institutional Analytics, combining two leadership positions – Director of Data Services and Director of Institutional Research – to provide our institution with a more complete picture of how data can be used in decision-making processes. The combination of Data with Analytics, along with Tabatha’s system office-level experience, opens up opportunities to do data differently, innovatively, and in ways we have considered but struggled to see our way through. Her methodical, thoughtful approach to data will provide all stakeholders with a new way to envision how we can use data to inform our college decision-making process, while also using our team’s collective strengths to build improved ways to view and understand data.

Tabatha will be responsible for rebuilding the Institutional Research team and filling two key positions that will support the finer details of institutional reporting and analytics. The two positions will join our seasoned database and business intelligence analysts and support ongoing data automation and workflow efforts. It is invigorating to know that we will be sharing space, innovation, and vision of this group, alongside the AVP of Strategy and Innovation, Dr. Paula Kinney, and her group.

Security Updates & Focus

The IT department leads with a security lens and has made a concerted effort to update all computer systems, printers, and processes to high standards. Security software on computers, software updates, and projects are designed to ensure, while at times inconvenient, that security compliance is met.

Software Updates

The second Tuesday of every month is Microsoft’s Patch Tuesday. IT has installed a security patching agent on every Windows computer that checks daily against a repository to ensure each computer is security-compliant. When the device is not security compliant, the patching agent notifies the user (with a desktop notification) that the device needs to be rebooted. Devices must be rebooted in order for the updates to be applied. There are occasions when critical updates need to be pushed out to devices and servers, and these are off-cycle. If the patching agent is the wrong version, a technician will reach out to the employee to update it.

Separating Students & Employees and Office 365

Employees and students who separate from Saint Paul College - and do not move on to another MinnState institution - should prepare to lose access to Microsoft 365. This happens in phases. The first phase is moving access from the client/desktop/mobile versions to online-only access. The second phase is based on a provisioning rule: end-users who leave Saint Paul College (through graduation, stop-out, or other reasons they do not continue) will lose their Saint Paul College email address and access to applications after a predetermined time.

Provisioning rules:

• Admitted Students –180 days before start of their first semester | 365 days after last semester
• Staff – 42 days before start of their contract | 0 days at end of their contract
• Faculty – 112 days before start of their contract | 365 days at the end of their contract

Students and employees should be encouraged not to use their college-provided Microsoft 365 account, including their Saint Paul College email address, for personal purposes such as bills, secondary email, StarID password notifications, etc.

Password changes

The System Office is making changes to the password policy, effective July 1, to address the influx of password changes that typically occur at the start of semesters and bog down the system. The StarID and StarID password combination are used for Microsoft 365, Zoom, Kaltura, Workday, D2L, EduRoam (WIFI), and other StarID-linked accounts and services.

New rules:

• Minimum password length goes from 8 to 15
• Required password change extended from 180 days to 13months (390 days)
  • Immediate action where there are indications of compromised
• Password complexity is reduced, where no special characters will be required

Room Readiness

The team will perform room-readiness tasks to ensure computer classrooms and instructor stations are ready for the start of the Fall Semester. These activities include:

• Reimaging Instructor and Student computers
• Reimaging Open Area, Library, Computer Lab, and other student-facing computers
• Testing AV connections and instructional technologies
• Ensuring specialized software is installed in the correct classrooms (Specialized Software in Classrooms)
• Wiping down computers and technology spaces
• Performing preventative maintenance on printers several weeks prior to the fall start

Software Standards & Updates

It is important that software is updated to meet the college's and its users' needs. Software versions will be updated, risk assessments will be performed (when necessary), and procurement processes will be followed.

Software standards are located here (Software and Hardware Standards), and we will continue standardizing on:

• Office 365 in Classrooms
• Office 2024 in Conference row
• Helper applications

Additional changes:

• All employees will have access to Power BI, to view and manipulate Power BI data
• Adobe Creative Cloud for Full-Time Employees, by request for Part-Time Employees
• Office 365 Web Access/Online only for admitted students until they register for classes
• “Admin by Request” software agent for Employees to allow for easier software installation for approved software on college-owned devices

Service Portal Changes & Updates

A concerted effort to align the Service Portal (https://services.saintpaul.edu) with the college home page (https://www.saintpaul.edu/it-services/) will occur this summer. Simplifying technology onboarding for new students through the Service Portal will occur this summer and will align with the New Student Orientation email and D2L course. IT will work closely with Human Resources to support technology onboarding, ensuring supervisors and new employees are equipped with technology on day one. Our goal is to reduce the number of clicks to find the resources needed to accomplish technical tasks.

Upcoming Outages & Events

Our department begins fall preparations and summer work as soon as the spring semester ends. The dates below are our best estimates of planned outages or intermittent service interruptions.

• May 12 – June 30 – Asset Management installation
• May 19 @ 12 PM – 4 PM – Printer Updates – intermittent service interruptions
• May 19 – June 30 – Wireless Access Points replacements (136) – limited service interruptions
• May 19 – August 15 – Room Readiness
• May 19 – August 15 – Service Portal/Web Changes
• May 25 – June 30 – L270 Fitness Lab AV upgrade
• May 25 – June 30 – EV Lab AV install
• July 1 – New Password Rules/Changes effective
• July 1 – August 15 – Computer Lab replacements (3270, 80, 90), 4150, 4200 (depending on shipping/availability)
• July 1 – October 1 – Upload & asset tag building equipment
• July 1 – December 31 – Digital Display replacements
• July 21 – IT In-Service (1 PM – 4 PM closed)
• July 27 – August 15 – Printer preventative maintenance