CUNYfirst Gets a Makeover
An upgrade to CUNYfirst is planned for mid-April! Students, faculty and advisors will see a different CUNYfirst as Campus Solutions migrates to version 9.2. In addition, everyone will find a new, tile-based CUNYfirst home page.
While the core functions, tasks and pages will be familiar and continue to work as they do now, the following enhancements will change the appearance and your interaction with CUNYfirst:
- Redesigned, customizable CUNYfirst home page
- Graphic, tile-based navigation instead of text menus
- Modern, mobile-friendly user interface that adjusts to fit the display device in use
- Enhanced search capabilities make it easier to find information and functions
Be sure to clear your web browser’s cuny.edu site cookies before using CUNYfirst to ensure that the new user interface and features display correctly. See Why doesn't CUNYfirst display properly after the PeopleSoft 9.2 upgrade? in CUNY IT Help for instructions.
You can learn more by visiting the updated CUNYfirst page on the CUNY website. There you will find short videos and announcements regarding the CUNYfirst changes as well as links to FAQs, training and updated information about CUNYfirst.
The CUNYfirst Campus Solutions upgrade is planned for the evening of April 14 to the evening of April 18. During this upgrade, Campus Solutions functions will be unavailable from 7pm on Thursday, April 14 through 10pm on Monday, April 18. Human Capital Management (HCM) and Finance functions will be unavailable from 8am on Saturday, April 16 to 10pm on Monday, April 18.
Training and Resources for Using 9.2
CISTraining has developed a sustainable and engaging training program to support the various and ever-changing needs of our learning community as we prepare for the launch of the new 9.2 CUNYfirst home page, Campus Solutions, and Faculty/Advisor upgrade in mid-April. It has released a four-week training calendar of live webinars and is updating its CUNYfirst Sharepoint site on an ongoing basis with the latest recordings, video clips, user guides, and job aids. It is also updating and migrating over 500 CUNYfirst user guides into CUNY IT Help, which will improve your ability to find the information you need via keyword searches.
To help ensure a truly supportive foundation for the launch, the first set of live webinars will be delivered to our campus service desks and technicians. This will be followed by general sessions on Campus Solutions for administrative staff, along with sessions for the faculty and advisor communities.
Please complete the Registration Form for Administrative Staff and/or the Registration Form for Faculty/Advisors to select and sign up for your desired 9.2 webinar session using your CUNY Login (Username: Firstname.Lastname##@login.cuny.edu).
Transition to Cloud Email
The Central Office and Central Office hosted CUNY colleges (SPS, SLU, SPH) and other entities (University Students Senate, ISLG, CUNYBA, CUNYTV) are planning to transition faculty and staff Microsoft Outlook email accounts to the Microsoft Cloud starting in Spring/Summer 2022. Other CUNY colleges (Lehman, Queens, Baruch, CSI, York) have transitioned, or are in the process of implementing or planning their transition to the Microsoft Cloud in coordination with CIS.
Hosting Outlook email in the Microsoft Cloud provides valuable benefits, including the desired ability to integrate email with the other applications in the Microsoft 365 family (formally known as Microsoft Office 365 for Education), such as Teams, Teams calendar, OneDrive and SharePoint. In addition, logging in will be streamlined by adding email and calendar to your CUNY Login, thereby allowing users to log in the same way as is currently done for Teams and OneDrive. Other benefits include multifactor authentication protection, additional spam and malware protection and improved resiliency through the Microsoft Cloud.
As the colleges and CIS prepare for the transition to the cloud environment, faculty and staff can expect to hear more about the tools and process, along with the guidance, training, and support to move email, calendar, and contacts to the cloud. CIS is also developing training on how to make the most of this new and exciting environment, the great features you will have access to, and the email integration with the other Microsoft 365 applications.
To help get started, the CIS team has made available guidance and tips accessible at CUNY IT Help. Campuses and CUNY entities that currently use Central Office hosted email services (e.g. SPS, SLU, SPH, Guttman, University Student Senate, ISLG, CUNYBA, CUNYTV), may also email co.cloud2email@cuny.edu with questions or assistance.
CUNY IT Conferences – Past and Future
Nearly 1,100 CUNY staff and faculty attended the 20th Annual CUNY IT Conference on December 2 and 3, 2021. The conference focused on “Technologies for Teaching, Learning and Working at the Future CUNY – Utopias and Dystopias” and explored such topics as the role of Artificial Intelligence in enhancing teaching and learning, hybrid learning, and virtual internship programs. CUNY sessions were recorded and are available to everyone for ongoing viewing on the CIS website.
In addition to the 18 CUNY panels and 12 vendor panels, CUNY heard from two outstanding Keynoters. Dr. Mary Aiken, Professor of Cyberpsychology / Chair, Department of Cyberpsychology, Capitol Technology University, addressed “Cyberpsychology of Technology in Higher Education: The Good, the Bad and the Unknown”. Michael Miller Executive Partner, Gartner, Inc., discussed “Tech Utopias and Dystopias in Higher Education."
The next IT Conference will be held on December 1 and 2, 2022 and is currently planned to be in person.
Announcement: Upcoming Accessibility Conference
The 13th Annual CUNY Accessibility Conference will take place virtually over four days: April 11 - April 14, 2022 from 11 am – 3 pm. The conference theme is ‘The State of Accessibility: Are We Living Up to the Promise of Compliance and the Law?’ Keynote Speakers are Lateef Mima, Professor of Law at Howard University; Blake E. Reid, Clinical Professor, University of Colorado; Dr. Denise B. Maybank, CUNY Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management; Frank H. Wu, President, Queens College; and Dr. Chris Rosa, President and CEO, the Viscardi Center. Registration is free and open until April 11th. Please visit the Conference website for more information and to register.
Campus Corner: This section highlights IT activities at a college that can be relevant to other CUNY colleges.
College of Staten Island
The College of Staten Island (CSI) has completed or is in the process of completing a variety of projects during FY 2021-2022 that will enhance remote learning, increase security and help students access campus services. During this time, CSI:
- Successfully configured a server based virtual desktop environment (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure; VDI) that will be an alternative to the virtual labs used by remote learners. This upgrade allows for easy access to frequently used applications from a remote location. Physical labs, which were previously configured as virtual, have been transitioned back to in-person use.
- Upgraded its website to Drupal 9, an open source content management system, to provide better security, improve performance while allowing CSI to utilize enhanced features for ADA compliance.
- Participated in a CUNY Hyflex pilot, as well as equipped more than 75 classrooms with technology that supports remote learning (e.g., document cameras, webcams that capture content written on a whiteboard/blackboard, conference microphones, and dual monitors. Hyflex gives students the ability to attend classes either in person or online from classroom session to classroom session. This technology is integrated with Zoom to allow students to participate in class in real time.
- CSI will be going live with QCSI, the college’s new mobile scheduling tool. Students can schedule appointments with Enrollment Services, Financial Aid, the Registrar, the Bursar, HelpDesk and Admissions.
Reminder: CUNY’s IT Security Awareness Course
Cybersecurity is one of the most important issues facing anyone who uses technology.
Staying safe online protects you, CUNY and your colleagues from disruptive and possibly illegal activity. Hacking, phishing attempts and other cybersecurity threats are commonplace. It is important to be able to recognize these threats and protect yourself.
To help you identify cybersecurity threats and how to handle them. CUNY offers the CUNY IT Security Awareness Course for faculty and staff. The 40-minute course will teach you how to protect university data, acceptable use of cloud-based resources, handling confidential/sensitive information and everyday protections such as backing up data and securing mobile devices.