A Fall Update & Spring Outlook from our CIO, Dr. Sharyne Miller

As we wrap up the fall semester, I’d like to share some exciting updates on the projects and initiatives ITS has been working on for the campus community. From implementing new features to essential updates, our team is focused on improving the experience for students, faculty and staff. Below is an overview of what we've been working on and what's on the horizon.

What We've Been Working On:

• The Copilot Pilot program is underway, exploring new ways to integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) into our daily operations.
• Following the successful launch of the “UNCW Mobile” app this past summer, the Campus Mobile App Advisory Committee is working diligently to build on that success and enhance our mobile app experience.
• Our collaboration with BerryDunn on the High-Performance Computing (HPC) Strategy has been successfully completed. HPC has taken a major step forward with the addition of 1.2 petabytes of primary research storage and backup space. We are currently working to establish governance for the use of this storage and determine the best allocation among UNCW researchers. If you have any questions, please reach out to Parker Moran. 
• Faculty and Staff Web Profiles are now live on uncw.edu! This new feature allows faculty and staff to easily create, edit, and update their professional profiles, showcasing their work and sharing contact information with the campus community and beyond.
• New computer Operating Systems are available, including  Windows 11 and MacOS Sequoia upgrades.

What’s on the Horizon:

• We are excited to announce that we are upgrading the campus internet connection to double our overall capacity. This change will take place on Dec. 17 and will require two brief network outages of up to 60 seconds each between 6 a.m. to 6:30 a.m.
• In late January, Duo two-factor authentication (2FA) will undergo some important updates aimed at enhancing security across our campus. These updates include the introduction of Duo Verified Push and improvements to Duo Passcodes.
• We are working with various faculty and the Office of Distance Education and eLearning to pilot Panopto, a video streaming alternative to the current Echo360 system.
• In partnership with Institutional Research & Planning and HelioCampus, we have implemented the first Enterprise Data Warehouse at UNCW. This spring, we will roll out dashboards that provide data-driven insights, empowering the campus community to make informed decisions.
• A comprehensive Campus Network Refresh is in the design phase, with the goal of ensuring our network infrastructure is robust and reliable, and capable of supporting UNCW well into the future.
• We have been hard at work updating the campus IT Strategic Plan to ensure that we remain fully aligned with the priorities identified by the campus community as most significant and impactful. With many thanks to the campus for your input into this process, we anticipate sharing the plan in 2025.

We look forward to a productive and innovative spring semester – Happy Holidays!