Introducing LSA Technology Services

This article originally appeared on Aug29/18 in the Michigan IT News.

On August 23, 2018, the College of LSA announced the creation of LSA Technology Services, a new organization that unites the LSA Information Technology, Instructional Support Services, Management and Information Systems, and Web Service teams into a single, cohesive unit. Andrew D. Martin, dean of LSA, and Cathy Curley, chief information officer of LSA, made the announcement.

"This team will be able to provide even better support for the tech, research, and instructional support needs of the college," said Martin. "You'll be seeing the new name on signs, websites, social media, and in your colleagues' titles starting this fall."

The initial goals of LSA Technology Services are to:

• Provide faculty, students, and staff easier access to service and support.
• Enhance existing services and provide new services that meet college needs.
• Offer more opportunities to improve LSA Technology Services staff skills and support professional advancement and development.

"The LSA community hasn't always been clear on which team to go to for which technology request," said Curley. "Now, they can simply call one number for all their tech needs." According to Curley, LSA Technology Services can handle a wide range of requests:

• classroom support
• website design
• creating systems to explore and understand financial data
• assistance in evaluating new technologies
• expertise to write more efficient code to analyze data on the high-performance computing cluster
• plus many more

LSA Technology Services is also introducing a new online request form anyone can use anytime to get connected with someone who can assist them. It's important to note these options don't replace day-to-day interactions with LSA Technology Services staff. They are new, streamlined options that can make it easier for LSA faculty, staff, and students to get to the services and staff expertise they need quickly.

"LSA Technology Services' objective is to create a new foundation to help College of LSA faculty, staff, and students meet the teaching, research, and technological challenges of today — and be better positioned to support them and the college's liberal arts vision far into the future," Curley said. "I'm very excited to step forward into this future, and I'm extremely proud of the work we have already accomplished — and the work I know we will accomplish tomorrow."

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