UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

Lisel Stancil

Good Luck, Ryan Benedetti!

Ryan Benedetti, lead web developer in information services, will be leaving UP to start a new position at Med Savvy (a startup owned by Cambia) on September 28, according to Lisel Stancil, information services. Ryan has given so much of himself to UP over the years, and we are so grateful for the time he spent here. Ryan demonstrated his commitment to the mission of UP in his work efforts and in the humanity that he brought to his position. It’s challenging to summarize all of the work and contributions from Ryan’s 11 years at UP, but here are some highlights from the larger initiatives:

  • overhaul of the UP website – including a redesign and replacement of the 10+ year old CMS
  • multiple upgrades of Liferay to get PilotsUP to Liferay DXP’s more modern interface
  • build-out of tools to enhance the academic experience for students, tutors, academic staff and advisors
  • focused improvement on web accessibility for the UP website and other web applications
  • mentorship of student web developers and student web managers

Ryan has provided fantastic technical leadership to the web team, been a strategic leader for web projects, and shown his dedicated support for UP colleagues over the years. Please wish Ryan best of luck in his next adventure. For more information please email stancil@up.edu.

Banner 9 Transitioning on October 1

Information services will fully transition to Banner 9 effective Monday October 1.  Access to Banner INB will be turned off on that date. Those who use Banner are encouraged to start using Banner 9 as soon as possible so that any potential issues can be discovered and dealt with prior to the end of September. Please note, access to Self Serve Banner (SSB) for grades, timesheets, etc. will not be impacted by this change.

Many departments have already forged ahead with Banner 9, with 86 percent of all Banner pages accessed in the last three weeks being Banner 9 pages. During that time, the following departments have used Banner 9 almost exclusively:

  • Development
  • Financial Aid
  • Graduate School
  • Moreau Center
  • Registrar
  • Residence Life
  • Student Accounts

You can access Banner 9 in via PilotsUP or My Apps (http://myapps.up.edu)

Please contact Lisel Stancil, information services, at stancil@up.edu for additional support or training for making this transition.

New PilotsUP Portal Starts August 10

Web and enterprise services is excited to announce the rollout of the new PilotsUP portal beginning August 10. The new version of PilotsUP features a clean, mobile friendly design, enhanced search and navigation, and a configurable display for accessing your most frequently used web resources. Sites for the registrar, financial aid, the provost’s office, and other heavy traffic sites have been migrated to the new platform. “PilotsUP Classic” will still be available for August and September; if you’re not able to locate a resource in New PilotsUP, please let web and enterprise services know. From August 10 through 12, PilotsUP will be intermittently unavailable as we transition to the new version. Please contact Lisel Stancil with any questions: stancil@up.edu.

Banner 9 Is Now Live!

Upgrades to the Banner database were completed over the Memorial Day weekend and Banner 9 is now live, according to Lisel Stancil, information services. This resource (like INB 8) is available only on the campus network. Information services will be working to add this application to PilotsUP and MyApps for Quick Access sign-on. The URL for accessing Banner 9 is banner.campus.up.edu. Please be advised:

  • Please clear your browser cache before logging in for the first time.
  • You may now log in with your network account password (separate password no longer required!)
  • Chrome is the preferred browser for Banner 9 (you can use it on a Mac!)

Please contact IS if you experience any issues while using Banner 9. For more information contact Stancil at x7481 or stancil@up.edu.

Web Team Nominated for Innovation Award for New UP Website

The interdepartmental Web Team has been nominated for the “Best Innovation” award by Hannon Hill. The University of Portland’d website was nominated against those from Washoe County Nevada and Sarah Lawrence College. The winner will be announced at the annual Cascade Server Conference in Atlanta later this fall.

The new UP website was launched last summer with a brand new look and content management system (CMS). The new CMS, Cascade Server, was installed last spring and has replaced Sherpa for all content management on UP’s main website, up.edu.

The University’s interdepartmental web team includes Lisel Stancil (web and enterprise services), Amy Shelly (marketing), Ryan Benedetti (web and enterprise services), Jacob Caniparoli (web and enterprise services), John Carleton (web and enterprise services), Adam Murakami (web and enterprise services), Anna Lageson-Kerns (marketing), and Roya Ghorbani-Elizeh (marketing).

For more information, contact Amy Shelly, marketing, at shelly@up.edu or x8232 or Lisel Stancil, web and enterprise services, at stancil@up.edu or x7481.

New website – we need your help!

Screen shot 2015-04-10 at 11.06.06 AMUniversity of Portland has recently selected Hannon Hill’s Cascade Server as the new content management system for UP’s public website, up.edu. The new CMS will replace Sherpa.

To coincide with the installation of the new CMS, the University is also making plans to redesign our public-facing website, up.edu, and we need faculty and staff feedback. A short user survey is running on up.edu. Next time you visit the website, please click on the “How Can We Improve?” tab and take a moment to answer the short questions about how you’re using up.edu. Your answers will help our design team plan the architecture and navigation for the new site.

Superusers are invited to a meeting on Tuesday, April 21 at 9:30 a.m. in the Chiles Center Hall of Fame Room. Timelines for the redesign and CMS installation will be shared and there will be ample time for a question-and-answer session.

Please contact Amy Shelly, shelly@up.edu, or Lisel Stancil, stancil@up.edu, for more information.

Farewell Party For Brian Toole, March 27

toole copyInformation services will be saying farewell to Brian Toole on March 27, according to Lisel Stancil, web and enterprise services. Brian worked as a student employee in information services prior to joining the team as a full time employee in 2007 when he graduated from UP’s computer science program. Brian is leaving UP to join the UK-based company Virtual Trader, LLC in their Portland office. Brian’s institutional knowledge, programming skills, and passion for ultimate Frisbee will be missed.

There will be a farewell party for Brian in the Library Classroom on Thursday, March 27, beginning at 2:30 p.m. Please stop by to say farewell and wish Brian well on his next adventure. For more information contact Stancil at 7481 or stancil@up.edu.

Senior Leadership Team Complete

U of PLisel Stancil has been appointed director of web & enterprise services. She has served as interim director of web & enterprise services since September 2012. She previously served as a business process analyst in the information services department and is a 2002 graduate of the University.

Stancil’s appointment completes the senior leadership team in information services which also includes Michelle Sunderland, director of technical services; Sam Williams, director of academic technology services; Kevork Isikbay, technical programs manager; and Curt Pederson, chief information officer. Janice Lundborg, procurement and administrative specialist, has taken on additional administrative support responsibilities in support of the leadership team. For more information, contact Pederson at pedersoc@up.edu.